Winners of BE THE FIRST

Our BE THE FIRST contest was a huge success. We received so many great submissions we couldn't pick just one winner. We're happy to be sending the first 2012 Helix wetsuits in the northern hemisphere to two lucky athletes. Below are the winning submissions:

Igor Belakovskiy of Concord, MA sent us a beautiful shot of Walden Pond.

"It looks very calm and peaceful here, but trust me, at 5:30am on any summer day it's anything but. From May to September, Walden Pond, is a haven for hundreds of Boston-area triathletes and open water swimmers. From Olympians to Team in Training first timers, fromsprint triathletes to Ultraman competitors, Walden really hassomething for everyone. And if you get there a little early, or stay alittle late, you get to see the pristine beauty that Henry DavidThoreau experienced in the 1800s. What's not to love?"

We love it Igor! The second photo had the staff here at blueseventy pooling with jealously (no pun intended). What an awesome backdrop for a pool! Kevin Dessart of the Colorado Springs Swim School sent us this photo of the Wilson Ranch Pool.

"I think the picture speaks for itself. It's absolutely beautiful and if you can't get motivated to swim at the base of the Rocky Mountains, you should choose another sport!"

Agree. Congratulations Igor & Kevin. Enjoy the 2012 Helix! We loved so many of the photos and videos submitted we wanted to share some our favorites below. Click on the slideshow to see the highlight reel. Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry. Happy swimming!

1 hour swim=4920 yards

Last weekend the San Francisco Bay Area Tamalpais Aquatic Masters swim team took on an hour swim distance challenge. Worth noting was 60 year old Laura Val’s 4920 yards! Her new age group (60-64) is treating her well! Laura also decided to swim the local Quadrathon meet the next day. The format is racing a 500, 100, 200 and 50 free, all within a 2 hour time frame. She managed to set 4 new National Records. Additionally, had the hour swim been in a sanctioned pool she would have broken the 1000 and 1650 on her way. When Michael Moore, Pacific Master’s president and meet head official, who is very familiar with Laura’s accomplishments, noted that she "didn’t look like she was trying that hard", she responded that she had done 3 back to back 1650's the day before. What an accomplishment Laura - swimming faster in blueseventy!

neroXII

Testing, testing and more testing. It may sound tedious but this is how we make a suit swim better than anything else.

It's been a busy 645 days working towards one simple goal: make the fastest possible swimsuit. Our design team has gone on to develop a fabric that's more compressive and water resistant than ever before. We've agonized over fit and obsessed over subtle cut lines. After all, it's in the subtleties that vortexes are created and speed is lost - fit is not something to gloss over. We tested and retested seam profiles in the wind tunnel as well as flume testing because fluid dynamics is one of the most complex sciences and testing in both environments gives us valuable data. Finally we gave it to elite swimmers in three different countries to test and provide crucial feedback.

The result is the newest generation of our Nero competition swim suit, the neroXII, a suit that has undergone more testing and employs more technology than any competition suit we have ever developed. We overlooked no detail in creating the ultimate piece of swimming equipment to help you achieve your fastest swim.

The neroXII is finally available.

Visit neroxii.com to learn more.

BE THE FIRST

2012 is going to be an exciting year. Our new pool competition race suit comes out in less then a week and our brand new wetsuit line will be released in February. In order to celebrate we wanted to launch a short but sweet contest to offer one lucky swimmer an opportunity like no other - be the first to experience the new Helix wetsuit before anyone else!

Entering is easy. Winning is not. Send us a photo or a short video (seventy seconds or less) of your favorite place to swim, whether it is your local pool, your favorite lake or the open water with a brief explanation on why the location tops your list. The team here at blueseventy will choose our favorite and the winner will be announced January 30th.

Submit your entry to firsthelix@blueseventy.com by January 27th for your chance to win. To learn more click here.

The 2012 redesigned Helix stays true to it’s predecessors by offering unparalleled flexibility, comfort and speed in the water, but now adds a split chest panel for easier breathing, more buoyant rubber in the core of the suit, and a refined fit in the neck and shoulders. We’re confident the 2012 Helix is the fastest and most comfortable version yet of the world’s most recognized triathlon wetsuit.

To be the first to learn about our new Nero suit you can pre-register here.

Happy swimming!

blueseventy athlete and aspiring New Zealand Olympian Tony Dodds is one to watch. Since becoming a competitive triathlete in 2005 he has quickly made his way to the top, securing the title of New Zealand Under 23 Champion three times and winning the New Zealand Sprint Championships in both 2010 and 2011, as well as achieving a number of top placings on the world stage.

Enjoy this video put together by Tim Pierce for the Revealing Lake Wanaka series which highlights stories from people who live and love beautiful Lake Wanaka on the South Island of New Zealand.

Follow Doddsy's journey at tonydodds.com