Italian cycling and snow eyewear brand KOO has developed NOVA sunglasses to target the running market. The brand’s NOVA collection is making its debut at the Tor des Géants (TORX), which KOO Eyewear is sponsoring.
The Tor des Géants trail race runs through the Aosta Valley (Valle d’Aosta), in north-western Italy, from September, 9-18. There are four race distances of 330km, 130km, 30km and 450 kilometres on trails that are equally challenging in terms of their length and elevation gain.
KOO adds that the event requires athletes to… ‘keep a careful, watchful eye in order to deal with any “roughness” in the terrain, especially during transitions between sunlit and shaded areas, such as when running into woods.’
Participants in the Tor des Géants run at high altitude, repeatedly pushing beyond elevations of 3,000m. Here, KOO adds that providing high protection for the eyes is essential, just as it’s necessary for the runners to physically protect their eyes from external elements such as twigs, wind and dust.
NOVA sunglasses utilise high-strength nylon Zeiss toric lenses, offering a 100% UV filter and low refractive index to deliver minimal visual distortion. Runners should also appreciate their stability, thanks to a snug fit, ventilation and, above all, their weight. The sunglasses come in at a featherweight 21g.
The arms are thin and flexible, and the soft, snug-fitting rubber temple tips enable the sunglasses to be worn for several hours. The rubber nosepiece includes ventilation holes, rendering it lighter, more breathable and helping to avoid problems caused by excess sweat.
The anti-scratch technology applied to the lenses makes them resistant to scratching, and hydrophobic technology enables any water droplets to run off, suitable for when caught in a quick downpour. Finally, in addition to the five versions with category 2 and 3 Uniform Multilayer mirrored lenses, KOO Eyewear is also offering running enthusiasts the Pink Photochromic lens variant, for adapting to different light conditions, rapidly switching from category 1 to 3.
The NOVA range is on sale to the public on the kooworld.cc website, priced at €179.00 for the five colour combinations Black/Red Mirror, Black/Fuchsia Mirror, Aqua/Turquoise Mirror, Olive Green/Orange Mirror, Sunset/Gold Mirror, and the White/Photochromic Pink version is available at €210.00.
www.kooworld.cc
www.torxtrail.com
www.aosta-valley.co.uk
