Alpaca socks can give athletes an edge

With Ironman coming to town this weekend I was thinking about what an amazing accomplishment it is to participate in this event.

The most recent sporting I have been involved with was "Ride the Rockies" in Colorado the last few summers. This is great ride if you are a cyclist. It covers 500 miles in 6 days at elevations up to 12,000 feet with spectacular views of the rocky mountains. Every day of the ride I wore my trusty Alpaca socks. Some days we would start in a valley with full sun and 90 degree weather and climb a mountain pass a few hours later with snow and near freezing weather. Luckily my socks always adapted to the weather and kept my feet comfortable during the ride.

I am certain our new Alpacor socks could really help the contestants this week in Ironman as well. Our Alpacor socks are made with a patented fiber that goes through 18 different manufacturing steps to create a strong, comfortable sock with incredible wicking properties. Our Dahlgren socks have a patented design that combines natural and synthetic fibers in targeted wicking zones to move moisture out of the shoe and up to the ankle where it can evaporate. It amazes me how athletes will spend thousands of dollars on bikes and equipment but miss out on a small investment in quality socks to help improve their performance.

If you know someone participating in Ironman this week or are heading out on your own outdoor activity we hope you can mention us or come by our store and try a pair of our incredible sport socks.

Over the years we have perfected the designs and styles of our alpaca socks and now have over 30 combinations of styles and colors to choose from.

In case you have not heard about us, Alpaca Direct is a direct merchant of high quality yarn, apparel, gifts and socks. We carry a full line of fiber art accessories, including hundreds of needles and thousands of yarns. Our unique selection of products also includes Peruvian alpaca sweaters, hand-loomed lace scarves, performance alpaca socks, cuddly alpaca teddy bears and unique international jewelry.

Our building is handicap accessible, with ample parking and is easy to find. We are located on Hayden Avenue, just two blocks west of Highway 95 at 1016 W. Hayden Ave. in Hayden.

Our Alpaca fiber experts are on call 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Visit us at 1016 W. Hayden Ave. or online at www.AlpacaDirect.com - your local destination for luxury yarn, apparel and gifts. "Like" us on Facebook and Yelp for exclusive coupons, product spotlights and news!

Kelley Hobart is the owner of Alpaca Direct in Hayden.