(Photo: Mikael Buck)
Some people wear swim caps to protect their hair from the ravages of water, to keep hair out of pool filters, or reduce water drag while racing. The first of these is, of course, a concern for men with high-grade beards. They don’t want their perfectly designed facial arrangements to be harmed.
So it was inevitable that Virgin Trains, a British railroad company, would invent a device to protect the beards of swimmers. The beard cap is a Lycra swim cap that includes a wrap for beards and mustaches. PSFK reports that it’s a necessity for bearded athletic swimmers:
Virgin Trains, the official train partner to the Great North Swim, commissioned research after reading debates on swimming forums about beards causing drag. The findings revealed that 12 percent of men connect their beard to slower swim times and nearly a quarter feel their beards hinder their sports performance. Sporting men reported the reasons for this, with 11 percent saying their beard is irritating, 32 percent claiming it is a source of discomfort, and 42 percent saying they find it distracting.
-via Hopes & Fears