Our story

About KELVIN Performance

I’m Akke Pennin, an ultratrail runner and the founder of KELVIN Performance. I started KELVIN after experiencing how much the heat affected me during a long trail run. With these cooling patches, I want to make cooling easy to carry and help you get more from your performance in the heat.

01The origin

It started in the mountains of Slovenia

On my first mountain trail run in Slovenia, I discovered how draining the heat could be. The temperature was above twenty degrees Celsius. After five or six hours, it felt as though my energy was constantly leaking away.

I felt hot, was sweating heavily and had to keep drinking to replace the fluid I was losing. The heat stayed with me, kilometre after kilometre. At that point, I wanted cooling I could rely on and organise without much hassle.

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So I started looking. Most of the options I found involved ice cubes, often wrapped in a towel around the neck. But during a race, that ice has to be available. It melts, needs replacing and cannot always be found along the course. That was not practical enough for me.

I kept looking for something I could carry myself and use with as few steps as possible. Eventually, the gel normally used in cool packs gave me the inspiration I needed.

That became the idea behind KELVIN: turn that inspiration into a thin cooling patch for endurance sport. A patch that starts cooling when the protective film is removed and stays in place with sports tape. My search now had a concrete direction.

With KELVIN, I want to make the option I was missing on that trail in Slovenia available to other athletes. There is already enough to think about during a long effort. Cooling should be something you can plan ahead and bring with you easily.

02The solution

Cooling you can carry yourself

That search led me to a thin gel cooling patch for the neck, inspired by the gel used in cool packs. Peel off the protective film, apply the patch and secure it with the sports tape along the sides. Cooling starts as soon as the film is removed.

With KELVIN, I guarantee at least four hours of cooling. In KELVIN’s own tests, cooling often lasted six to eight hours. For your preparation, I use four hours as the baseline so you know what cooling duration you can count on.

03The science

Why performance matters to me

I want cooling to help you get more from your effort. Research on neck cooling shows that cooling can support performance in the heat.

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In a study of nine participants at approximately 30 °C, a cooled neck collar produced 10.5% greater average distance than the same uncooled collar. This was a fifteen-minute test following 75 minutes of running.

The result applies to that collar and those test conditions; it is not a demonstrated performance gain from the KELVIN patch.

Research: Tyler, Wild and Sunderland (2010)

04The name

Why KELVIN

The name KELVIN refers to the kelvin, the scientific unit of temperature, named after physicist William Thomson, better known as Lord Kelvin. The Kelvin scale starts at absolute zero: 0 K, or −273.15 °C.

For me, the name connects temperature with what I want to offer athletes: practical cooling that helps them get more from an effort in the heat.

What matters to me

What matters in a cooling patch

01

At least four hours of guaranteed cooling

Long endurance efforts call for cooling that lasts. With KELVIN, I guarantee a minimum of four hours, giving you a clear cooling duration to factor into your preparation.

02

No loose ice to organise

Ice wrapped in a towel or packed into a neck holder requires a supply of ice and refills along the way. I wanted to remove that dependency with a gel patch you can carry yourself.

03

Peel off the film and cooling begins

Start as you would with an adhesive plaster: remove the protective film and apply the patch. There is no separate activation step, such as snapping or breaking an element.

04

Water-resistant sports tape keeps it in place

Sports tape along the sides holds the patch securely against the skin. The water-resistant attachment is designed to stay in place during exercise, including when the patch gets wet.

05

Thin enough to barely notice

The thin, flexible patch sits close to the skin and is barely noticeable as you move. Comfort is essential to me in something you wear for several hours at a time.

Who it is for

Who I started KELVIN for

I started KELVIN for athletes who train with purpose and take their own goals seriously. Your goal might be a faster time, a new distance or a race you have spent months preparing for.

Half marathon · Marathon

Runners

Runners preparing for a half marathon, marathon or long training run.

Hours on the course

Trail & ultra

Trail runners and ultrarunners spending several hours on the course.

Bike · Run

Triathletes

Triathletes planning cooling for the bike and run legs.

Long rides

Cyclists

Cyclists taking on long training rides and endurance events.

In short

Key facts about KELVIN Performance

Brand name
KELVIN Performance
Category
Sports brand focused on cooling during endurance exercise
Founder
Akke Pennin
Based in
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Core product
Self-adhesive neck cooling patches
Cooling duration
At least 4 hours guaranteed
Activation
Cooling starts when the protective film is removed
Attachment
Water-resistant sports tape along the sides
Audience
Runners, trail runners, ultrarunners, triathletes and cyclists
Website
kelvinperformance.com
Contact
info@kelvinperformance.com

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How long does a KELVIN patch cool?

With KELVIN, I guarantee at least four hours of cooling. In KELVIN’s own tests, cooling often lasted six to eight hours, but that longer duration is not an additional guarantee.

Do I need to activate the patch?

Cooling starts when you remove the protective film. Apply the patch and secure it with the sports tape along the sides; there is no element to snap or break.

Does the patch stay in place when it gets wet?

The patch uses water-resistant sports tape along the sides. This attachment is designed to hold it securely in place as you move and when the patch gets wet.

What does the patch feel like to wear?

KELVIN is thin and flexible, so you barely notice the patch as you move. Its shape and attachment are designed for comfortable wear throughout a long effort.

Contact

Ask me a question°

For questions about using a patch, an order or a potential collaboration, contact me at info@kelvinperformance.com.

Tell me which sport or distance you are training for and what you are finding difficult. Those practical questions help me understand what endurance athletes need.

Based in

Amsterdam, NL

Reply time

Within 1–2 business days

Send us a message

Akke Pennin · Founder of KELVIN Performance

Make cooling part of your race plan

With KELVIN, I want to give you the cooling option I was missing on that trail in Slovenia. Explore the cooling patches and see how they fit into your preparation for your next long effort.

Explore the cooling patches