2011 Rottnest Channel Swim - race review and blueseventy swimskin winners!

Well the race has been run – oh,er, swum, and it was race favourite Tim Hewitt who took the win, completing the 19.7km swim in 4 hours 50 minutes and 49s. In his interview Tim commented that the swim was a lot harder than expected, which may have been due in part to an unusual north-north westerly swell as conditions were otherwise perfect.

It takes a fair amount of guts and determination to complete the 20km crossing, and that’s exactly what the women’s winner relied on to get her home first just 6 minutes behind Hewitt.

Christchurch based Louise Stevenson was inspired by her townspeople battling the after effects of a devastating earthquake earlier in the week. “When times got tough, all I thought was of those guys (in the quake),” she said. She will also have been very grateful of her blueseventy Nero swimskin, as a number of people were nursing jelly-fish stings by the end of the day!

Naming sponsor WA Today have a race gallery online and full race results have been posted.

2011 Rottnest Channel Swim Results

Men
1. Tim HEWITT 04:50:49
2. Oliver WILKINSON 04:56:27
3. Benjamin HEWITT 05:02:50

Women
1. Louise STEVENSON 04:56:42
2. Jaime BOWLER 05:00:12
3. Ceinwen WILLIAMS 05:32:39

About the Rottnest Channel Swim.
The swim has a long history with the first recorded crossing from Perth mainland to Rottnest Island being done in 1956 by Gerd von Dinkclage-Schulenberg. In 2011 2300 competitors set off from Cottesloe Beach to Thomsons Bay. The Rottnest Channel Swim website is a wealth of information on how this event came to be one the biggest open water events in Australasia.



blueseventy swimksin competition winners
A huge congratulations to our five winners who will get their choice of the super quick NeroTX or PZ3TX suits. Thanks to everyone who entered on facebook. TECH SUITS RULE!!

• Dan Knott-Beaver, USA
• Niklas Dellke, Germany
• Michael Andrew, Australia
• Kevin Holt, UK
• Ali Kimber-Bate, NZ

We'll be in touch via facebook with a message on how to redeem your prize!

Christchurch Earthquake Fundraiser Swim to be held in Auckland

You have no doubt heard by now that the town of Christchurch, New Zealand has been destroyed in an earthquake that so far has killed 75 people with hundreds missing and thousands homeless.

This weekend was to be the Cosair Classic State Ocean Swim in Christchurch.  This event as now been cancelled in light of the natural disaster, but event organisers Quantum Events have taken on a great suggestion from a couple of competitors to do a fundraiser in Auckland this weekend.  Details below - it would be great if you could swim for the cause!  Here are the details direct from the team at Quantum.

100% OF FUNDS RAISED ON THE DAY WILL BE DONATED TO THE CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKE APPEAL

What:  1km Ocean Swim
When: Sign-up from 7:30am with approximate start time of 8:00am this Saturday 26th February
Where: Gather at Milford Beach Reserve, Craig Road, Milford, Auckland. See map here
Who: Anyone who can competently swim 1km or wants to attend as a non-swimmer and donate funds
Cost:  Cash donations for the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal of any amount - please dig deep. NB: Cash donations only

In light of the recent tragic events in Christchurch, Quantum Events along with other key event managers, coaches and swimming enthusiasts have decided to do something special to help the people of Christchurch whilst doing something we all love - swimming.

Information you need to know before attending this event

• The course will be patrolled by Surf Lifesaving New Zealand
• You must bring and wear your own swim cap
• You must be a competent swimmer and capable of swimming 1km
• Without knowing final numbers until Saturday, start waves may be introduced and start times may vary slightly on the morning. Swimmer safety will be the priority. Please be understanding.
• All swimmers will need to read and accept the events terms and conditions. You can read and sign this on the event morning between 7:30 - 8:00am

Thank you

A huge thank you to Simon Bucherer and Sarah Ley-Bucherer two of the State NZ Ocean Swim Series loyal swimmers for this wonderful idea to support the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal.

We acknowledge and thank Surf Lifesaving New Zealand for the their support of this event. They have agreed to patrol the event at no cost.

Special thanks to Haydn Woolley, Stephen Farrell, Shane Hooks, Total Sport and all organisations and individuals for forwarding this message to their respective clubs and databases.  Your support is gratefully appreciated.

Please help us to spread the word by forwarding this to friends and family

Background information

Statement issued by the State NZ Ocean Swim Series at 11.17am yesterday (Wed)

Given the tragic circumstances of the Christchurch earthquake the State Corsair Classic planned for this Saturday is now cancelled.  The City is in a state of emergency for the next five days and this is not the time to bring large numbers of people together in Christchurch as residents of the City go about securing their lives and property.

While this will undoubtedly cause some disruption to those entered in this year’s event, we have thoughts only at the moment for the people of Canterbury and wish to extend our sympathies to all who have lost loved ones or suffered damage to their homes, place of work or indeed lost their livelihoods as a consequence of the earthquake and the incredible damage caused.

Further information will be communicated directly to all entrants of the Corsair Classic on Tuesday 1st March, but for now please join us in sending our thoughts to all who have been affected by these tragic events.

Contact us

For all queries regarding this appeal contact Quantum Events Ltd between 9:00am - 4:30pm.

e-mail: info@quantumevents.co.nz
phone: 09 486 0240
cell: 021 082 888 58

Tragedy at famous Midmar Mile swim

Just hours after a reading a report on praise for the professional running of the aQuelle Midmar Mile in South Africa, reports came through that one competitor was missing, later confirmed drowned after his body was found after four days of searching.

This comes at a time where the spot light is firmly on the safety of open water swimming events, after US swimmer Fran Crippen died in a FINA Grand Prix in Dubai late last year.

Steve Munatones, a FINA technical committee member for open water swimming, visited the Midmar Mile on the weekend, and an article on the SAinfo website quotes him stating that "it sets the worldwide bar in every category." A former world 25-kilometre open water champion and coach of the USA's national team at numerous open water World Championships, Munatones praised event organisers for their safety, hospitality, organisation, the inclusion of disabled athletes (he is involved with the Special Olympics), signage, awards, and the scale of the event.  He has witnessed hundreds if not thousands of open water events, so his comments certainly have years of experience to support his view.

Ultimately open water swimming does have an element of risk that cannot be avoided.  Unlike in a running race, if a competitor suddenly suffers some form of 'incident' during their race, they can't just stop and sit down, usually amongst spectators who can administer what can sometimes be life saving medical assistance while medical staff arrive.  Swimmers who come in to difficulty must fight for attention amongst what can be huge packs of athletes, surrounded by flailing arms, and churning water.  Fellow swimmers who may swim over a person struggling to breath will notice nothing more than a hinderance to their stroke and keep on going - not realising that 'someone' may be fighting for their life.

According to the report, the man, Nicky Mellet, age 45, was registered as missing from the Midmar Mile when his transponder was still not clocked over the finish line once all visible competitors where out of the water.   This is a common safety measure for race directors to track competitors, and is set as a required safety standard for water safety events run under Surf Life Saving protocols in some countries such as those established by SLS New Zealand.

The running of this massive event is no small feat when you are dealing with such a huge number of athletes..   The event, which began in 1973 with 153 entrants, boasted a world record setting 16,200 entries in 2010.  With so many athletes, safety becomes an even more challenging task to manage.  According to comments made by one of the race organisers, there were 124 lifeguards out on the course covering approximately 2000 swimmers at a time.

There have been cases in open water swims of a competitor death as the result of pre-existing medical conditions that resulted in an unrelated cause such as a heart attack occurring during the swim, supported through coroners inquiries.  No matter how safely an event is run, in an environment such as this, some things are beyond the control of race directors.

Given that the race appeared to be extremely well managed, it will be interesting to hear the outcome of what may be a coroners report on the circumstances around the accident.  While there has been some rumor Mr Millet, died of a heart attack, but this is yet unconfirmed.

A full run down on the event (prior to news of the drowning) and Steve Munatones thoughts on the Midmar Mile can be found here.

Swimming World report on the missing swimmer can be found here.  www.sports24.co.za has regular updates as well as reader feedback.

long live tech suits!

We all remember "that Olympics" where the tech suits were thought to have been just a little too good to be true, and with the WTC banning them for Ironman races, many thought tech suits such as the pointzero3 and nero where lost to us.

Maarten van der Weijden rocking the PZ3

Oh ye of little faith! You can still use tech suits in a whole range of open water races around the world, and our competition to win a choice of pool or tri swimskin has people coming up with some pretty major events that have not banned these dreamy, super quick suits, such event is the Rottnest Channel Swim!

So this got us reminiscing on the milestones of these sleek and super speedy suits... enjoy.

• 2006: Normann Stadler (along with 16 other pros) wears the first ever pointzero3, winning the event, and setting a swim PB in the process.
• 2007: 600 athletes line the start of the Kona Ironman World Championships in the pointzero3 swimskin and pointzero3+ , including both eventual winners.
• 2008: The Nero comp swimskin (fully functional pool suit) is released in May. It is the dominant suit at the World Open Water Swimming Championships, worn by the winner of the 25km World Championship. Numerous world records are set in the pool using Nero comp swimskins.
• 2008: At the Beijing Olympics the first Olympic Gold medal in Open Water Swimming is awarded to Dutch athlete Maarten Van Der Weijden wearing the Nero 10K swimskin.
• 2009: The Nero comp range is rejected by FINA along with other companies’ suits due to the arbitrary ruling that they ‘may trap air’. This results in a huge worldwide media interest following blueseventy. The exposure of ‘non scientific’ reasons for banning suits by certain FINA officials sees a reversal of the decision on all rejected blueseventy suits.
• 2009: 800 competitors (over half the field) wear a blueseventy swimskin at Kona. The PZ3 (a welded version of the pointzero3 swimskin) is released.
• 2010: The neroTX textile race suit for the pool is released, and is worn to numerous National championship titles.
• 2010: WTC changes the rules for triathlon swimskins. blueseventy releases the new textile PZ3TX swimskin, and two new triathlon apparel lines. Feedback from professional athletes regarding the PZ3TX is outstanding.
• 2011: The Rottnest Channel swim allows swimskins for it's 2011 event, as they have clearly demonstrated safety and comfort benefits to the competitors.
• 2012: blueseventy tech suit day is celebrated internationally.  Oh wait.  That's not official yet.

Tech suits are not only quick, they also provide extra warmth and protection from the waters where a wetsuit isn't suitable.  Ask the event organiser if you can use your swimskin, or check out our guide to what's legal here.  Chances are you can!

From shipping wetsuits to swimming in one: Amy tests the open water

While many of us here at blueseventy have a long history of involvement with swimming and/or triathlon, some are still very new to the sport. Given it’s summer down here in New Zealand, and our newest team member Amy has decided she can put up with the crazy antics of the NZ office, the time came to induct her into the world of open water swimming. I’ll let her tell you how it went…

So I forgot my netball shoes last week for training, and decided that with no excuse left, it was time to walk the talk and hit the open water. Naomi had a session planned Friday lunchtime with a few swimmers so I joined in.


I've been arranging the shipping for thousands of blueseventy wetsuits around the world so I thought it was time I learned what it was all about. I'm keen to try it, after all, I frequently do a few laps of the local pool for a bit of fun and fitness in between netball (when I have my shoes!), so I'm thinking the only difference will be I won't have the nice straight line at the bottom and a brick wall to break up the swim every 25 metres.


First was the fitting. The hardest part seemed to be pulling my feet through (this I'm told is a tad unusual - I guess I have unusually wide feet!). Naomi grabbed a selection of various sizes and models of wetsuits, and with some tips on how to put it on, Naomi and I began the fitting process.


It was a muggy Hawkes Bay day so fitting the suit was a hot and sweaty process. By suit three I was pretty sticky and the suit was putting up a fair fight, but after a little more pulling and cursing, (which actually, isn't that unusual in the office) we had the perfect suit. Apparently the key was to make sure the suit fit nice and snug so there were no gaps between the suit and my body (I went through 3 wetsuit sizes to get the least "gaps" - professional fitting is definitely the key) - I later found out this was to eliminate water filling those gaps, which then created drag, and would definitely not help me swim faster! It was like a second skin – and was a pretty unusual feeling to start with!




We headed down the local pond and seeing as its a grey overcast day, I’m pleased to have some yellow lens Nero goggles to help brighten things up. As I step into the water its easy. Why? because I'm in a wetsuit of course, there's no "eek" feeling of water hitting the body, but I still had the feel of it. I'm off straight away. Now, remember, I'm used to seeing a straight line at the bottom and a wall not to far away. About 50m into the swim I look up to notice I'm veering off to the right. Naomi teaches me a new open water sighting technique; swim 3 strokes, breathe, 3 strokes, look up. This is brilliant in keeping me straight. As for the brick wall - it wasn't there, but I didn't miss it. It was just me and the open water. Looking up to see a sea of water was awesome, like this was my big playground. It did feel different swimming in a wetsuit - there was no chill of the water, and it took me a few meters to learn my stoke technique again.


I expected to keep myself afloat, but the awesome thing about the Axis is, it kept me a float. Being a first timer and 50 meters from shore with the final stretch to go, I started to feel a bit light headed (now I know why you triathletes eat so much!). It was a great feeling and very reassuring to feel safe in the water. I chugged along against the current to hit the shore line feeling very proud that I had concurred 1km of my first open water swim. Taking the wetsuit off was a lot easier than putting it on (this will be a big help when I complete my first triathlon later next month), and, feeling the water after the swim, I appreciated the warmth in the wetsuit had provided me. The next day the muscles definitely felt like they had worked a bit harder, which was great.


I remembered my shoes today so will hit the gym for a run and cycle. Now I know what its all about I will appreciate every wetsuit I send around the world...


Amy

See Us @ TCR11

This weekend sees the the UK's biggest show for Triathlon, Cycling and Running at the Sandown race course in Surrey. Friday sees the trade descend upon the TCR Show with Saturday and Sunday the consumer days. With all the key players of the industry under one roof this is bound to be another great show with the added ingredient of the 220 Triathlon Magazine Awards dinner where the blueseventy Helix wetsuit will be looking to complete a hat-trick of awards for "Best Wetsuit". Winning in 2009 and 2010 was incredible, but to be in the final three for 2011 really is testimony to the effort put in to the Helix from our development team and the many athletes swimming faster across the world.

Stop by booth B12 to see our new three-tier apparel line launching in the UK market for the first time. Our ELITE range has been specifically designed for athletes whose primary focus is to go faster in a non-wetsuit race. The DISTANCE line will get you to the finish line faster and more comfortable for those longer endurance races. Cutting edge technology, strategically placed seams and exceptional breathability all make for a superior suit. Last but not least our PERFORMANCE range delivers all the must have features required in a triathlon race suit without the high price tag. See them all this weekend at TCR!

Show Times:

Friday, 11th of February 12:30pm to 7:30pm

Saturday and Sunday 9:30am to 5pm

Location:

Sandown Park Exhibition Centre

Portsmouth Road

Esher

Surrey KT10 9AJ

Sam Warriner pays it forward

Sam has had an amazing career as an Olympic triathlete and 2008 World Champion, and is now turning her focus on dominating the long course side of the sport.  But that hasn't stopped her working hard to pass on her knowledge and inspire other women (and men) in the sport along the way.  Sam's Sweat 7 team of women all training to achieve a goal are also charged with passing on their knowledge to others - but we'll let Sam tell you about it in her blog from their recent trip to the Contact Tri Series in Kinloch.

Wow – I've just recovered from an absolutely awesome weekend down at Lake Taupo. Kinloch is such an idyllic spot for a race, the place really is ideal for holding a triathlon.


This year Triathlon New Zealand were able to offer ITU points for the National Elite Sprint Championships so the field was even more stacked than normal! But that's not why I was in Kinloch – this summer I've been coaching some girls and we were down in Kinloch for them to meet for the very first time and hone their speed at the same time.

The girls, who I call The Sweat7, have all committed to racing The Triathlon New Zealand Olympic distance National Championships in March. I was lucky enough to be able to talk great people such as Blue Seventy into supporting them this summer. Not only do they receive free race suits and accessories from Blue Seventy, they also get Asics shoes, Thompson's & Red8 Hydration and nutritional products, free entry into the Contact Triathlon Series, and flights to their races!


When I first advertised in NZ Multisport magazine that I intended to give 7 girls free coaching I had over 300 applications – the response blew me away. At that point I realised that the people I picked really had to be special girls, they had to have the same ideals and desire to be the best they could be. But more importantly they had to be willing to pass on the knowledge I taught them – as I really wanted to coach all 300 applicants but it just wasn't possible with the health problems I've had lately!


The girls all blog their journey and they continually crack me up with their antics over on Facebook too, and that's what I'd hoped for with the team. I set them sessions to improve and then it is their 'obligation' to pass on this knowledge to inspire other people in ousr awesome sport.


This past weekend The Sweat7 descended on Kinloch Friday night. We'd rented a massive house between us all – we were just a stones throw from the waters edge which worked out absolutely amazing for training on the course.

Swim practice Saturday afternoon

It's a real balancing act with the girls, I love giving them my time and helping them in EVERY way that I can – but I also need to make sure I'm getting the job done for my own training. At 4.45 am I awoke Saturday morning, quickly got some breakfast and a coffee down me, and then I was on the wind trainer by 5.15am. I had a 6 hour ride ahead of me but because it was still dark so I spent the first hour on the wind trainer in the middle of the street – trying not to wake the girls!


6 hours on and it was the first team meeting, we outlined the plan for the day and then took a quick ride around the course to recce the bike section. 


 After that it was a swim session in the lake where I had them simulate starts, swimming around buoys and all of the other little bits that the girls had been worrying about. Naomi from Blue Seventy joined us for the swim which was great as it gave the girls the opportunity to thank her for all the support. I've got to admit the girls looked FAB in their B70 Wetsuits, they're so lucky Naomi and Dan have been willing so supportive.


After the swim it was time for some lunch and a quick lie down before the girls opportunity came to 'pay it forward' once more.

Transition practice for the 3:9:3 participants

I emailed all the participants in the Contact Energy 3:9:3 event and informed them I'd be running a transition training session for the event. We had about 60 – 80 people turn up and I talked them through all the little tricks I use to transition quickly – all the time the Sweat7 helped me coach the audience and offer advice – it was awesome and EXACTLY what I'd hoped they would do.


The girls are all so outgoing and willing to help others, of ever you see them at an event please say hi to them!


Sunday morning came around and true to form Emma Meyer from Christchurch arose with a huge smile on her face – as I imagine she always does – I've never seen her doing anything other than smile!
Jenny and Brookie were their usual joking selves, Lexie was quiet as always but dead set on going hard in the swim.


I like to refer to Nikki as the 'mature' member of the group – she's 54 and a school teacher so you'd think she'd be well organized. But on this occasion I think she owes Gary, the father of our team mascot Jaimee Leader – a HUGE thank you! Nikki realised just minutes before the start that she'd lost her timing chip and Gary diverted disaster and managed to talk the race officials into letting her have a new one!  And finally Shanel and Emma C, both committed to racing hard and going after their goals.  That's right 8 girls in The Sweat7 – but every team needs a mascot!

Emma Meyer running into 2nd overall

The girls did them selves proud in the swim – we have such a range of abilities from Emma Meyer up front who really did surprise a few people including myself with her 2nd place overall, through to Jen who just wanted to finish her first triathlon.


The girls just looked so awesome out on the run in their Sweat7 race suits and everyone knew who they were.

Emma Meyer from Christchurch was first home, she'd exited the swim in around 15th spot, pushed hard on the bike and entered T2 in 4th, and ran her way into 2nd on the line. Just 30 seconds separated Emma Meyer and 1st place – we were all so proud of her.

Brookie & daughter Cooper

But Team Sweat7 was never really about winning races, the inspiration provided by watching Lexie out sprint another competitor down the finish chute, Nikki run the whole 5km absolutely beaming with happiness, Brookie running down the finish straight with her daughter Cooper, or Jen battling her demons in the swim and never giving up – it was truly amazing!


Jaimee the teams mascot impressed once again, I've watched her finish second in the 3:9:3 quite a few times now and I tell you what – it won't be long until she's moving up a step on the podium! Her little sister Abby won the 1:2:1 yet again – that's two from two Abby keep up the great work.


I was on commentating duty for Triathlon New Zealand throughout the day, so I had the perfect spot on the finish line to see all the girls finish, it was such a feeling sharing in their emotions as they crossed the line.

Jamie Leader - team Mascot
and future Champion!

The team are all now on a well earned break until Wednesday when training resumes in earnest. Our next event is Wellington mid March. This works out really well for me as I can get 3 more weeks good training in my legs for Taupo and Ironman NZ, and at the same time add some more value to the girls training before we go tackle our next big goal together!


I'll update again as we get closer to Wellington, drop by to the girls Facebook page if you get chance and say hi – I know they'd love to hear from you!


All the best,


Sam.

Dominant wins from blueseventy athletes in Kinloch

If you want to plan an outside event and be sure of a stinking hot day, then you need to book it for Waitangi weekend in the small holiday township of Kinloch, NZ. Just don’t forget to take your sunscreen.

Every year this event gets fantastic weather, maybe even a little too good with temps in the mid to high 30’s (90F +), meaning a very hot day of racing for athletes, volunteers and supporters. Despite layering up the sunscreen, it was fair to say there were a few people sporting some sunburn by the end of the day. Including us.

This event offers everything from a 1:2:1 for the kids (100m swim, 2km bike, 1km run) through to the Oceania ITU Sprint Champs, and also the Erin Baker Standard Distance tri. Individual or team, there’s a race for every age and ability, and with over 700 people participating, it looks like plenty took up the challenge!

It’s the first year the event has included an ITU points race, which went down well with plenty of elite athletes who have the upcoming World Series and Olympic slots top of mind. It was also a great opportunity for U19 and U23 athletes to get crucial points to qualify for bigger races later in the season.

In the mens race, the 750m swim saw the men exit in one long pack, led by James Elvery. The group did split with those showing sharp transition skills and the lungs to hammer the hill out from transition creating a lead pack of eight, including blueseventy athletes Tony Dodds, Ryan Sissons and Aaron Barclay from New Zealand, Australians Brendan Sexton and Jamie Huggett, and Austrian Andreas Giglmayr.

On the run it was Tony Dodds who had the kick to run clear of the group, but he had to fight it out with Sexton until he found an extra gear with1500m to go, and ran clear for the win.

In the womens race it appeared to be NZ v Holland with so many girls in orange on the start line. The team is based in NZ for training over summer and made the trip up for some early season ITU points. But sadly for them it was clear from the start that no one would catch Nicky Samuels, who again dominated the bike and put a gap on the field after the first lap that would never be decreased, allowing her to cruise home on the run. At race briefing Nicky said she was feeling a little flat – so we can’t wait to see what she pulls out on a good day!

Next up is the Contact Cup race in Takapuna which is always a fantastic race in front of deep crowds packed into the bars to watch the criterion style event in the North Shore of Auckland.

ITU Oceania Sprint Cup (also New Zealand Sprint Championship)
750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run
Men
1 Tony Dodds Wanaka 1:00:16
2 Brendan Sexton Australia 1:00:28
3 Jamie Huggett Australia 1:00:32
4 Andreas Giglmayr Austria 1:00:37
5 Aaron Royle Australia 1:00:48

Women
1 Nicky Samuels Wanaka 1:06:59
2 Neiske Becks Holland 1:07:59
3 Maaike Caelers Holland 1:08:02
4 Lisa Mensink Holland 1:08:18
5 Rebecca Kingsford Tirau 1:08:39

Check Us Out at the Sigma Sport Triathlon Show

The United Kingdom's legendary Sigma Sport store is hosting an in-store, triathlon-specific show at their stunning new premises this weekend and blueseventy will be there to show customers through selected ranges of our triathlon apparel which will be available at Sigma Sport for the very first time. This is a great opportunity for novice and seasoned age groupers to see blueseventy's 2011 products. Special triathlon show pricing, seminars from top coaches & athletes as well as giveaways should be expected. Entry to the show is free of charge with doors opening at 9am on Saturday and Sunday.

SIGMA SPORT

St Johns Place, 37-43 High Street, Hampton Wick, Surrey KT1 4DA

Saturday and Sunday 9:30 - 5:30

Roaming with abandon... again.

We often roam with abandon at events, and this last week was no different to any other. We popped up at a few different events, and not just the ones we sponsor.

You might have bumped into us at either the iconic Capital Classic ocean swim, the Anthony Moss pool meet, the Christchurh round of the the national Contact Tri series event, or even one of New Zealands oldest triathlon’s, the Rotorua Blue Lake Festival. Here’s a quick summary of how these events rolled out.

Rotorua Blue Lake Festival
This event is one of the oldest in New Zealand, and got a lot of international media attention when cycling legend Lance Armstrong named it as his debut race. Top names came out to race against the 7-time Tour de France winner, but sadly he pulled out with a knee injury. Despite a few people pulling out without the star attraction, they still had a huge number of entries, and we went along to enjoy the weekend of racing too.

The event boasts some of the most spectacular scenery you could want to race on, and with a (reverse) aquathon, open water swim, sprint tri and a 5km fun run. Athletes battle it out over the weekend for the title of King or Queen of the Lake, with the top spot taking home $1000 hard cash each. Sign us up!

The weather was threatening to cause havoc, with torrential rain but it dried up just in time for the first event on Saturday – the reverse aquathon. Yep – 5.5km of off road running, followed by an 800m open water swim in choppy conditions. Next up was the 2km swim across the lake later the same day, and the wind played havoc for swimmers roughing up the water. Just as well it tastes good, because I think competitors left the lake rather well, er, hydrated.

Er, what happened to summer? 

The sun came out on Sunday, although the cold wind kept spectators rugged up. Record 480 athletes did the sprint tri, with every second counting for those aiming to take the title of King or Queen of the Lake. Times are added together across the three events to give a total time, with the fastest taking home the spoils.

It was a ding dong battle across the mens race, but it was blueseventy’s Cameron Todd who did enough over the weekend to take home the cash. In the women, Junior Mikayla Nielsen dominated across the three events finishing nearly 10mins clear from the second fastest overall competitor.

King of the Lake
1. Cameron Todd
2. Michael Pool
3. Sam Osborne

Queen of the Lake
1. Mikayla Nielsen

Cam Todd and Michael Poole
 battling it out on the run

2. Emma Rathbone
3. Christie Sym

Aquathon
1. Sam Osborne
2. Cam Todd
3. Steve Worthington

1. Mikayla Nielsen
2. Lydia Hale
3. Liz Burrows

2km Lake Swim
1. Cam Todd
2. Bryan Rhodes
3. Will Griffith

1. Rebecca Roling
2. Rebecca Kingsford
3. Jessica Rogers

Sprint Tri
1. Michael Poole
2. Cam Todd
3. Sam Osborne

1. Mikayla Nielsen
2. Christie Sym
3. Lizzie Orchard

Capital Classic – State Ocean Series

It was always going to be a blueseventy athlete across the line first, with the first five men out of the water wearing the distinctive new Helix.  It was Kane Radford who took the line honours though, just 5 seconds ahead of Bryn Murphy.  The womens race was also close fought with blueseventy’s Cara Baker holding off Charlotte Webby by 3 seconds to make it a clean sweep for top podium spots. Nice.

Start of Capital Classic, Wellington.
Mark Tantrum Photography

Elite Male Results 


1. Kane Radford, Rotorua - 30:20


2. Bryn Murphy, Dunedin - 30:25


3. Ben Campbell-Macdonald, Wellington - 31:20


4. Stefan Talbot, Auckland - 31:41


5. Casey Glover, Wellington - 31:45

           

Kane & Cara - winners
Mark Tantrum Photography

Elite Female Results


1. Cara Baker, Auckland - :31:51


2. Charlotte Webby, Taranaki - 31:54


3. Georgia Hind, Wellington - 33:49


4. Brenda Russell, Auckland - 33:39 


5. Nicole Rosewarne, Auckland  35:48

Contact Series – Christchurch

Nicky Samuels fresh from smashing the bike.
Photo: Bruce Wilson Photography 

Fresh from hosting the HOT Festival of Triathlon, Pegasus was again host to some of NZ’s top athletes for the Christchurch leg of the Contact Tri Seriers.  Local athletes dominated the day with blueseventy’s Tom Davison and Nicky Samuels winning their respective fields.  Nicky absolutely dominated the womens race leading from start to finish, showing exactly how strong she is across all three disciplines.  And this is her off season!

Elite Male Results

Tom Davison

James Elvery

Harrison Dean

Elite Female Results

Nicky Samuels

Julia Grant

Janine Simpson

Those open water swimmers are tough.

We live, breath and love everything about swimming here at blueseventy, but we'll leave it to the professionals when it comes to racing in the FINA Grand Prix circuit.  At 57km, race 2 of the series isn't even close to being the longest race in the series.  

Sante Fe, Argentina hosted the latest FINA Grand Prix, with swimmers competing over an incredible 57km open water race.  Not at all bothered about lining up for at least 8hrs of racing, our lovely Pilar Geijo improved one place from the first round to finish second in 8:34:26, behind fellow Argentinian Ceclia Biagioli, who completed the distance in 8:15:27, just 46 seconds slower than the fastest male!   Biagioli is currently leading the rankings with 30 points, with Pilar (latest years overall winner) sitting second equal on 20 points with Esther Nunez (ESP).

In the mens competition  Petar Stoychev (BUL) took the win in a closely fought race with just 4 seconds separating 1st and 3rd place.  Andrea Volpini (ITA) was pipped by just 2 seconds, and fellow Italian team mate Rodolfo Valenti just another 2 seconds back.  Stoychev who won the overall title last year, is leading the rankings at the moment on 22 points, 6 points clear of Andrea Volpini (ITA), with Francisco Hervas (ESP) just 1 point back in 3rd.  Alexander Studzinski is in 9th place after the two races on 9 points.

 FINA Grand Prix #2 - Sante Fe, ARG (57km)

1            Petar Stoychev             BUL           8:14:41.12

2            Andrea Volpini            ITA            8:14:43.45

3            Rodolfo Valenti           ITA            8:14:45.76

1            Cecilia Biagioli            ARG            8:15:27.31

2            Pilar Geijo                   ARG            8:34:26.33

3            Esther Nunez               ESP             8:41:01.75