SPIbelt Spotting

– By Kim Overton

One of my favorite past-times as the owner of SPIbelt is SPIbelt spotting. I live in Austin, TX, and SPIbelts are made with passion here, which means there’s a good chance I’ll spot one of our products out and about at least once a day.

Austin has a wonderful hike and bike trail downtown that snakes around Town Lake (actually a river) that divides the town between the north and the south. This hike and bike trail is where the SPIbelt was born. It happened September 17, 2006 as the band Morcheeba was playing live at ACL. I remember it like it was yesterday because I had been a fan of Morcheeba for years, it was piping hot that afternoon, and I was one of the few people actually jogging on the trail that day.

I was on the north side of the trail with ACL on the south side, but those who’ve been in Austin during ACL know that the sound travels far, especially when you’re familiar with a particular band. I remember jogging in circles enjoying one of the band’s songs, all the while annoyed by the keys in my bra top. I continued on my run and as the heat did its dance with my sweat glands, the items tucked into my clothes became increasingly uncomfortable.

Just like that, the idea for the SPIbelt came to me. I imagine that sounds so easy, and people may think there’s more to the story. But there’s not, other than the idea hit me like a lightning bolt. I continued my run thinking of what I wanted this new belt to do. I wanted a belt that didn’t bounce, that was discreet, not bulky, not goofy or weird to run with, one that running pros and beginners would both appreciate, one that I could forget about when running, while storing my keys and other small items in it. The SPIbelt was born that day, that moment, on September 17th, 2006 during ACL.

I officially launched the belt at the Austin Marathon in 2007 after incorporating my business and filing the patent. And the rest, as they say, is entrepreneurial history.

-Kim Overton, SPIbelt founder