Rowdy Gaines and Team Blu Frog Set Masters World Record

Rowdy Gaines led teammates Keith Switzer, Marc Middleton, and Scot Weiss in a World Record performance at the Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic in Orlando, Florida earlier this month.

The relay team went into the event with laser focus - set on smashing the current 200 SCM (short course meter) freestyle relay World Record of 1:40.17. The team was led off by Rowdy himself splitting a blazing 23.95, followed by Switzer at 24.85, Middleton at 24.96, and Weiss bringing it home in 25.03. Together they clocked 1:38.79, decisively taking down the old record - in blueseventy of course!

The boys gave a master class on setting World Records in blueseventy

Greg Louganis is swimming faster

Last month famed Olympic gold medalist diver Greg Louganis took the plunge in the pacific for the first annual Swim for Equality, a 1.7 mile swim held in Malibu on September 25th. Greg Louganis and his swim partner, Greg Armstrong, along with more then 50 swimmers helped raise almost $130,000 in funds for awareness of LGBT equality in California.

More Information Can Be Found Here

special deal for the State NZ Ocean Swim Series!

Given that's it raining sideways here in NZ half the time, it's a little hard to get all excited about the coming summer, but our friends at the State NZ Ocean Swim Series have just made it that little bit easier... Check this out!

blueseventy followers - $5 off your State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series Entry

The State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series is a six-race ocean swim series taking place on some of New Zealand’s most beautiful harbours and beaches. Whether you are a first-time ocean swimmer, competent recreation swimmer, or going all out to be your age group champion there’s something for everyone. Each event* will host four event disciplines - the 200m State OceanKids, ‘Give It A Go’ 300m ocean swim for individuals or teams, ‘Step It Up 1000m’ ocean swim or ‘I’m Going Long’ ocean swim ranging from 2.6 to 3.3km. *Harbour Crossing 2.8km only

The next two events are coming up really soon -Harbour Crossing, Auckland City, 21 November 2010 and the Russell to Paihia, Bay of Islands, 11 December 2010. Take the plunge and enter the State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series. Visit www.oceanswim.co.nz for more details and as blueseventy follower you can get $5 off your entry fee when you enter online using this special code: blueseventyfan10

Lucy Gossage post Kona

You all remember our friend Lucy Gossage we posted about on Sept. 7th with her update on Ironman World Championships prep. Well she checks back in post race. Here's the scoop:

Race day came and I have never felt more ready for a race than I was for this one. I felt prepared to give it everything, and was up for the challenge of seeing what I could do against the best athletes in the world. All the British names I recognised from ironman racing were there which was cool though a bit scary - it's rare to actually have to race each other in ironman!

The swim was as expected - fist fight for 20 mins and then I managed to find some free water. Lou and I didn't start next to each other but somehow ended up swimming the last 15 mins or so on our own, side by side, exiting the water together! It made me chuckle thinking our coaches would be having a field day seeing how close together we were after the swim! The blue seventy PZ3TX swim skin was clearly fast as I exited the swim far higher up in the field than I had expected. (YES! nice plug Lucy. Thank you!)

The bike was awesome. Yes it was hot and yes it was windy but in a way I was pleased as I wanted the 'real' Kona experience. I was adding nuun tablets to water from the aid stations which helped me stay hydrated despite the tough conditions.

After my race at the Vitruvian I decided not to use any gimmicks so raced without a heart rate monitor or speed and just according to feel. I suspect because of this I biked harder than I have done before in an ironman (and paid for it on the run!) but there's no point going to Hawaii and not giving everything so I don't think that was a mistake. However, it did make the run hard - really hard..... I felt rubbish from the start and there were times when I was tantalisingly close to walking - I had dropped/lost my salt tablets and the special needs station with the spare ones was at 18 miles which seemed a very long way away. Furthermore, I was having to stop several times behind bushes (or imaginary bushes!). I did have visions of not making it, and there were so many times when I wanted to quit but knowing I was up there in my age group was enough to let me summon every ounce of physical and mental strength I could find to keep running. I hadn’t done all that training over the last 9 months to give up in the last hour….. I think the last 4 miles were the hardest as you can't let up, even right to the end - seconds count in Hawaii. The phrase 'Race to the line' is never more pertinent than there. Running down the finish chute knowing I’d given everything I had was incredible and I hope will be a memory I’ll treasure for a long long time.

Needless to say I’m mighty chuffed. I've conquered Hawaii, conquered my psychological battles in Germany and finished smiling. In fact I'm still smiling. And probably will be for a while! I feel very privileged to have Lou Collins as a training partner and am so pleased she salvaged a problematic bike with an absolutely superb run to claim the 25-29 world champion’s title. For two amateurs from Nottingham, I think we did our home club (TFN) proud!

Lou Collins & Lucy Gossage showing off some hardware

Lucy Gossage finished the 2010 Ironman World Championships in just over ten hours to claim fourth place in the 30-34 age group. Lou Collins closed with a 3:11 marathon to take the top podium spot in the 25-29 age group. Congratulations to Lucy & Lou!

Are you a top age group athlete? Did you know blueseventy is currently accepting 2011 sponsorship applications thru mid-Dec? Well now you do. Do something about it.

NZ surf lifesavers collect medals at World Champs

Nope, they aren't handing out medals for saving lives on the beach (though they should - big fat gold ones every time) but they do hand them out for being exceptionally fast at the Surf Lifesaving World Championships currently underway in Egypt. The New Zealand team have been competing against the worlds best in the pool, with the beach events to come.

The NZ team have had some great results in the pool including a Gold and NZ record for blueseventy athlete Samantha Lee in the 4x50m obstacle relay, a Silver and NZ record in the 200m obstacles, and a bronze - 100m rescue medley. Samantha also helped the Kiwis score another Gold in the 4x50m obstacle relay.


The aptly named ‘golden girls’ sporting the neroTX are Julia Toomey, Rachel Clarke, Ayla Dunlop-Barrett, and Samantha Lee.

With the completion of two very long days in the pool, New Zealand is currently in 3rd place with 340 pts, behind Italy (420 points) and Germany (378 points). Not to be forgotten are beach specialists and arch rivals Australia currently sitting in 4th on 313 points.

the underpants run in Kona

Yes, starting at endurance maximus, it's on like Donkey kong...

Kona Slowtwitch Gathering

If your on the big island this week be sure to slot in your calendar a stop to the 2010 Kona Slowtwitch Gathering at the Muscle Milk house powered by blueseventy. Wow, that's a mouth full. In case you didn't get it....

.... looks so much better in picture form.

This is an annual tradition passed down from the ages held every year in Kona prior to the Ironman World Championships. Triathlon's largest online forum (Slowtwitch.com) with the help of blueseventy and Muscle Milk/CytoMax will present this year's event at the Muscle Milk house located right off Ali'i Drive. It's cool event where age groupers, pros and industry folk all live in peace and harmony (at least for the 3 hrs). We welcome all to stop by on Thursday anytime from 3 to 6 in the afternoon. There will be some light snacks, drinks and some free swag.

Muscle Milk House (2.3m from pier)

76-6168 Alii Dr

Kailua, HI 96740

Thursday, October 7th

3 - 6 PM

Slowtwitch Link

Xena conquers China

Team TBB's Caroline Steffen (aka Zena) has been doing a bit of globe trotting on her lead up to Kona with a trip to China for the ITU Long Distance race in Weihai. Judging by her blogg it's been a fantastic trip... although we're glad she didn't need to use the 'support vehicle' - I'd take my chances walking back. (Click here to see her blogg and great travel pics)

Xena dominated the majority of the race consisting of a 3k swim, 80k bike and 20k run.

Coming out of the swim a little over a minute down on the leader in a swim time of 40:09 once Steffen boarded her bike she was soon out in front and untouchable. Posting a sizzling bike split of 2:01:04 over the 80k course, when Steffen rolled into T2 she had carved out a 13minute lead which would only grow.

Out on the run and the current World Long Course Champion increased her lead with a handy 1:21:24 run split, the quickest of the day. Crossing the line on a total time of 4:03:40 second place was sixteen minutes back.

We're looking forward to seeing Caroline in action in Kona in just a little under two weeks from now. She'll be lining up in the Pro Womens field with fellow Team TBB mates Rebekah Keat, Amy Marsh, Donna Phelan, and Tereza Marcel, as well as Stephen Bayliss and Hiro Nishiuchi in the Pro Men.

Endurance Maximus

Tomorrow, Monday September 27th, the doors to Endurance Maximus will open to the good people and fit athletes of Kona, Hawaii. blueseventy is excited to team up with Endurance Conspiracy, Muscle Milk/CytoMax, Fuel Belt, nuun, Dunning Sportswear, Rudy Project and Inside Triathlon to present a new endurance sports lifestyle-inspired retail collective situated at the heart of triathlon's biggest race.

Created and inspired by new lifestyle clothing brand and organic t-shirt aficionados, Endurance Conspiracy, EMAX reflects the progression of the endurance lifestyle and the like-minded brands, athletes, artists, businesses and individuals that are at its forefront. The idea being, to create a hub where anyone can come and find something unique and different, all the while, feeling comfortable and inspired. EMAX is all about representing the works of those who are leading the pack in redefining a culture.

the view from front doors

“We’ve got some amazing partners and we put a lot of time and effort into building the store out,” says Endurance Maximus founder, Tony DeBoom.“Exclusive products, appearances by top professional athletes, amazing raffle-prizes and an aloha vibe, what else do you need in Kona.”

blueseventy will have new swimwear, tri-distance apparel and the entire range of goggles available for sale starting tomorrow. Then beginning Tuesday, October 5th our new WTC legal swim skin, the PZ3TX, will be available for pick up for those who have pre-ordered the suit.

See you at Endurance Maximus!

Endurance Maximus Triathlon Emporium
75-5703 Ali’i Drive, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 (Emma’s Marketplace)
Open Daily from 10am to 8pm

one tough cookie

Meet Bryall McPherson. She’s one tough chick.

Not one to let a small matter like losing her arm to bone cancer get her down, the 20 year old kiwi decided to take up swimming and is now training hard to achieve her goal of Paralympic gold. We’re stoked to be able to support Bryall, and plus, her fantastic attitude and her constant new PB's are a great reminder to stop your whinging and just get on with training!

Byrall already holds a number of NZ Paralympic Records for 100 Freestyle (1.19.15), 50m butterfly (36.85), and more look to come with unofficial records achieved at a recent level 2 SC meet in Auckland in the 50m butterfly (36.82) 100m butterfly (1.23.35).

Her recent outing to the 2010 Queensland short course championships (28th - 29th August 2010) also saw her leave the event with three more medals;

50 SC Metre Butterfly Multi-Class 36.89 (Gold)
50 SC Metre Freestyle Multi-Class 35.69 (Silver)
50 SC Metre Backstroke Multi-Class 42.08 (Silver)

To find out more about Bryalls amazing story, check out this piece from Asia Downunder.

See us at Interbike

team blueseventy is packing up to head to the center of the cycling universe - the annual Interbike expo in Las Vegas. We'll be showing off our awesome products and offering sneak peeks at the cool new gear for 2011. Based on the above photo it's safe to say blueseventy is no longer just making athletes swim faster...

All next week if you work in the industry or just hanging out at the show please come on by booth 659 and say Hi to the team!

Gina Crawford sets new course record at IM Wisconsin

blueseventy athlete Gina Crawford pulled out a stunning victory at IM Wisconsin on the weekend, setting new course records along the way.

Gina dropped us an email today with her race report:

Hi blueseventy,
I am happy that I won Ironman Wisconsin in the weekend, setting a new course record by about 10 minutes, which was actually my own course record set back in 2007.

I wore the new Helix suit which I love with the flexible arms. The second half of the swim was crazy as we had to pass what seemed like thousands of age groupers and then we had to get over the other side of them to swim to the exit while they turned around another buoy to do another lap.

I lost the pack amongst the mess but after a quick transition (a very long run up a car park ramp to get to the transition) I was in the lead and stayed there all day. I broke the bike course record and came off the bike with a 13 minute lead and then hung in there on the run.

So I am super happy to be back in shape and in form again after a long winter where I got pretty unfit. I then had spent August in Australia and I felt like I was in good shape for this race.

I now will travel to Hawaii tomorrow and I hope to see you there soon. I caught up with Guy in the weekend and he was telling me all about the new swim suits. Can't wait to try them out!

Cheers,

Gina

Gina posted a bike time of 5.12.50 which put her in a great position to set a new course record of 9.27.26, nearly 10mins quicker than her previous course record she set in 2007. “I felt great coming out of the swim... My race plan is always when I feel good I just push it as hard as I can and I was really happy with my bike. Then I got to the run and finished with a pain in my side with 10 miles to go so I was really happy.”

You can read the full race report on Ironman.com

the rush is on

After only 7 days of accepting pre-orders for our new WTC legal swim skin, the PZ3TX, the men's size small is no longer available for pre-order. We do have men's XS & Medium sizes still available but in limited quantities. You can find the PZ3TX size chart here.

We will be bringing our stock of PZ3TX suits to Kona and distributing them to pre-order buyers throughout the week leading up to Ironman World Championships at Maximus Endurance.

The PZ3TX is blueseventy's fully textile, welded version of the pointzero3, designed to meet the regulations of FINA & WTC. blueseventy continues to set the standard others will try to follow in triathlon swimskins. Using the latest in microfiber textile technology, the PZ3TX draws on years of high performance swimming product development combined with the most recent developments in textile research.

Don't be left behind. Click here to pre-order your PZ3TX for Kona now.

pz3TX and ready for Kona!

Lucy Gossage set a course record of 4:14. 47 at the Vitruvian (half iron distance). The cancer doctor, who splits her time between Cambridge and Nottingham, has got her eyes on Kona. She set Britain’s best female age group Ironman time for two years in Frankfurt (9:53.28) and has received welcome support from bluseventy - she'll be wearing the new pz3TX swimskin in Kona!

“So Hawaii is looming and I’m really starting to get excited. It’s a funny time training wise as everyone else is winding down at the end of the season while I’m building for my biggest race of the year. And trying to think about how on earth I can get used to the heat while the nights are drawing in and the weather is gradually getting colder.....

“Luckily I’ve had a few really fun weekends over the last month, which have helped keep me motivated. The first was the Outlaw Triathlon which I raced as the cyclist in a relay team with two friends Lou (Collins) and Helen (Gorman); the second was the National Club Relays a couple of weeks later. Both are amazing events in my home town of Nottingham with incredible support and to me summed up what triathlon is all about – fun.

“Winning the club relays with TFN teammates Lou, Fez and Amy was probably my proudest moment in triathlon. We’d been talking about having a team for a year or so but Amy (Parkinson) and Fez (Verity Butler) had been injured so never thought it would happen. They were both still injured (Amy had a stress fracture in her foot!!) but decided to race anyway... We all gave 200% in every part of the race and to win such a big event with a team of true friends was a pretty amazing moment. I was on a high all week after it!

“Last weekend I raced the Vitruvian at Rutland Water, a race I’ve done twice before which I always enjoy. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel on race day as I had come off a massive block of training with only five days to recover. Fortunately it seemed to be my day and I had what was probably the race of my life, though I’m still in a state of disbelief and keep thinking they must have got the times muddled up somehow.

“Anyway it’s now just five weeks till Hawaii – so just a couple more weeks training and then time to taper, fly out there and do the best I can. I’ve got no expectations of doing well out there but am really excited about the opportunity to race there once more – and am determined to go out there, enjoy it and throw everything I have at the race on race day. Not long now!!”

Christine Jennings wins 10km Pan Pacific Champs in NeroTX

22nd August 2010 - On a rather hot day at Long Beach California, American Christine Jennings wearing the Nero Tx blueseventy racesuit was able to overpower the leading field of five to win the 10km Open Water race in a time of 2hrs 33sec.

Jennings out swam her four Americans counterparts and Australian Melissa Gorman (also wearing blueseventy) in the final 50m to win the event that would wrap up the 2010 Championships, congratulations Christine!

Quick chat with the 'blueseventy girl'

Pilar 'Pili' Geijo is the self proclaimed 'blueseventy girl' - and she's certainly living up to the name.  


Pili dropped us a line last week with news of yet another win, which keeps her in her Number 1 world ranking in FINA World Grand Prix Open Water rankings.

In Pili’s words the race at Lac St Jean was “reallyyyy hard!!!!”

The water temperature was an average of 18 degrees in the lake – which doesn’t sound bad to most of us – but try swimming 32kms in it, and without a wetsuit or swimskin!  Pili said “the last 4 hours I was trembling for the cold!!!!!”  The LAST four hours?!  Most people would never ever swim four hours in the first place!

Pili was first woman home in a stunning 7:08:38, with fellow Argentinian Antonella Bogarin 10mins back in second and Esther Nuniez from Spain a further 10 minutes behind in third.

Pili actually finished an amazing 4th overall - only 1 minute later than Damian Blaum who was headed into the race ranked 3^rd in the world and now ranked first after another solid performance to take 3^rd.

Petar Stoychev from Bulgaria won the mens race in 6:40:22.

The results of the race can be found here.

Pili was pretty tired after the race but carried on her stunning form to take the win at the next Grand Prix swim in Canada just one week later!

But she did have the energy for an interview with swimming legend Steve Munatones, so if the boss hasn’t walked over to see what you are doing, kill another few minutes here. 

Hey-up our kid - nice win mate!

Brazil, Lanzarote, Switzerland, Kona… Bolton.  Not really the shining gem in the Ironman circuit but an important race for many pro and age groupers aiming to qualify for Kona.  Fraser Cartmell was one such man, and having had to withdraw from his first attempt at the distance, he had many reasons to want to cross the line first today.

We caught up with a relaxed Fraser the day before for a quick few snaps and a chat prior to having a quick swim on the course. Apparently the tip is to keep your mouth shut to avoid the goose pooh.  Nice.

The weather did little to dispel England’s reputation for crappy summers but the conditions were great for the athletes.  Fraser led out from the swim and put in a steady and solid performance to hold off Stephen Bayliss from TeamTBB, finishing 6 mins ahead in a shade over 8hr 40min 17s.  Bayliss was 2nd in 8:46:18 and Axel Zeebroek in 3rd a further 3mins back (8:49:37).

The women’s race was not so straight forward, with blueseventy girls battling for the win.  Brit Yvette Grice led out of the water but was over taken by defending champ Bella Bayliss on the bike.  But it was not to be Bella’s day and Yvette put in a strong run to take back the lead and finish in 10hrs 1min 02.  Bella crossed 2nd in 10:06:52 receiving her medal from hubby Stephen – both having to settle for second.  Joanna Carritt taking 3rd 10mins further back in 10:16:22.

But forget about the pro’s for a moment – we saw some EPIC age group efforts.  Forget your carbon bikes, your fancy kit with your aero helmet.  In an effort reminiscent of the first Navy guys to do an Ironman in Hawaii, we saw two guys rocking out onto the bike course in a pair of casual cargo shorts, a plain cotton t-shirt and a pair of running shoes with toe clips.  Oh – and a backpack.  We initially thought they were spectators but the race numbers and timing chip bands proved me wrong – you guys are LEGENDS! 

We also won’t be too surprised if one guy has food poisoning after his race today.  Lets just say that it’s the first time I have seen unwrapped energy bars ‘moulded’ around the top tube of a bike, for, er, convenient access?  Maybe the plan is to gain extra protein from the midgets stuck to the protein bars along the way.  That’s thinking outside the square… but as Peter Kay says 'you never know where to look when eating a banana'.

James and Jodie went up the hill... faster than anyone else

The weekend has started extra early! Some exciting mid week racing at the classic Alpe d’Huez Long Course triathlon in France has yielded some fantastic results from blueseventy athletes Jodie Swallow (just four days after her 7^th place at the London WCS) and teamTBB athlete James Cunnama.

Alpe d’Huez is not for the faint hearted and features some of the toughest climbs in the world. The long course race distance includes a 2.2km, swim, 115km bike and 22km run.

The race has become something of an annual rite of passage for many of the athletes in the teamTBB Leysin based training camp who make the 280km journey to the start on their bikes and then ride the 280km back to camp, all in the name of good solid training!


In the men’s race South African, James Cunnama (3rd in 2009) tore the men’s field apart crossing the line to take his maiden victory with a time of 5:36:33. He made his move on the famous the descent of Col d'Ornon, and then created a huge gap on the ascent of Alpe d'Huez, finishing over eight minutes clear of second place Frenchman Xavier Le Floch. Having one of the best races of his life, American, Scott De Filippis (USA) came in 3rd in a time of 5:51:13.

The ladies race saw Jodie Swallow (GBR), Rebekah Keat (AUS), Lisbeth Kristensen (DEN) and Tamsin Lewis (GBR) all have a smoking hot day. Jodie smashed the field to take the win in a time of 6.20.01, with Keat crossing the line in 2nd in 6:48:56.  Fellow teamTBB teammates Kristensen came 4th in 6:59:08 and Lewis 5th in 7:04:08.

It was a great day for teamTBB with five teamTBB athletes starting the long course race and all five athletes placed in the top five. 

not much placid about Amy Marsh

TBB team member Amy Marsh led from start to finish at Ironman Lake Placid to take her third Ironman title (second this year), continuing the success of the team across Europe and America.  I think I must just write a blog titled "TBB wins again" and have it automated to post every Monday!  

Amy traveled to the USA from the team’s Switzerland training camp where she had been based for the past few weeks in the mountains ('high in the hills with a lonely goat heard... yodelaeo') around Leysin.  The training obviously has paid dividends as Marsh swept through the ladies field.

Coming out of the swim in 55:43 she then tackled the hilly bike course with ease and posted a super hot 5:07:43 bike split. Way ahead of the rest of the ladies, despite the comfortable lead she still posted a personal best Ironman marathon time by 8minutes!  Chasing goats around the hills of Switzerland is obviously proving a great training session!

Running across the line in first place with a time 9:27:30, Amy was just 3minutes shy of beating the course record.

For the official race report, athlete blogs and forum you can go to www.teamtbb.com.

it's not just pool records falling in blueseventy

If you have ever gone by ferry from Dover, UK to Calais, France you will know it's not exactly a short ride.  Well this team of blueseventy swimmers have taken multisport to a new level and broken a world record doing it.

The event started from Marble Arch on 18th July, running to Dover in relay style,  followed by a swim across the channel, and if that's not enough, they then cycle from Calais to Paris nonstop. 

Competing in a team of 6, and all working for Shell International, they attempted to break the current world record of 63 hours and 26 mins for the Enduroman Arch to Arc event which was held on 18/19 July.  They um, well, smashed it to put it bluntly.  There final time was 37 hours 15 mins 30s.  They crossed the channel in their blueseventy Reaction wetsuits in the fastest swim time of 12.16.30 (3 hours faster than the 2nd and 3rd placed teams).

Sounds like madness I know but all for a good cause.  The aim of the Shell team is to raise money for St Martin’s homeless shelter in London. Check out more about this event at www.enduroman.com.

Hyde Park racing royalty

Delly Carr / triathlon.org

No the Queen wasn't on the start line yesterday (although I have it on good authority she'd wear blueseventy if she was).  It was the royalty of triathlon women's racing on display yesterday for the Dextro ITU World Championships race in London.

The field was 68 deep and consisted of some of the biggest names in the sport including the winners of all the previous series races; Barbara Riveros Diaz (Sydney), Daniela Ryf (Seoul), Nicola Spirig (Madrid), and Lisa Norden (Hamburg), plus other top series contenders such Emma Moffat (No. 1 ranking) and Andrea Hewitt (No.2).

The swim was hard and fast, with Nicky Samuels commenting that the distance to the first buoy was very short meaning that the large pack at the turn resulted in a 'violent swim'.  Laura Bennett led out of the first lap of the swim and through to T1, where a group consisting of strong swimmers including Jodie Swallow, Kate Roberts and Paula Findlay headed out on to the bike eventually creating a lead group of 24 women who had more than half a minute on the second pack.

It was an exciting run with the lead pack of six women battling hard over the run, before dwindling to just four.  Someone was going to miss out on a podium spot in the close finish.  In the end 21 year old Paula Findlay managed to create a small gap in the last km of the race, running through to take the win - her first ever major victory.  Her run split of 33.51 was the fastest of the day.

Nicola Spirig took second, Helen Jenkins third (for the 2nd year in a row) and Andrea Hewitt was the unlucky one to miss the podium spot from the pack of four.

Delly Carr / triathlon.org

It was a good day for our blueseventy girls with three making the top 10:
Paula Findlay CAN (Gold) 01:51:48
Jodie Swallow GBR (7th) 01:52:45
Kate Roberts RSA (8th) 01:53:04

You can read the full race review on the ITU website here.

Warming up for London

It’s getting towards the business end of the season now with the last three races left on the Dextro Energy ITU World Champs series.  I’m not sure if it was my winning smile or the blueseventy t-shirt but I’m lucky enough to have got myself a sweet spot at the media briefing to grab a chance to hear the pre-race hype first hand.  Emma Moffat was running a little fashionably late (probably those damn tubes), but Javier Gomez and Alistair Brownlee are here on time to kick things off.

After the usual pre-raceEmma is introduced as having two passions – winning and shopping – the true competitive female triathlete.  She’s sounding pretty relaxed – she’s currently sitting in number 1 in the rankings.

Gomez talked about not being able to race at the start of the season but has come back feeling strong, doing some best times in training and coming off the back of his win at Hamburg he will be tough to beat.  He ran under 29.20 off the bike last week so his run fitness is sure back.  Man that is quick!

But not to be outdone on the comeback trail Brownlee has also shown that the break from racing due to a stress fracture as not dented his winning power with some convincing wins since his resurgence at Madrid.  These two heavy weights will go toe to toe for the first time this series with a win a piece each.  Gomez comes off a win last weekend at Hamburg but Brownlee chose to skip this race.

One journalist asked Gomez about the rivalry between he and Brownlee – “he’s very hard to beat.  You just try and run faster and faster each race”.  It’s scary to think how fast these guys will be off the bike by 2012!

Being an ‘insider’ today I get a few stats on media coverage that paint a pretty picture of the future of triathlon.  The event last year was covered by 35 broadcasters and reached about 1.6m viewers at peak viewing in the UK.  Showing that triathlon is still growing in it’s following, the ITU series will be screened by in – 49 international broadcasters in 146 countries.  We’ll overtake football as the most popular sport easy.  Well maybe.  Hey we can dream.

blueseventy Athlete Rich Burns to be Inducted to the ISHOF

blueseventy athlete Rich Burns will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame this summer. Rich will join the ranks of some of the greatest athletes, coaches, and swimming contributors from across the world as a member of the ISHOF and we couldn't be more proud of him.
Rich was an All American swimmer out of high school and swam at Indiana under the legendary coach Doc Counsilman. He began competing with United States Masters Swimming in 1981 at the age of 37 and is currently a member of the Tamalpais Aquatic Masters where he has been training for the past 30 years. Over the course of his USMS career Rich as set an amazing 37 individual FINA Masters World Records and 16 relay records.
Other than dominating the USMS competition, Rich has contributed to Masters Swimming through chairing the Marketing Committee and launching the affiliation with Swim Magazine.

Congratulations Rich from all of us here at blueseventy!

another weekend swimming faster in blueseventy...

In yet another busy weekend of racing, blueseventy athletes again led the way out of the water over the weekend with Cam Dye, Graham O'Grady, Dustin McLarty and Ben Collins all leading the pack out of the swim leg in their respective events.

Ben Collins put in a solid performance to retain that lead through to the finish with a win at the San Francisco Triathlon.  Andrew McCartney (7th) and Kyle Leto (9th) where the other blueseventy athletes rounding out the top 10.

At The Lifetime Fitness Triathlon, the huge event again attracted many of the sports brightest stars.  But it was Cam Dye who dominated the swim, one of 5 blueseventy athletes finishing in the top 10 men, with Matt Chrabot claiming a podium spot with 2nd, Cam Dye 6th, David Thompson 7th, Greg Bennett 8th, and Andrew Starykowicz 9th.

At Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island it was young kiwi Graham O'Grady leading the way with an impressive swim.  New to the longer distance racing, O'Grady put in a solid effort on the bike but was unable to match the pace of the lead men in the run, eventually finishing 11th overall, but showing great promise for the future.

The race was won by fellow kiwi Terenzo Bozzone, with blueseventy athletes Tim Berkel and Paul Ambrose round out the podium in 2nd and 3rd.

The blueseventy girls also rocked up with some solid results with Caitlin Snow 2nd, (22 seconds down from winner Kate Major) and Sam Warriner 3rd.  Kim Loeffler narrowly missed getting 3rd, finishing just 14 seconds down from Warriner in 4th.  Carrie Lester (7th) and Annie Gervais (9th) also secured top 10 finishes.

blueseventy and teamTBB paint Europe - um - pink?

Since teamTBB set up training camp on the side of a mountain in Leysin, Switzerland, they have been racing across Europe and notching up wins and podiums like it was going out of fashion. Maybe it is the fresh mountain air, or the clean water, or probably and more realistically it is down to a combination of coach barking out his orders and getting the guys to endure the lactic gradients and chilly water for yet another session.

A beautiful part of the world to be, the weather in Leysin has not been pretty over the past few weeks and this has seen the likes of Amy Marsh, James Cunnama and Rebecca Keat to name a few all taken spills off the bike. Cattle grids, rain and bikes do not make a great combination when training it seems, but while a little bruised and sore they came away with no serious damage and nothing that a few days of Deep Heat wouldn’t fix.

Despite the training tumbles when it comes to race day the guys have been clinically delivering some impressive results. The past 5weeks alone have resulted in 5 big wins. Tereza Macel – the T-Mac started the ball rolling with her win in IM Brazil. That momentum was carried across numerous time zones and into Europe where the team has kept on winning with Caroline ‘Xena’ Steffen taking 70.3 Switzerland and in the same weekend Rebekah Keat taking the Challenge Germany title for the 2nd year in a row. The following week she backed it up by winning Challenge France for the 2nd year in a row too! Next up for Bek and the race to watch this month is Roth on July 18th. She broke the world record last year but still had to settle for second behind Chrissie Wellington. With the same line-up this year Roth is sure to be a close one to watch.

A summary of the top results for the team:

May:

IM Lanzarote – Bella 2nd (Read about it here)

IM Brazil – T-Mac 1st, Donna 5th (Read about it here)

June:

Austria 70.3 Erika 2nd nail biting STUFF historical (read about it here) 

And then we went from strength to strength

June 6th IM 70.3 Swiss – Xena WINS (read about it here) 

June 6th Challenge Germany – Bek Wins and James 2nd – fastest legs! (read about it here)

June 13th Challenge FRANCE - Bek was on a roll and picked up another WIN (read about it here)

June 20th T-mac grabs a training day 2nd in Dutch open champs – and a nice picture of her in the blue70 wettieJ (read about it here)

June 20th IM 70.3 UK – BELLA strikes and Tamsin in her pro debut follows in second (read about it here)

June 27th Erika grabs another second in IM France AND her slot for Kona (read about it here)

July 4th Caroline Steffen (Xena) delivers an awesome personal best performance in IM Frankfurt; second place and a slot for Kona it is only a matter of time before she climbs on the top step. (read about it here)