I don’t know about you but during a long, intense run the only thing that can really quench my thirst and refuel me is…a tomato, obviously.

It’s tomato season in Japan, and this Tokyo based juice-maker-turned-inventor from the company Kagome, has found a way to make this happen, thank goodness!

The wearable device is called the “Tomatan.” It sits snuggly on the runners shoulders complete with tomato-shaped-bobble-head and legs that drape over the runners shoulders. A small lever on the bottom of the foot can be flipped to summon the tomatoes. Two mechanical arms bring the tomato up and over the runners head, holding the tomato in front of the mouth making it easy to eat and run at the same time. No more pesky tomato breaks.

This is a crazy invention, yes, but I have to give it the Japanese for their ingenuity. Tomatoes are packed with energy and help to combat fatigue. Not to mention they do contain a nutrient, lycopene, that works as a natural sunblock.

Kagame says the invention holds six mid-sized tomatoes, enough to power runners through this Sunday’s Tokyo marathon. This is great, however at 17 pounds the runners might need a little extra boost to carry them through the entire marathon, because whoa!

Too bulky and heavy and is what I thought too, but don’t worry. They thought of that and will also be debuting the Petit-Tomtatan. It’s a smaller, lighter version (only six and a half pounds) that dispenses up to 12 cheery tomatoes. This version even has a timer that keeps the runner from over-indulging or depleting their energy supplies.

Although no animals were harmed in the making of this invention, we did lose 100 tomatoes to this brilliant idea. A worthy sacrifice for any tomato-loving runner.

Who knows, this might be the missing piece for marathon runners everywhere.

 

 

 

Author: Brenna Fischer

Editor: Renée Picard

Photos: Youtube