Fun and Fitness for the 40-Something

It’s an internal debate I suspect a lot of runners have–do I go out with as little extra bulk in my pockets as possible, or do I bring my ID, emergency contact information, insurance card and a medical information card? In other words, convenience or safety?

With Road ID, you can end the debate once and for all. It provides the best of worlds–a secure, light-weight shoe attachment that won’t slow you down and all of the information you would want on you if you had an accident. I started wearing mine after I was hit by a truck while running through a crosswalk several years ago.

Did that get your attention? I was lucky—a backwards baseball hat cushioned my head from the impact with the street, and I only broke a rib. But the accident made me think—what if I had been knocked unconscious or even just disoriented? The paramedics would not have known whom to contact or have ready access to any of my medical information. Shortly after the accident, though, I came across Road ID in a running magazine.

That was 2003, and the product has only improved since then. My original Road ID listed my name, city, blood type, allergies, organ donor status and emergency contact’s name and number. I replaced that earlier this year (only two years after I moved across the country!) and found the company had expanded the product line. In addition to the Shoe ID I use, you can buy models for the wrist, ankle and shoe pouch.

Better yet, the company now offers two versions—the original tag with six or seven lines of laser-engraved text and an interactive version (which I chose). The interactive version lets you build a fully updateable, secure Emergency Response Profile (ERP) for first responders.

You can still customize the first two or three lines. The last four lines give instructions on how to access your ERP in an emergency situation. Your ERP provides first responders your name, address, emergency contacts, health insurance, medical information and more. You can access your profile at any time to update its eight areas:

• Name and vital stats,
• Addresses (up to three),
• Emergency contacts (up to five),
• Physicians (up to five),
• Medical profile (e.g., allergies, conditions, medications, history),
• Health insurance and identification (e.g., Social Security Number),
• Photo, and
• Additional information

I encouraged my brother and sister to buy Road IDs and encourage you to do so, too. I think $20-$30 is a small price to pay for such an easy-wearing peace of mind. Who knows? It could save your  life.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 at 6:59 am and is filed under General Fitness, Products and Reviews, Running. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.