Completing the 10 events of the decathlon is exhausting, even for defending Olympic champion Ashton Eaton.
To recover quickly between events, Eaton wears what Nike describes as a “cooling hood.” It is designed to retain cool water without leaking.
“A perfect scenario would be to feel like you’ve just started on every event,” Eaton said in a press release. “The more you do, the more attrition you experience. Rather than realizing immediate physiological gain, the challenge is more about reducing the mental attrition from the two days to maximize each event. After asking questions about current recovery techniques, the conversation prompted me to ask myself: Why does it feel good, after running, to pour a bottle of water over your head? I don’t know the physiological answer, but the fact that it does feel better makes me perform better. ”