LONDON -- Do you have a beard? Are you a keen swimmer? Do you enjoy looking like a clown?
If so, Virgin Trains has just the product: the beard swim cap. Or beard cap.
This is a real thing, albeit a bit of a publicity stunt. The UK train operating company, which has teamed up with the Great North Swim from June 12 to 14, says it developed a prototype Lycra cap specifically designed to minimise facial hair shedding. The swim is the UK's biggest open water swimming event.
Research commissioned by Virgin Trains found that 12% of bearded men who participated connected their bushy chins to slower swim times (2,000 people were surveyed).
Nearly a quarter of the men felt their beards hindered their sports performance, the research found. It also stated that the UK cities with the most bearded men were Birmingham, London and Norwich.
Take a look at all the ways you can look foolish (or terrific, depending on your outlook) with the new beard cap.
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