Tuesday, April 28, 2009

All About Mitch


Coming off Ironman Australia, blueseventy's Mitch Anderson confirms that he's an athlete to look out for. Mitch will only get stonger as the year progresses. Recovering well from IM Australia, Mitch snatched the title here in Japan at this Strongman event. He writes...

"I headed over to Japan on the Monday night prior to the race. It took us 38 hours and two nights in airport hotels (epic!) before Sam Hume and I got to Miyakojima, which is a near tropical island at a latitude close to Taiwan. The weather is usually humid (80%+) and warm (25-30C) for race day…plus the white sands of the local beach and a magic buffet breakfast make it a paradise for triathletes. The race has a cap of 1500, for which 2500 Japanese locals apply. I was joined by Humey, German Norbert Huber and the top Japanese athletes like Kawahara (2:47 off the bike last year, 4th IM Japan 08) and Matsumara (2:50 runner, 2nd last year). My legs felt pretty good in the lead up- I was able to run 80 min on the Sunday following Australia and swing an Eliza loop (115km) with the boys…so I had my fingers crossed that I could push the bike and hang tough on the run.

That’s pretty much how my race panned out- I swam 41 high with Kawahara, losing time to Hume and 2-time Olympic turned TBB athlete Nishiuchi…but Hume double flatted and I swept to the lead by the 35km mark. I felt like I was riding a motor scooter for most of the bike portion- I rode a 3:54 for 155km (incl transitions- which was a record by 1.5 min). This was 8 min faster than I had ridden on a much easier day in 2004 and 7 min faster than Matsamaru, with the third best bike split 20 minutes down! My new TT is really perfect, as is the wheel combo of zipp 1080 and sub-9 disc. The marathon was a challenge for my legs after 15km- they felt like dog meat for most of the next 27km. The course is undulating and we had a strong headwind on the 21km out, which made for a bit of a sweaty time on the run back in. I turned with a 7min lead on Matsamaru, who was having a similarly tough run, after expending a fair amount of energy limiting his losses on the bike. I knew it was unlikely that given he had only made 2min up in the first half, that he could make up 7 in the second half…unless I totally cracked. So I kept up the base 4m 30s pace, with a few dips on the ups! I got to the finish which consisted of 300m on an athletics track, and was joined by some local drummers and a couple of guys dressed up in dragon suits! Magic stuff- I thought I might have been taking a serious dose of L.S.D. When I saw those characters!

So, a good win so close to IM OZ and this means I get an automatic invite back next year. I hope I can get Bridie to come for a holiday on Miyako in 2010. Congrats to her for a stellar TT on Chong Ming (45km/h for 21km!) I’m trying to get an Australian tour together, so I’ll keep you posted on that with help from Shane Smith and TriTravel. Many thanks to Naant and Sam for race day support, plus Gary Sato who did a stellar job keeping me running the right directions (no flash backs to IM Japan!). Of course thanks to Darren, Graham and Jo from Giant for all their help- plus a supply of t-shirts and socks that make me constantly branded correctly! Thanks to Darryl and Steph from Shotz, who supply the worlds best nutrition products. Mary and Neil at Supercraft for their moral and continued support. Matt and Michelle from Shimano for the right groupo- looking fwd to electric durace asap! Antho and the Daves’ from CBD keeping my equipment in prefect nick. Glenn from Cannibal keeps me looking like the fastest athlete, even when I mightn’t be. Chris and Greg from Zipp for the ceramic weaponry. Greg from Rudy- the new glasses are all fantastic and a real step up in eye wear. Guy from Blueseventy for the wetties and Tim from Nuun for the tasty electrolyte replacement. Paul for the Puma gear on and off the track! TriTravel for getting me where I need to go- thanks Shane and Tiff. Sally for the Polar heart rate monitors to help keep me objective. Monika for the Giro helmet free speed and finally Phil at computrainer for making sure I train hard in any weather and can prepare for any course!

My next stop is Europe, where I’ll be hitting a few halves over their summer. This will allow me to prepare for a big day in Kona in October, with IM WA in December.

See you at the coffee shop,
Mitch"

Olympian Alistair Brownlee goes in blue and comes out gold!


Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee convincingly won their respective races at the British Elite Duathlon Championships held at Prestwold Hall Airfield yesterday (26th April).

2008 Beijing Olympian Alistair Brownlee (and newest blueseventy triathlete to join the ranks) led from the front in the senior men's race, winning by a convincing margin from the impressive Matt Gunby, with Matt Moorehouse in third.

Kat Grimmet continued her fine start to the season, by adding the British Elite title to her National Age Group Duathlon title she won earlier in the month at Emberton Park. However she didn't have it all her own way, Grimmet led after the first run stage but Emma Dews closed her down and passed her during the bike, however Grimmet was strong enough to pull back through on the second run to claim the win. Eimear Mullen rounded out the top three in third.

There was some close racing in the Junior age groups, with Jonathan Brownlee and Sophie Coleman claiming the wins, and in the youths Henry Jarvis won the boys race in a close sprint finish with Will Johnston. Maddy Winzer won the youth girls race by an impressive margin.

blueseventy nero used to set Pan American Free Diving record!


As a recent addition to the blueseventy family, Jana Strain smashed the Pan American record in dynamic no-fins free diving - a sport for the mentally and physically tough for sure!!
Jana was ecstatic when exiting the pool and said, “Today was a challenge, static this morning, then going into the dive with a pounding CO2 headache and performing in the deep end of the pool. It was not an easy dive, but it helps me to grow and keeps things interesting and exciting.”

Jana broke the existing records of Mandy-Rae Cruickshank at 100M (328 feet) and Tanya Streeter at 113M (370), both set in 2005. Again this is the best performance by a woman in the Western Hemisphere in almost four years.

For more information about Jana Strain please visit www.janastrain.com

Dynamic Without Fins (DNF) is covering the greatest possible horizontal distance under water on a single breath, without the use of any propulsion device. DNF requires very good technique. Performances can only be recognized in pools with a minimum length of 25 meters

Jana was competing with many other talented athletes today including William Winram who also set a new record in DNF. Jana’s record was officiated by Grant W. Graves and Robert King, AIDA Judges. This competition was the 1st AIDA Canada sanctioned competition since being awarded the national delegate by AIDA International earlier this year.

Legend Mike Ross loves the nero!

Former champion Mike Ross tried the nero with super quick results (some even faster than our own blueseventy legend Roque Santos). Below is a quick review he sent to Roque after trying out the nero.

"Roque,

The blueseventy pants are magic.  Rather than beating around the bush, I will just give you the play-by-play:

Saturday
100 Free, Full Body, 45.61 (I flubbed the last turn and had a poor underwater kickout, so I was happy with this time)
200 IM, Full Body, 1:51.85 (I was shocked by that time.  All-time best)
50 Back, Leggings, 22.77 (this convinced me to try the leggings for the backstroke on the next day)

50 Fly, Full Body, 22.61
100 Back, Leggings, 48.49 (I came back faster than I ever have as a masters)
50 Free, Leggings, 20.83 (I have never, ever, broken 21.  I kept the leggings on, because I didn't have time to change)

5 National records

Mike"

BOOOM!

blueseventy's Charlotte Paul Ironman winner!


Charlotte was kind enough to give us the low down on her fantastical and purely tough race in China in sweltering conditions.


"In Chinese culture, the number 8 is lucky. The Olympics in Beijing were opened at 8pm on 8/8/2008. On Sunday 19th April at Ironman China, my race number was 8. And now I have 8 sunburnt into my skin!

Last year Ironman China was horrific due to “freak” weather conditions. No chance of that happening 2 years in a row! As everyone who raced has said, these were by far the toughest conditions I’ve ever raced in. I was at the media conference with girls saying “the hotter the better”, surely they wouldn’t have asked for this? Or wished this on all of us? A staggering 40% of the field did not finish.

Most people know that the temperature hit 45 (113f) degrees c, what most people don’t know is that the “heat index” hit 56 (139f)…Herein lay the problem.

I was hungry for the win, and determined to go after it! I was disappointed with my performance 6 weeks earlier in New Zealand and wanted retribution. I knew it was going to be tough. Edith Niederfriniger I think is very similar to me across all 3, and I knew Tereza Macel was on form after a strong race at the Singapore 70.3. Then there was Hillary Biscay, Mariska Kramer-Postma and Kim Loeffler too...we totalled 5 past Ironman Champions.

The theme of the day for me was racing blind and purely on feel. It’s the first time in an Ironman that I haven’t seen the course. I asked Belinda Granger, last year’s winner, if I should check it out. Belinda never checks out the course, so I wasn’t surprised by her answer- “if you’re confident about your biking, which you should be, you’ll be fine, and the run’s flat”. Now I couldn’t see the course, as it would mean I wasn’t confident.

Blind also meant no heart rate and no bike computer. I’ve raced my last couple of IM without HR and I really like it, but this was the first time with no computer too.

The swim was absolute chaos, a mass start with age groupers wearing wetsuits, the pros speed suits. We were told in race week that the river currents were strong- they weren’t kidding! Getting around the buoys was a mission- battling the current was mission impossible for some. Usually when I look up in a swim I can see a stream of athletes’ ahead- the direction to swim is pretty clear. This time I would look up to see swimmers scattered over a 50m radius- with no idea who to follow. We were being swept all over the place, and all choosing different lines. It was as if we were all told to go swim around randomly for about the right amount of time, and then we could get out!

I had avoided the river in race week. I didn’t want to risk picking up any bugs. So lap 1 was a disaster, I was 5 mins behind the lead female, Tereza Macel, lap 2 slightly wiser, a further 3. I swam a 54:59.

I was very happy that once on the bike I was able to take on Michael Phelps attitude from his book “No Limits”, the acronym “W.I.N.”- What’s important now? I put the swim out of my mind. Dwelling on the swim wasn’t going to help me on the bike.

The bike course was fantastic; it took us along undulating smooth highway, through villages and Haikou City. It’s definitely the sort of course I like- point and go!

I rode really well for me, a 5 hour 12. I had moved the seat of my Airfoil further forward since NZ, and I felt much more powerful. I caught Edith just after the first turnaround at 45kms, and then rode with her for the next 45, until she dropped me. It was getting hot. At this point I started to feel a bit average, and realized that I hadn’t peed. I needed to drink more. Until that point I was getting a 500ml water bottle at every aid station- every 30 mins. So I started slowing down at the aid stations and grabbing 2 bottles each time, half in the mouth, half on the head- absolute heaven. I chose to wear a non- aero helmet and am very glad of that decision. I came good, and finished the bike feeling pretty strong.

Tereza had flown on the bike, and was 16 minutes ahead of me into transition. But as I came in on the bike, the course follows the first 10km of the run course. I caught sight of her walking. This gave me a huge boost. On the flipside, I couldn't see a lot of running happening, and that was pretty ominous. The worst part of the run was the first 10kms, the heat was just so brutally intense, like nothing I've ever experienced. My head felt like it was in a vice, my hands felt swollen and my skin slathered in thick white sunscreen was all making me feel slightly sick. Somehow it got better.

There were more athletes than I have ever seen walking- and these were the 70.3 athletes too!
In the first 10ks I really wanted to walk, but I wanted to win more. That’s what kept me going.

I just concentrated on running- any pace. It didn’t matter, it was a start, and I was at least moving forward. I was breathing like a freight train, and yet I think I was clocking near 5 min kms, about 50 seconds slower than planned. I didn’t ever consider what the temperature actually was, or my pace- that was all irrelevant, I appeared to be gaining on the others, and that’s all that mattered. None of these facts would have got me up the road any quicker. They probably would have just killed me mentally! This was one of those times where it’s “best not to know”.

I was looking up at the sky- desperately searching for clouds! There were a few wisps, nothing more. But at soon as there was a slight bit of breeze, or shade, and the temp dropped just slightly, I picked up my pace. It was noticeably easier. I pushed when I could, and concentrated on just moving when it was too hot. I was suffering too, but not as much as others it seemed. I could see I was gaining on the girls ahead so I just kept working.

In that first 10kms I made up 10 mins on Tereza and was only just behind Edith. At this point I thought I could catch them. I took the lead at about 18ks. I really didn't let myself think about the win until I was at the 30km turnaround, I was heading for home and I could see there was no one coming to get me. I had been dying to look behind to get some kind of indication of the gap. I couldn't turn around- it would break one of my golden rules- never look back! Even though I counted 7 mins to Edith, I was so conscious of not cramping, or dehydrating that I remained really focused the whole way to the finish.

Nutrition was paramount. I made sure that I took on whatever liquid was on offer, and as much as I could. This was no time for being choosy! Most people were stopping for aid and so they weren't really prepared for anyone trying to run through the stations- so I just had to grab whatever I could. I was taking almost 2gs of sodium per hour, and made sure I had my High5 gels in small amounts- because I knew my guts would be more sensitive. There was no room for slacking off. I felt totally on the edge. I'm usually a peeing machine on the run- I think I went once.

I saw my friend Hillary Biscay, out on the run course, she was so excited to see me in the lead- she was awesome! There’s no crowds cheering in China- but I didn’t need it- there was Hillary- she nearly made me cry- so I shouted back at her “I love you Hillary!” I must have been delirious.

The finish chute was quite an emotional experience. 9 hours and 48 minutes worth of focusing was over- and I had done it! I crossed the line 1st female, 5th overall, and my 3:35 run was the fastest of the day- men included- and broke the course record. It could be my best ever day at the office.

I didn't think I'd win another Ironman until I was able to put together a sub 3 hour run. I've been training to do just that. So quite ironic that I ran one of my slowest times ever and it was the fastest on the day- crazy! Yes the course was flat, no I don't think it was long. It was just insanely crazy, crippling, elephant on your back- hot!

Ironman commentator Whit Raymond spoilt me rotten- it was my birthday the following day- and I think it has to be my best ever present. I’m not a “look at me” type, but for one day it was really quite nice. Thank you Whit.

After all our suffering, it was the best post-race camaraderie I’ve ever experienced. We were drawn together and had mutual respect for anyone who was out there- had they finished or not. For most, not finishing wasn’t a choice and they don’t even remember what happened!

Without a doubt I believe I won this race because of my attitude on race day. I’m bottling this feeling and keeping it safe. I altered my expectations and my pace with the conditions and how I felt. I was going to say, “I listened to my body”, I definitely did on the bike, but I had to ignore it on the run, or I wouldn’t have finished! Would I race "blind" again? Absolutely. Would I come back and race Ironman China again? Most definitely.

Thanks to all my sponsors for their support, and a BIG thank you to Kristian, my husband and coach, who prepared me perfectly for this race.

Charlotte"

Congratulations Charlotte... what a magic achievement in such horrendous heat!
From us all at blueseventy.

Photo courtesy of Steph Cox.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Don't just take our word for it...

Angie from Jack and Adams Bicycles in Austin, Texas thought she'd share her thoughts about trying on the helix before her wetsuit-swim triathlon on the Jack and Adams blog.


"The guys at the shop encouraged me to check out the new wetsuits and said that I would most likely be pleasantly surprised. I was a little skeptical until I tried my wetsuit on the night before the race in my hotel room. Boy was I impressed! I could actually move my arms freely in my new blueseventy Helix. It was awesome! I was excited to complete a wetsuit swim."

For the whole post please go to:
http://jackandadams.blogspot.com/2009/04/wetsuits-what-not-to-do-pre-tri.html

Townsend faster than in the Olympics!

Wearing a blueseventy nero, Darian Townsend provided the biggest fireworks of the fourth night of long course swimming at the South African National Championships. He came through with an African record in the men's 200 IM.

Townsend clocked an African-record time in the men's 200 IM semi's with a time of 1:58.33. That effort smashed his standard of 1:59.22 set at the Beijing Olympics currently recognized by Swimming South Africa as the record. Townsend, however, does reportedly have a 1:57.88 to his credit from the KZN Provincial meet in December. Riaan Schoeman also cleared 2:00 with a second-seeded 1:59.94, while Chad Le Clos finished third in 2:01.83.

For the full media release please go to:
http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/20927.asp

Our very own blueseventy legend!


Our very own ex-Olympian swimmer and VP of swimming, Roque Santos scored some unbelievable results over the weekend. At the Pleasanton, Ca. PMS Masters Championships Roque collected:
2 individual national records (the distance is in yards, so no world
records could be broken),
1 relay national record (with his wife... and the entire team was of course in blueseventy)
5 Pacific Masters records,
7 best Masters times in over 10 years!
Oh, and 2 lifetime best times!

Keep on Roque'n and rollin' :-)

CONGRATULATIONS! from us all at blueseventy!

To helix or not to helix? That is the question...

Over 300 yards, Coach Lee from BodyZen tests the speed difference between swimming with and without the blueseventy Helix wetsuit. www.bodyzen.com

Friday, April 17, 2009

new goggle product testing


Gordon Crawford sent us this mail on what he thinks of our latest goggle styles:

Hi,

I have tried the following out over the last few months and thought that you would like feedback.

1.0 The Vision goggle, white with pink lenses:

These are without doubt the best google I have used both in the pool and open water. The goggle performs mcuh better than similar goggles by other manufacturers. The frame is perfectly balanced in terms of flexibiltiy and rigidity making them extremely comfortable but rigid enough not to lose their shape. The pink lenses do not mist, offer incredible visibility and are great for both pool and open water swimming, cutting out the glare inside and enhancing light in the open water.

More importantly for the public the goggles look great and I have had lots of people at my tri club, 200+ members, and at the events nationally ask: who made them and when can I buy them?

2.0 Hydra Vision goggle, yellow lenses:

These are a sleeker goggle but offers the same benefits as the Vision for both pool and open water. The frame is a bit more flexible and I preferred the rigidity of the Vision. In terms of the yellow lenses they were a bit more subtle to the pink but again great for open water and pool swimming.

The feedback from club members and at races was great and they appealed more to guys due to the colour. Again I was asked who made them and when could they buy them.

Kind regards

Gordon

blueseventy loves the open water world cup circuit!


Vitek Rostislav is pictured here in the blueseventy nero comp just after the 2009 World Cup Argentina Santa Fe-Coronda 57KM where he placed 3rd.
Congratulations Vitek on such a mega swim!

SPOTTED! Legendary Rowdy Gaines swims in blueseventy nero and breaks record!!

Just recently at the YMCA Masters Nationals, Mike McGowan from the Coral Springs Pro Shop helped zip up swimming legend Rowdy Gaines in a size 26 blueseventy nero comp! THEN Rowdy swam the 100 yard Free in 47.04!  This is a National Record by over 1 sec!!!

Rowdy is a former American swimmer, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member, Olympic three-time gold medalist, and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He is currently the chief fundraiser for USA Swimming as well as a swimming analyst for television networks ESPN and NBC including coverage of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, his fourth as a TV commentator.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

BodyZen sends thanks

We were totally delighted to receive the following feedback from such a prestigious coach!

Guy,

I just wanted to let you know that I had the pleasure of racing this past weekend for the first time in the Helix. Over the last 14 years I have raced in, trained in or tested over a half dozen tri wetsuits and I honestly, without hesitation, can say that the blueseventy Helix is the best suit bar none ever.

It was perfect from start to finish. The issues I have had with other suits were nonexistent. It was easier to put on, more flexible and less irritable around the neck, it did not store water in one of the arms during the stroke and was simple to get off in a hurry. I was able to have a top ten swim time out of 1500 competitors with it. The best thing was that the chest area was not constricting at all and above all else the shoulder flexibility was perfect allowing me to extend and get a lot of distance with every stroke. You have set the bar very high with the Helix and I will be happy to endorse the suit and recommend it to everyone I talk to.

Thank you for your involvement in the sport.

Best Regards.

Lee Zohlman, President
BodyZen Enterprises Inc.
A Full Service Multi Sport Company
USA Triathlon Elite Level 3 Coach
http://www.bodyzen.com

Skype: leezee007

http://www.twitter.com/bodyzen

The German double-striker!


Just recently Elke Schmitz from SFF Bonn knocked down two 45–49 women's German Masters records in blueseventy's nero.

During the XXXV International Masters swim event in Hürth/Cologne (March 21, 2009) 45 year old Schmitz broke the short course 50 m breaststroke and 100 m breaststroke records once again (set by herself only two months ago in January at the international trials in Gau-Algesheim)!
Of course she was once again wearing the blueseventy nero, which she loves.

Elke timed 1:18,88 to break her 100 m breaststroke mark of 1:20,38 and finished with 0:35,43 breaking her old 50 m breaststroke record 0.35,48.

Congrats from the entire team at blueseventy!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Sam Warriner's close call!

Sam wrote to us about her recent race in California - the 70.3 in Oceanside. She had an unfortunate event the afternoon before her race which made a huge impact on the following day. Here she tells what happened...

"Hi there,

Well, I’m sitting here writing this very disappointed and I’m annoyed with
what should have been a great race. However the acts of nature prevented
that. Today I raced in the California 70.3 (Half Ironman) in Oceanside.
I’ve just completed an absolutely amazing block of training in California,
and I’d had a full taper for this race too as it was my last race in the
base phase of my season.

I thought the race was a great way to end a great block. I did everything
right in my taper over the past 6 days.

Yesterday afternoon I had just finished my normal pre-race day 15 minute
swim on the course, I was just thinking ‘well done sam’ there’s nothing
more you can do now when suddenly I collapsed in the water, not being able
to feel my whole right leg. I thought something had bitten me at first,
maybe a crab? But then the most agonizing pain hit me, paralyzing my leg
and making it difficult to move. I thought perhaps I’d cut a tendon or
ligament, it was excruciating. I was in agony and could not walk, I had
to crawl out onto the beach and the lifeguards came racing over with
lights and sirens blaring. That was when I noticed the blood in the
water and realized it was my blood!!!

I was in a state of panic, my first thought was ‘dam I can’t race
tomorrow’, I think this was because it dawned on me just how much work I’d
put into getting ready for Oceanside 70.3.

Luckily the lifeguards were calm; I guess they see this sort of thing
quite often. They informed me I’d been wiped by the tail of a Stingray
and it had left poison in my ankle!? I honestly say I’ve never known pain
like it. I was stretchered off to the life guard head quarters where I
spent the next two hours soaking it in boiling hot water. I felt so sick
that I had to lie down. After about two hours the pain lifted so I
thought I would be ok and was laughing about it
At race briefing although I got slightly worried when the bleeding
returned intensely later that evening.

As the evening went on the chances of me racing were looking less and
less, I was in so much pain as the swelling was so big I could not walk
on it. I really did not think I could start, so I spent the whole night
soaking it in hot water and icing it, I got absolutely no sleep,
eventually after a lot of bleeding the swelling started to subside. So
when I got up at 3.30am when we were due to rise for the race I could walk
on it so decided to give the race a go.

In the swim I lost valuable time to the lead group as I could not kick
Properly, I eventually exited 90 seconds down on a group of 3 strong
cyclists which I was gutted about. I did not feel pain during the swim
but my range of motion for my kick was severely limited. As I ran into
transition I had to do so on my tip toes, as I couldn’t stretch my foot
out.

I cycled strongly and got to the front pack after 40km of solo riding,
despite not being able to do my shoe up!

I came off the bike and onto the run in first place but I had problems
getting my running shoe on because of the swelling and lost one place in
transition.

As soon as I started running I had absolutely nothing, my heart
rate was so high. I was so annoyed; all I could think was that I’d trained
so hard for this race, what the hell was going on? I was gutted and
basically I lost a lot of positions because my
body had nothing. I was so upset because I knew I had done such a great
block of training and wanted to show everyone I am a force to be reckoned
with in Korea when the ITU World Championships series starts.

Eventually I finished in 7th place and went to the medical tent. My ankle
was very swollen. The medics were very concerned about me, as they
thought I probably still had poison in my system and I’d lost a lot of
blood over the previous 12 hours too.

So I was very disappointed after the race but I’m starting to see the
positives now. I know that I will be back even stronger as I always am
after a disappointment, I also know that I don’t have any more 70.3 races
until Worlds in November, and I also know I didn’t show my cards today so
nobody will be expecting the performance I’m planning on putting in once
November comes!

But for now it’s all eyes on the first round of the ITU World Championship
Series on May 3rd. I’m hoping for a little more luck when it comes time
to defend my World No.1 spot!

Regards,

Sam.

Teambb's true success!

Alex Bok, Team Manager of teambb sent us some outstanding results from the past weekend. He writes:

"Dear Sponsors,

This weekend saw 11 teamtbb athletes attend 4 races across 4 continents.

Hereby a quick report on this weekend’s great results:

1. Ironman South Africa (5th of April)

Lucie Zelenkova from teamtbb won Ironman South Africa today.

This is the country where Lucie lives although she is from the Czech Republic. She run a near-perfect race here today and her signature smile was as big as the crowds have ever seen it. She's set a new course record with her 9hrs 16 seconds! Lucie joined teamtbb only a few months ago and with today’s IM South Africa she completed the South Africa double as she also won the Ironman 70.3 win back in January 2009.

Other teamtbb athletes finished as following during today’s IM South Africa:

· Stephen Bayliss came in a great 4th place in a time of 8 hrs 47 min
· James Cunnama was the 1st overall South Africa male athlete in 8 hrs 55 min
· Caroline Koll was the 1st overall South Africa female athlete in 10 hrs 08min
· Bella Bayliss had to withdraw from the race.

2. Ironman Australia (5th of April)
The much hyped three way showdown between Chrissie Wellington, Michellie Jones and Rebekah Keat never eventuated, with the withdrawal of Jones through injury, but it was Wellington and Rebekah Keat who fought it out in the swim, with the Ironman World Champion breaking away early on the bike and never looking back.

Teamtbb Rebekah Keat was however recovering from a cold a few days prior to this race, so taking her troubling health level into account, teamtbb management was very impressed with her 2nd place this weekend in a time of 9 hrs 21 min, which showed true determination.

Equally impressive was teamtbb’s rookie Abigail Bayley who finished in 5th position with a time of 10 hrs 01 min.

Final Standings
1. WELLINGTON Chrissie 8:57:10
2. KEAT Rebekah 9:21:33
3. STEFFEN Caroline 9:38:44
4. JARRETT Kelly 9:38:52
5. BAYLEY Abigail 10:01:27

3. Ironman 70.3 Oceanside (4th of April)

Erika Csomor came in 4th in IM 70.3 Ocean side on Saturday the 4th of April. Competing as defending Champion Erika battled to a hard fought 4th in an extremely strong field. The bigger battle however was to get her to the start line at all , as our Hungarian Supa star had been laid low with the flu."

Well done Teambb!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

8 out of 11 Norwegian records broken in blueseventy...

Last weekend was the swimming Short Course National Championship in Norway, Kristiansund. Gard Kvale and Katharina Stiberg swum in the blueseventy nero, and broke 7 Norwegian Sr. Records. The Varg relay team also broke the 4x50 meter freestyle record using blueseventy suits.


The following is a list of those who broke the senior records:
50m back, Female: Katharina Stiberg, Bjerkvik SK, 27,63 26.03.2009 - blueseventy
50m fly, Female: Katharina Stiberg, Bjerkvik SK, 26,16 27.03.2009 - blueseventy
100m back, Female: Katharina Stiberg, Bjerkvik SK, 59,56 28.03.2009 - blueseventy
4*50m fri, Male: IL Varg, 1.31,17 28.03.2009 - blueseventy
200m fly, Male: Gard Kvale, Bergens SC, 1.58,28 28.03.2009 - blueseventy
100m IM, Female: Katharina Stiberg, Bjerkvik SK, 1.00,37 28.03.2009 - blueseventy
200m fri, Male: Gard Kvale, Bergens SC, 1.46,18 29.03.2009 - blueseventy
100m breast, Female: Katharina Stiberg, Bjerkvik SK, 1.07,53 29.03.2009 - blueseventy

Friday, April 3, 2009

Guy's Blog


Goggles

















No goggles





Click on my blog on the top right (Guy's blog) if you want to see more random action or go to www.blueseventyguy.blogspot.com

So i finally caught up With Maik Twelsiek from Dresdner Kleinwort,
We thought it was going to be best to meet up at the beach and trial his new gear!!
Unfortunately that same Shore break that has been hitting the Mooloolaba shores was now hitting the Noosa shore. That didn't stop Maik from getting out there, Even a lost pair of goggles from a wave breaking on him didn't dampen his spirits. Was very funny to watch though!!

Amanda came to the rescue with another pair of goggles and friendly advice!!! I'm not sure if he was keen to venture back into the surf for another drilling though.
Maik is one of the most friendly guys you'll ever meet. Always keen to catch up for a chat. (will even give up his chair before an Ironman)
After his 14th place at Kona last year , he proved he can mix it with the best!! He'll be one to watch tomorrow at Ironman Australia.!!!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

blueseventy makes the Sydney Telegraph

The global interest of the nero is growing! The Sydney Telegraph writes about the nero swimskin.

In this article, it promotes speculation about a blueseventy ban, which is not the case.

"Steve Nicholls, CEO of blueseventy says:
"Our suit is shiny, black and compared to a wetsuit, which isn't correct."

There has been widespread talk amongst coaches and officials during certain championships that the Blueseventy would not pass the first phase of testing being done by FINA, which will deliver its verdict on March 31.

The criteria demands that suits must be less than 1mm in thickness and have a buoyancy effect of less than 1 newton.

"When we had the manufacturer's meeting with FINA, we showed that our suit is less than 1mm thick and less than 1 newton of buoyancy."

For the exact article please refer to:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,,25216146-5001023,00.html

blueseventy dominates the Sand to Surf in Mt Maunganui


Olympic 10K Marathon Swim gold medalist Larisa Ilchenko is well-known for winning races in dramatic fashion at the very end. We call her classic open water move, The Ilchenko.

Australian David Browne (above photo) pulled The Ilchenko on Kane Radford at the 2.8K Sand to Surf, Mt Maunganui Swim, the fourth of five races on the Sovereign New Zealand Ocean Swim Series.


With nearly perfect conditions and out in front of the other 697 swimmers, David and Kane battled it out mano-a-mano throughout the entire race before David did The Ilchenko less than 200 meters from the beach finish to defeat Kane. "David just swam a brilliant race, he was never far from my hip or my toes and just had a little bit more at the end to out run me up the beach. It was a great race though, tight all the way and a case of waiting, waiting, waiting to see who would move first. Coming down the stretch I went a little left, David a little right and he just nudged me to the beach," said the gracious Kane.

David explained his strategy, "I knew I had to wear him down, he is such a strong swimmer and swam so well in Aussie at our nationals a month back. It was toe to toe, stroke for stroke, we both started fast to drop some of the pool swimmers and then I just found something to bring it home. Over the final few hundred meters, we both hammered it, this was a great race to win."

The women's race was also tactical with Charlotte Webby beating established star Kate Brookes-Peterson and finishing eighth overall. "I sat with [Kate] early, but when she put her foot down, she opened up a gap of about 100 meters and there was little I could do. But around the back i made some great ground through good navigation and sensed my chance. I went straight and that proved the difference, I'm delighted."

For the Germans; triathlon.de interviews blueseventy's Martin Becker...

Pro triathlete Chris McDonald checks in..

Hey guys

I just wanted to drop you a quick line to let you know that this past weekend I competed in the 31st annual Super Frog Half Ironman in San Diego. It is a race that has been put on by the Naval special warfare for those 31 years and also a race that I would recommend for anyone to do.

The race started with a very frigged 56 deg ocean swim of the shores of Coronado , I hit dry land around 50 sec down on race leader Luke Bell and side by side with Lars Linunger. Lars and myself worked hard and managed to pull in Luke late into the 2nd of 4 laps, for there we all had a go at working the pace and trying to stretch each other.

Lars and I did manage to get a small gap on Luke coming into transition and I tried to make the most of it. the run here at super from is 80 sand running with 30% of that is soft deep sand. Luke did come up on me around mile 2 and the elaastic cord was stretching as I worked hard to hang on . Fortunately for me luke went into some pretty severe cramping right as we hit the deep sand, the rest of the run was pretty uneventfull and I managed to hold my lead and come down the shute with another new course record of 3:55 and change. Lars manged to pass luke for 2nd and luke just controlled his cramping to round out the podium after his long trip state side from the OZ just 4 days earlier.

For me in is now down to New Orleans for week two of the double.

Chat Soon
Chris