David Deigan got into running the same way a lot of us do—on a whim and with very little training. In 1959, Deigan was in high school. While messing around with friends one day, he saw a crowd of people running by, joined them and unintentionally completed his first marathon. According to NASA, that same year, “the Russians were the first to successfully launch a probe to the far side of the moon—and return pictures—thus firing the starter pistol for the space race.” While the subjects of marathon running and Space Age technology are, quite literally, worlds apart, Deigan would dedicate a career to exploring the synchronicity between the two.
NASA has long been credited for the innovative material used to insulate everything from the Apollo lunar landing vehicles, to survival equipment, to computers and even to Earth-bound adventure vehicles, such as the camper. “It is one of the simplest yet most versatile spinoffs to come out of [NASA],” says NASA. So how did it become part of marathon culture?
In the early years of the New York City Marathon, the threat of hypothermia among thousands of racers was a serious concern. Upon crossing the finish line, it took competitors 20 minutes, on average, to get to their clothes and warm up. Every year, marathon organizers watched racers visit the medical tent rather than bask in the glory of finishing the race.
If anyone knows a thing or two about keeping people warm, it’s NASA. It’s cold in space! So marathon organizers turned to Metallized Products, one of the first companies to implement NASA’s insulation technology into their own products, to create a blanket for marathon runners.
In 1976, the space blanket was incorporated into the marathon, serving as a medical accessory to keep runners warm post-race. While a viable solution at the time, the blankets were packaged individually and took too long to unwrap. Enter Deigan.
Two years later, in 1978, Deigan ran a 26.2-mile course through the five boroughs of New York City. On a path in Central Park, the final stretch of the New York City Marathon, it wasn’t the finish line that caught his eye; it was the runners wrapped in reflective blankets.
Deigan worked at a metalizing company that manufactured products for aerospace insulation. The reflective blankets Deigan saw adorning competitors was more than a memento of the marathon. For him, it was a merging of his career and hobby—and sparked curiosity.
Soon thereafter, Deigan founded Heatsheets and introduced designs to enhance NASA’s infrared-reflective technology and eliminate the problematic packaging of the original space blanket. As fate would have it, the launch of Heatsheets coincided with an unfolding discussion in the marathon running world around corporate sponsorship.
When Fred Lebow, an eccentric first-generation Jewish immigrant from Transylvania with a passion for running who founded the New York City Marathon, heard about Heatsheets, he saw an opportunity to sell prime advertising space during the marathon.
Lebow called Deigan and offered him corporate sponsorship of the marathon in exchange for a donation of finish line blankets. With only two minutes to make his case to the father of the New York City Marathon, Deigan presented a concept that would solidify Heatsheets’ place in marathon culture: why not sell advertising space on the blankets? Lebow bought it, and the rest, as they say, is history.
In refining the metallic blanket throughout the past three decades, Deigan has contributed to the space blanket’s lasting legacy with running, as well as other sporting events. Adidas and United Airlines, among many others, have utilized Heatsheets as a major marketing avenue. In 2010, Heatsheets premiered an eco-friendly version of the material at Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City, Utah. Today’s Heatsheets are recyclable and made in the U.S.
Deigan retired from the company in 2014. Heatsheets’ current owners are avid runners who are working hard to continue Deigan’s legacy in the endurance sports market. When it comes to the silver lining in marathon running, the sky is clearly not the limit.
This story first appeared in RANGE Magazine Issue 10, which is dedicated to the idea of progress. Get your hands on a copy HERE.
Image courtesy of the New York Road Runners.
XX Lisa Dougherty