Ironman Worlds x6 and Host of Waterfall Racing podcast interviews Hammer Head® Swim Caps founder Theresa Finn on swimmer head safety, concussion awareness, and why protective swim caps should be viewed as PPE for aquatic athletes.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, October 22, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Hammer Head Swim Caps, creator of the world's first patented protective swim cap, is featured on the Waterfall Racing Podcast, hosted by Ironman athlete Joy McAdams. The episode explores a frequently overlooked issue in endurance and aquatic sports: protecting swimmers from accidental head impacts.
Titled "Why Every Swimmer Needs to Think About Head Protection with Hammer Head Swim Caps," the episode challenges athletes, parents, and coaches to think of a swim cap as more than a traditional accessory to hold your hair in place or bear your team logo or race day number. Just as cyclists wear helmets and other athletes rely on protective gear, Hammer Head believes swimmers and triathletes should have access to personal protective equipment—PPE—designed specifically for the water.
The interview shares the personal journey of Hammer Head founder and CEO Theresa Finn, whose son suffered a concussion after striking a pool wall during backstroke warm-ups. Her business partner, David Burns, experienced a similar frightening incident when his daughter hit her head on a pool wall at practice. Another young swimmer later sustained a concussion in a separate accident. Those experiences transformed their concern as parents into a mission to improve head safety across aquatic sports.
During the conversation, Finn and McAdams discuss the head-impact risks swimmers and triathletes may encounter, including crowded practice and warm-up lanes, backstroke wall strikes, mass-start open-water swims, congested buoy turns, rough or limited visibility conditions that lead to accidental athlete-to-athlete collisions.
Although swimming is not traditionally viewed as a contact sport, accidental contact does happen. Hammer Head is working to establish a new category of aquatic PPE that helps address these risks without compromising the comfort, fit, and hydrodynamic performance athletes expect from a swim cap.
"Our mission has never been simply to create another swim cap," said Finn. "It is about giving swimmers access to meaningful personal protective equipment designed for aquatic sports. Athletes protect their eyes with goggles, their skin with wetsuits, and their feet with proper footwear on the run. We believe protecting the head should become an equally natural part of preparing for the swim."
Hammer Head Swim Caps feature patented Honeycomb Impact Technology, an integrated cushioning structure inside - engineered to help absorb and disperse impact forces. In independent drop testing by ACT in Long Beach, CA, Hammer Head reduced impact force to the top of the head by more than 50% compared with conventional silicone and dome-style swim caps.
The product is designed to function as swimmer-specific PPE while maintaining the streamlined, wrinkle-free profile of a performance swim cap. After being tested by Dr. Gary Hall, Sr., Olympian and founder of The Race Club, swimmers can also count on being faster and more confident wearing Hammer Head - with a reduction of up to 10.5% of frontal drag compared to latex or silicone swimming caps. It can be worn alone during training or underneath a team or race cap during competition.
The episode also highlights Hammer Head's broader vision: making conversations about head protection as common in swimming and triathlon as they have become in football, hockey, skiing, and cycling. The discussion extends beyond equipment to include education, prevention, concussion awareness, and empowering athletes to make informed decisions about their safety. Finn concludes "We want to leave aquatic sports safer than we found it." McAdams adds "Prevention is always the right choice!"
McAdams, an accomplished Ironman athlete and host of the Waterfall Racing Podcast, explores how preparation, confidence, and smart safety decisions contribute to long-term participation and success in endurance sports. The episode invites swimmers and triathletes to consider a piece of race-day preparation that has historically received little attention: PPE for the swim.
The Waterfall Racing Podcast interview follows growing media interest in Hammer Head and swimmer head safety, including coverage by CBS Minnesota's WCCO, Daily Mom, Dawn of Sports, Swimming World, Parent Magazine and SwimSwam, one of the aquatic sports industry's most respected news sources.
Hammer Head Swim Caps are designed to help minimize the force of certain head impacts but cannot prevent all head injuries or concussions.
Hammer Head® Swim Caps is a Minnesota-based company advancing head safety in aquatic sports through innovation, education, and advocacy. Founded after swimming-related head injuries involving the founders' children and other teammates, Hammer Head developed the world's first patented protective swim cap that doesn't ask athletes to sacrifice speed, comfort or cap durability.
Featuring Honeycomb Impact Technology, Hammer Head provides swimmers with a new form of personal protective equipment engineered to help reduce head-impact forces while preserving comfort and hydrodynamic performance. The company serves athletes participating in competitive swimming, triathlon, open-water swimming, water polo, artistic swimming, diving, and adaptive aquatics.
Website: https://hammerheadswimcaps.com
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