9to5Mac is reporting that UK students at two Leeds universities are competing in a distance running challenge focused on Nike + iPod kits. Also, Apple has recently filed a patent, published by the US Patent and Trademark Office, that reveals additional Nike+ gear functionality. According to iPodNN, additional features include EKG, heartrate, body temperature and even hydration.

Nike handed students at the University of Leeds and Leeds Met University free Nike+ T-shirts and Nike+ Sports Kits this week. Winners will nab Nike and Apple gear, such as iPod nanos and Nike-branded clothes and shoes.

The winning university team will receive fifty pairs of VIP tickets to an iTunes Live From London event at Apple's Regent Street Store. The competition lasts from April 25 to May 23, and there's more information on this from the Facebook page.

Some athletes, however, take Nike + equipment more seriously. The kits currently track only pacing and distance. Runners say they'd like to see a heart monitor, for example, implemented in the kits.

Well, it seems Apple has listened to athletes' demands. According to iPodNN, Apple has filed a patent which hints at an array of new Nike+ features such as EKG, heartrate, body temperature and even hydration. The new functionality is said to become available "through new equipment mounted 'on or in' articles of clothing," the web site notes. "GPS data may also be present, enabling users to track exactly which routes they have taken," while sensors are to be mounted "in or on" various kinds of clothing, like armbands and headbands, but might also be attached to sports equipment too. Bats, rackets, bicycles and golf clubs are mentioned in the patent description.

The new technology could also interact with Apple's iPhone or iPod touch enabling runners to use voice commands, in order to elliminate the need to use the touchscreen and drip sweat on the device.

It has even been hinted in the patent that iPods connected to Nike + equipment could be set to play "motivational" video and audio content, such as coaching.