Norseman is less than 5 days away.  We will be there.  Anticipation is running high for this weekend as 600 athletes will take part in the 10th anniversary of the purest triathlon on the planet.  We asked our friend Tim DeBoom and last year's winner to share a few thoughts as we head into the race.

Having been a competitive swimmer since the age of six, and then embarking on a professional triathlon career for the past 18 years, I can honestly say that I have swum in some amazing places.  However, usually the swim leg of a triathlon is an afterthought for me.  As long as I put in my typical training, I do not do much else to prepare for specific venues.  This changed last year when I decided to do the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon.

I read the stories and talked to past participants about jumping into the darkness from the boat, the numbingly cold water, and the tall granite walls that surrounded the fjord.  For the first time, I was a little apprehensive about the swim leg of a triathlon.  There were many unknowns that could only be answered by jumping into the Hardangerfjord.

When I arrived in Norway and made my way to the start village of Eidfjord, I was overcome with the beauty of my surroundings.  I was still nervous about the water and the challenge of the rest of the course as well, but excitement was creeping in and beginning to overtake the apprehension.

The fjord was majestic.  Huge granite walls plummeted into the water and dropped to a depth of over 2500 feet.  Yes, it was dark, and it looked very cold.  The only way to finish my preparation for the race was to jump on in.  I grabbed my wetsuit and went down to a dock on the water.  My brother, Tony, and friend, Eric Wynn grabbed a canoe and paddled out to join me for an evening swim.

I jumped in and did the customary cold water sprint.  Once the chill in my suit subsided and the water began to warm against my body, I settled down and started swimming for real.  The water was very dark.  It was clean and clear, but so deep, that it appears black.  Every breath I took I saw the granite walls and snow melt falling into the water.  I had to stop several times to just gaze in amazement at my surroundings.  I was swimming in a fjord!  In Norway!  This was not something I ever really imagined myself doing.  It was definitely one of my lifetime highlights.  And yes, it is more memorable than any swim I’ve done in Hawaii.

DeBoom on top of the Gaustatoppen

Leading into the race and for future participants I have a few tips.  Aside from training in colder than normal water ahead of time I strongly suggest getting in the fjord before race morning- try the blueseventy/United Bakeries practice swim Friday morning!  This will help you decide if you need a neoprene cap or just a second swim cap.  It will also help you work out what tint of goggles to use.

On race morning you will be sitting on the boat for quite a while before the start.  I think they like to add to the nervousness of the day by making you wait out on the boat!  When the gate opens to jump off the boat, just get out there.  It is a good distance from the boat to the start line so you don’t want to waste time.  Just give a good primal yell and leap into the darkness below.  You’ll look back on that moment fondly at the end of the day. 

The Norseman Xtreme Triathlon is one of the toughest iconic races in all of endurance sports.  I put winning it at the top of my list of accomplishments.  You can watch the videos and talk to finishers, but you cannot really appreciate it without swimming, biking, and running to cross that finish line on top of the Gaustatoppen.  Good luck to all the lucky participants this year.  I look forward to welcoming you all to the club! 

-Tim DeBoom

Follow blueseventy on Facebook and Twitter sending out updates from the event.  Learn more about the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon here: www.nxtri.com

blueseventy in london

The 2012 London Olympic Games kick off tomorrow and we're very excited to see our athletes compete on the biggest stage in sport. 

Ross Davenport will be competing in the 200m freestyle

Swimming kicks off Saturday, July 28 and runs through Friday, August 3rd. blueseventy athletes competing in the 2012 Olympics include:

• Ross Davenport of Great Britain. 200m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay
• Carlos Almeida of Portugal
• Ines Remersaro of Uruguay
• Arlene Semeco, Albart Subiruts, Daniele Tiraussi, Cristian Quintero, Octavio Alesi & Alejandro Gomez representing Venezuela
• Sebastian Jahnsen, Andrea Cedron, Mauricio Fiol representing Peru
• Nick Schwab & Dorian Mac representing the Dominican Republic
• Karen Riverios Schulz of Paraguay
• Carolina Colorado of Colombia
• Cecilia Biagiolli & Juan Martin Perryra representing Argentina
• Danielle Beabrun of Santa Lucia

There will many more athletes rocking blueseventy from the host county and European countries but we can't mention them here (blackout!). Also, don't miss one of the most epic events of the Olympic Games - the Swimming Marathon - on Aug. 9th & 10th. Open Water Swimming is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and is an event we follow very closely here at blueseventy. 

Destined to be one of the highlight events of the 2012 Olympic Games Triathlon will take place in legendary Hyde Park. The swim will be in the Serpentine, the bike will leave the park via Queen Mother's Gate, travelling through Wellington Arch, down Constitution Hill and on to Birdcage Walk in front of Buckingham Palace before returning to the park to complete the event with a four lap run around the Serpentine. 

Gwen Jorgensen chooses the Nero Race goggle.

The women's Triathlon event will be contested on Aug. 4th. We're very excited to have up and coming American Gwen Jorgensen representing blueseventy in London. Gwen only began competing in the sport in 2010 and with a killer run will challenge for a medal. Fellow USA athlete Sara Groff can't be counted out after a stellar 2011 season. New Zealand's Nicky Samuels, Great Britain's uber swimmer Lucy Hall, Aileen Morrison of Ireland, Czech athlete Radka Vodičková and South Africa's Kate Roberts are blueseventy athletes to watch.

Alistair Brownlee

The men's race will be held on Aug. 7th and our team of athletes in London is impressive. Great Britain's Alistair Brownlee, who will be competing along with his brother Jonathan, are among the favorites for a medal.  Bevan Docherty of New Zealand will be chasing a gold medal to complete the silver (Athens) and bronze (Beijing) he has. Be sure to keep an eye on four-time Olympian's Simon Whitfield (Canada) and Hunter Kemper (USA). Other blueseventy athletes looking for a place in history: Kyle Jones of Canada, Ryan Sissons of New Zealand, Richard Varga of Slovakia and Premysl Svarc of the Czech Republic.

This Special Edition Helix wetsuit probably won't see action during the Games but we have other plans for it!

Spring Training with Matt Ellis

As an ex-National League Basketball player Matt Ellis took up triathlon for cross training. Success came quick: he won his first sprint distance race and placed second in his first olympic. Since then he has gone on to race the UK Elite Superseries coming 24th in the National Elite Champs, raced 70.3 World Champs and helped Paratriathlete Iain Dawson to World, European and National Titles. In 2011 Matt obtained his pro level membership from the British Triathlon Federation and is pushing his development by stepping up to top level competition in 2012.

Here's a beautifully shot video taking a peak into Matt's spring training campaign. 

Matt wears the 2012 Helix, competes in our top of the line apparel (TX3000) and chooses the Nero Race goggle. You can follow Matt on at his blog and on twitter (@Triathletematt).

The Norseman Draws Near

blueseventy has become the swim partner/sponsor for the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon in Norway.  In the words of last year's Norseman champion  "Norseman is like going back to the roots of triathlon"  Leading up to the 2012 edition (August 4-5th) of Norseman we are following the training and thoughts of Drew Marlar. Drew completed Norseman in 2011 so he provides a "been there, am doing it again" perspective triathletes can relate to.  This is Drew's second installment to our blog.

Here we go again . . . I just read the notification from Norseman that there was a rock slide on the bike course and they are going to need to re-route us this year through a long dark tunnel.  This is exactly why I love these people so much.  Other race organizers would simply cancel this portion of the race but not the Norseman.  They know Norseman athletes can handle a little adversity and simply ask us to make some smart decisions to accommodate the challenge - like bringing some extra lights and a reflective vest for the bike.

 

Adapting to the unexpected is at the heart of endurance training and racing to me and Norseman is no exception by any stretch.  Norseman asks athletes to go beyond what their normal race expectations are and to keep reaching outside of their comfort zone.  Way outside.  Last year was my first Norseman and I was frightened by the steep ascent late in the run course.  I met an athlete during the race meeting that assured me that almost no-one will try to run the last 11 miles because it is too steep.  Hearing that was a relief and felt like a warm hug.  I instantly relaxed and felt satisfied that I could walk that portion of the course without because many athletes would.

 

This year I am thinking differently and I am inspired by my good friends and training partners at Dynamo Multisport.  My buddy Haley Chura (www.haleychura.com) recently broke 10 hours at IM Houston and won her age group by a huge margin.  She was already fast before this race but she kept pushing herself to meet this goal.   She worked her butt off to run an incredibly smart race and I was standing in front my computer screaming my head off as I watched the live video of her finish at 9:59:43.  My other friend (and coach) Matthew Rose (www.thebackhalf.com) recently blew through his swim and bike PRs at IM Brazil only to have a terrible bike wreck at Mile 100.  He was on pace to blow away his prior bike split with a 4:46 when he crashed in the last aid station.  Bloody and pissed off he put his bike back together and finished the race in an amazing 19th place in his age group.  He was surrounded that day by volunteers and spectators telling him that it was okay to quit (and a few even tried to force him) but he shut those doubts away and pressed on.  Amazing.  I think Churchill said "If you are going through Hell, keep going."    

 

Most impressive of all is my running friend Molly (no time for blogs when you run as much as she does).  She just completed her first 100 mile trail running race in San Diego.  She held on strong until she got to the aid station near mile 75 and the wheels started to come off (if only she had wheels).  She pushed doubt out of her mind and got some much needed help from one of the aid station volunteers.  Her "trail angel" put her back together and she hobbled out of that aid station, and then jogged and then ran to finish in under 30 hours!  People talk a lot about not quitting but this is the real thing.  Her body was screaming at her to stop but she put 100% of her focus on her goal and that determination carried her to the finish.  It's crazy for sure but there is nothing I respect more.     

 

Drew on the Norseman 2011 run

These examples are inspiring me this year to take what is already a huge challenge and see if I can push myself even further.  The diversion through a tunnel only makes Norseman more "interesting" and the last 11 miles of the marathon begs to be walked but does it have to be?  I'll be thinking about Haley, Matthew and Molly on that last turn when I hit the ascent and accept the challenge to see how much farther I can push myself.  Watch out Gaustatoppen.  I'm not scared of you this year and I have these three incredible athletes that will carry me up your little mountain.     

-Drew

Learn more about the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon here: www.nxtri.com

wind, wind and then a little more wind

blueseventy pro athlete Guy Crawford sent over his Honu 70.3 race report and reflects on the epic big island winds and what it is like to line up against seven time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.

Love coming to the Big Island to race and train, although this time the wind made it really hard for me to enjoy the Queen K …For the week leading into Honu 70.3 Kate (Bevilaqua) and I based ourselves in Kona. Our last long ride to the bottom of Hawi was crazy the cross winds made it really hard to keep your line on the road and then later in the week the wind seemed to increase. OH NO!! Come race day the forecast was wind, wind and then a little more wind… With Lance Armstong on the start line the media seemed a tad heavier than usual…( which was cool )


THE RACE

Once the gun sounded and the initial white wash of the start settled down I found myself on Lance’s feet and continued to swim in the top 5. The swim was as I expected it to be ( a big group ) and 8 of us exited the water within 15 sec’s of each other.

Now here was where I had to make a decision - ride for as long as I could with the likes of Lance, Greg, Chris and the GCM AKA Maiki or ride my race. I decided to ride my race (in hind sight maybe I should have tried to ride a bit harder in the beginning) however decisions made and I was feeling really good riding at a comfortably hard pace. Riding up Hawi was crazy. The wind felt like it was pushing my front wheel out from under me. Congratulations to all that got through that ride, it was intense. 

At the turn I had lost some serious time to Lance and quite a bit to the other 3 in front. I decided to ride hard down Hawi, the wind played with my head a few times, but I rode through it for the most part and was stoked with the way I descended. You have to keep thoughts like, "If I fall off at this speed, I’m probably going to die" out of your head.

Onto the run and by this point the field was totally split apart. I ran out of transition and onto the golf course where the spongy grass started sapping the energy from my body ..YAY…for the first 3-4 miles I didn’t see a soul, except for the awesome aid station volunteers. Then once out on the first real road section I spotted Maiki and Chris still 6-8mins up the road. I kept my pace and tried to run strong through the windy sections and fast with the tail wind. Leading into the last 2 miles I could see the gap to Chris and Maiki was coming down quickly, 3mins , 2mins, 90sec and then 1min…I was running people down (that doesn’t usually happen). In the end I ran out of real estate and was 64 sec’s off the podium.

Happy with my day, mixing it up with some of the best in the sport. The guys in front are all legends in Triathlon. Big congratulations to everyone who battled the wind ( Pele ) and finished in those conditions.

RESULTS

1. Lance Armstrong (USA) 3:50:55 (Course Record. 2:01:46 bike split. Whoa.)
2. Greg Bennett (USA) 3:53:41
3. Chris Lieto (USA) 4:05:55
4. Maik Twelsiek (GER) 4:06:16
5. Guy Crawford (AUS) 4:06:59

blueseventy athletes in BOLD. 

Now it’s time to recover and then start our build for IM CDA in 3 weeks time.

Nice work Guy. We're looking forward to seeing you kick some butt in Coeur d'Alene.
Follow Guy Crawford at guycrawford.us/

Professional triathlete Caitlin Snow doesn't only use her talents and energy to race triathlons.  You may have see Cait on the cover and featured in last month's LAVA magazine or placing 2nd at Ironman Texas with the fastest marathon/course record time of 2:51:47.  Aside from these accomplishments Cait made a trip up to Rochester NY recently to spend some time with a group called Teens Living With Cancer.  It all started when Cait donated a helmet to a TLC raffle.  Following the raffle a girl named Michaela inspired Cait to reach out to her sponsors and friends to help the TLC group even more.  Having worked with Cait for the last few years and always being impressed with her professionalism, blueseventy quickly jumped on board to help with Cait's visit to the athletes.  Mary Eggers tells the entire story here in her blog: http://ironmomma.com/2012/05/24/tlc-fit-the-cait-snow-visit/


Thank you Cait for making us a part of this group.  Truly inspiring.

Norseman Xtreme Triathlon chapter 1

blueseventy has become the swim partner/sponsor for the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon in Norway.  In the words of last year's Norseman champion  "Norseman is like going back to the roots of triathlon"  Leading up to the 2012 edition (August 4-5th) of Norseman we are following the training and thoughts of Drew Marlar. Drew completed Norseman in 2011 so he provides a "been there, am doing it again" perspective triathletes can relate to.  Follow Drew's journey and learn about one of the purest, most challenging, and unique triathlons on the planet...

It sounds strange to say but when I think about my first Norseman experience I have to say that the race was my chance to relax and have fun.  I know there are many other ways to relax . . . a cruise, a week at the beach, a leisurely bike tour in Europe.  But then I think, wait a minute I could do that ride from Paris to Prague that I saw in that guidebook and that could help me train for Paris Brest Paris.  This is where my crazy head is- so when I think of  fun I sign up for the world's hardest Triathlon.  

One thing about triathlon that I really struggle with is defining what kind of triathlete I am.  I think I want to be the fierce assassin who relishes beating up on the competition and leaving everything on the race course.  But honestly- that just isn't me.  When it comes to training and race day my natural instincts are to enjoy the journey.  I happily wake up at 4:30 every morning and put in 15-25 hours of training a week without complaint.  I push myself everyday through pain and enjoy it.  My training partners are my best friends and I live for the feeling that you get during your last 6 weeks before race day.  You know what I am talking about.  You hit that last notch in your belt loop and have that swagger in your step.  You eat 4 full meals a day but are still 5 pounds under your normal weight.  Your 45-minute neighborhood run loop now only takes you 30.  It is a quiet self-confidence that you are in the best shape of your life and it is just going to get better.  Perfect health, strength and fantastic friendships.  This is really why I train so hard.  Race day is gravy.   

Norseman made give in to my natural instincts and focus on the training instead of the performance.  I trained harder than I ever had but without the pressure of Ironman age group rankings hanging over my head.  The pressure of the Norseman course was enough!  When I trained for Norseman I did things that I never would have tried leading up to an Ironman race.  I would ride crazy mountain bricks that ended with 7-mile uphill sprints.  I swam extra yards and pushed the watts on my trainer rides.  My highs were bigger than ever (and so were my bonks) and I got away from the narrow heart rate, power and cadence ranges that have become the staple of my Ironman training year.  I just figured that the Norseman course was so far beyond the norm that my training had to be borderline crazy.  The point of the race day became to enjoy it.  

Athletes jump into the fjord to begin their journey

And enjoy it I did.  The anxiety about Norseman race day was different and refreshing.  I was stepping into the unknown and it took me back to the feeling of my first long-distance triathlon.  I wasn't certain what was ahead of me but I loved the idea that it was going to be new.  Norseman scared me but it wasn't about obsessive data crunching and age group rankings.  I raced without power and heart rate and felt every mile.  I focused on getting enough nutrition and enjoying the experience of something bigger than I had ever done before.  I didn't know how bad this race would hurt but I loved the idea of jumping off that ferry to find out.  This is why Norseman is so special to me.  I'm training even harder for it this year but I don’t think I will ever have it figured out.  No one really aces an 11-mile climb on the marathon course and that is why I will keep coming back.  Norseman promises that terrifying and exhilarating feeling of your first big adventure.  Nothing beats that, not even the fierce assassin in you.  

-Drew

Learn more about the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon here: www.nxtri.com

Unstoppable CU

The 2012 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships occurred last week and once again the blueseventy sponsored team from the University of Colorado Boulder took home the men's team, women's team and overall team title for an unprecedented 13th time. The team's motto of "The team that trains together, wins together" was in full force under the skillful coaching of D3 Multisport's Mike Ricci. 
We asked CU & blueseventy athlete Drew Scott, no stranger to big time events as evidence of his debut Ironman last fall at the World Championships in Hawaii and who finished 5th overall in the men's race, to share here what the atmosphere is like at this unique race.  "The race was quite an experience, definitely a different atmosphere from any other race that I've done. I guess that can be expected when there's 1300+ college students at a race!" Below is Drew's race report from Tuscaloosa. 

It has now been a little over a week since I arrived home after traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the first time to race at the Collegiate National Championships. I was very excited to finally get a chance to compete at Collegiate Nationals, and to do so with a team like CU. I was well aware of the history of the team and the numerous national titles that had been won when I joined last Fall. Heading into the race this year, I knew the strength of our team was quite good. However, at a race like Collegiate Nationals, it seems like you can never really know how well you will do because people you've never heard of can come out of nowhere.  I think everyone on our team had a bit of added confidence gained from the months training together and witnessing what each person on the team was capable of.

I had heard all sorts of stories from current teammates and others in Boulder who had competed at Nationals before. Almost every person I spoke to commented about how this race was unlike any other triathlon out there. It’s not often that you get over a thousand college students together at one event, with everyone equally as excited as you are about competing in a triathlon. The atmosphere created is certainly different from any other race I’ve ever done.  

On race morning, as people gathered at the swim start before the women’s race, team cheers began to ring out one after another. Everybody was pretty fired. Our women ended up having a phenomenal race, winning the overall and giving our men’s team a bit more inspiration before we raced. 10:30AM finally rolled around meaning the start of our race. I was with teammate Rudy Kahsar (last years champion) in wave 1, and we both were lucky enough to sneak out on the far side to find some clean water right from the gun. I felt great on the swim and just tried to bury myself to limit the gap to some of the faster swimmers in the field. As always, the Helix wetsuit felt awesome. I came out about 2 minutes down to Dustin McLarty, but very close to a large group of guys just ahead. I managed to pass probably 5 or 6 guys on the run to transition before hopping on my bike.

Onto the bike, I tried to get into some sort of a rhythm as quickly as possible and hopefully start picking some people off. I was a caught a bit off guard early in the bike when I was passed by two guys right before Rudy came rocking by at about mile 5, having already made up the 20 seconds I had on him out of the water. This seemed to give me a bit of a spark, and I knew I had to stomp on it then to remain close. I came off the bike in 4th place and about 20 seconds down to Rudy, while the gap to Dustin had unfortunately remained about the same. The run was a bit of a struggle for me as I never quite found my running legs, but after getting passed by Ryan Bice around mile 2.5 I just tried my best to hang on and was happy to cross the line in 5th place.  Our men’s team had a great day overall, with Rudy leading the charge in 2nd place, and Chris Braden and David Bobka finishing strongly in 6th and 15th.  

The awards ceremony that night was quite the party with teams dressing up in all sorts of outfits and parading around before the awards started. I think I can safely say that no other awards ceremony comes close to what it is like at Collegiate Nationals. On the flight home the following day, I caught myself already thinking about next years race and I can’t wait to give it another go. It’s awesome to see this sport growing so much in the collegiate ranks and I’m very happy to be apart of it. 

Huge congratulations to the Colorado team for the win and thank you to Drew for sharing his race report with us. Congratulations are also in order to blueseventy's other sponsored collegiate clubs: University of California at Berkeley for finishing 3rd place in the overall team race (3rd place women's team; 5th place men's team) and UCLA for finishing 5th place in the overall team race (5th place women's team).

Win a Free Hotel Stay at USMS Summer Nationals

We've teamed up with United States Masters Swimming to offer one lucky swimmer a free four night stay at this summer's Masters National Championships in Omaha, NE from July 5-8.

Visit USMS Facebook Page to Enter

Like Us & US Masters Swimming to enter for a chance to win. You must be a USMS member to qualify. Up to a $500 Value. Already booked your room? No problem, we will reimburse you up to $500.

We're looking forward to seeing some great swimming at the upcoming Spring Nationals in Greensboro, NC from April 26-29. We'll be there with our complete line of racing & training suits as well as our popular goggles and accessories. Stop by and say hi!

U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) is a national organization that provides organized workouts, competitions, clinics and workshops for adults aged 18 and over. Programs are open to all adult swimmers dedicated to improving their fitness through swimming. To learn more visit www.usms.org

Piloting the Helix to London 2012

In the open water, blueseventy athletes Kane Radford from New Zealand and Melissa Gorman from Australia are paving their way to London later this year.

Radford, Gorman claim State NZ Ocean Swim Series titles (photo Simon Watts)

Rotorua’s Kane Radford showed he is on target to qualify for the London Olympics after clinching the State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series this morning on the back of a victory in the final leg at Takapuna Beach on Auckland’s North Shore.

He showed true grit in overcoming the largest field of elites in the season to win the 2.8km State King of the Bays just one day after breaking Danyon Loader’s long-standing 1500m freestyle national record at the New Zealand Swimming Championships. (photo Simon Watts)

“It was really good out there; I didn’t feel too bad after the week that we’ve been through so I just wanted to get out there and try to control the race and see where we ended up,” he said.

“With these kinds of races you never really know what’s going to happen because it all happens in such a short space of time.

“It’s great to be able to win this series back to back. To win the New Zealand Ocean Swim Series is truly a title to be proud of so I’m absolutely stoked.”

Radford spent most of the 2.8km race jostling with Australian Michael Sheil and Kiwis Phillip Ryan and Casey Glover but managed to sneak away to win in 32mins 39secs, despite an energetic sprint up the beach by the Aussie; with Ryan in third.

“It was definitely one of the closest races we have had this season. I just really wanted to secure that win so I was happy just to sit right there in front of the rest, knowing that they would have to put on a big burst to be able to pass me,” said Radford, who is preparing for June’s Olympic open water qualifier in Portugal.

“Preparations for Portugal are going really well at the moment. I’ve been doing my doing my best times in the pool during the last week at the indoor championships so things couldn’t be better.”

Australian and former world champion Melissa Gorman secured the women’s overall series in perfect conditions this morning with her third win from three attempts in New Zealand waters. She finished in a sprint up the beach to head off New Zealand champion Cara Baker and defending series champion Charlotte Webby in a time of 32mins 56secs.

“It was a really nice swim out there today. It was probably the nicest conditions I’ve swam in since I’ve been in New Zealand,” she said.

“I think for me this is always one of the toughest times to be racing. We just had our national championships a couple of weeks ago and when you’re getting back into hard training after that your body goes through a bit of a adaptation phase, which can make it very hard to come out and race.”

Unlike in her previous two victories in the Bay of Islands and Wellington, the Australian did not have it all her own way this time as Baker pushed her hard, all the way to the end.

“It’s great to come away with a win today because it was a really tough race with Cara. She was up with me the whole way so it was good to have someone to push me and I’m happy to come away with the win,” said Gorman, who has already qualified for the London Olympics and is using the State Ocean Swim Series as part of her preparation.

“I’ve really loved competing in the series this year and would love to come back next year too.”

The ninth annual State King of the Bays hosted a record 1400 participants who competed across four different distance options designed to cater for all ages and abilities. They included long swims of 2.8km and 1000m, as well as a 300m race and a 200m kids’ race.

For more information and full results visit the website at www.oceanswim.co.nz.

Results:

Elite 2.8km Men: Kane Radford (Rotorua) 32:39, 1; Michael Sheil (Australia) 32:40, 2; Phillip Ryan (Waterhole, Auckland) 32:47, 3; Casey Glover (Capital, Wellington) 33.30; 4; Stefan Talbot (Masterton) 33:32, 5.

Elite 2.8m Women: Melissa Gorman (Australia) 32:56, 1; Cara Baker (Howick Pakuranga) 33:00; 2; Charlotte Webby (AquaBladz, Taranaki) 33:41, 3; Lauren Boyle (North Shore) 35:51, 4; Kirsty Wannan (Auckland) 35:59

provided by IAN HEPENSTALL Sports Media NZ Ltd

the fastest get faster

Men's Pro Start in Abu Dhabi (photo courtesy of Triathlete Europe)

It's been a crazy month. Our 2012 wetsuit line has officially hit store shelves, we jetted over to England for the popular TCR Triathlon Show and saw some amazing results from our athletes over the past two weeks.

Highlight of the Triathlon Show in Esher, UK was being named 220 Triathlon Magazine's Best Wetsuit. This was the unprecedented fourth award in a row for the Helix, our top of the range wetsuit, which has evolved during twenty years of thorough research and development. It’s been tested by Olympic champions, world champions and the world’s fastest swimmers and triathletes, and continues to catch the eye on elite and Age Group start lines around the world. It’s the fifth win for the Helix in six years, and you can find all out about the new 2012 version here.

Thank you to everyone who voted for us!

Professional triathlete Clayton Fettell, wearing the new 2012 Helix in the first major event of the year, led out of the water at the prestiges Abu Dhabi International Triathlon. Recently touted by Australia’s Triathlete Magazine as ‘the next big thing’ in long course racing, Fettell has hit the headlines recently after claiming his first 70.3 title win in November, an impressive runner-up finish at Ironman Western Australia, and claiming the win at Urban 2.80.20 in Geelong. We're excited to see Fettell next line up in the star-studded Ironman Melbourne this weekend.

The day continued very well as blueseventy athlete Ramsus Henning of Denmark capped a stellar race by taking home the win in Abu Dhabi. Speaking of stellar races another one of our athletes, Cameron Dye of the USofA, made a strong early season statement by winning the kick off race of the Rev3 Series in Costa Rica by leading from start to finish.

Cameron Dye all smiles in Costa Rica.

We love this - a Seattle training group donned our green Flaire swim wear for an epic 7,000K+ St. Patty's Day swim workout to start the holiday off right!

Nice suit ladies!

These two chaps are sporting our TX1000 triathlon apparel line at the TCR Triathlon Show in the UK.

Nice tri suit fellas!

This weekend will see some exciting racing on the ITU and IRONMAN circuits and we're already getting excited for the kick off LEADMAN event in Vegas and the 70.3 in Oceanside at the end of the month! Keep a look out for more blueseventy athletes leading from the front!

2012 Helix in Abu Dhabi

This weekend's race in Abu Dhabi is much anticipated with a high-firepower field of professionals chomping at the bit to charge into 2012. With water temperatures hovering a few degrees below the cut-off, it looks like a good change it will be a wetsuit swim and we have a number of athletes armed with the newly designed 2012 blueseventy Helix. Dirk Bockel, racing his first race as part of the Leopard Trek team, has been in Abu Dhabi for a few days and we were able to briefly chat with him about the new wetsuit.

Dirk, what did you think of your first swim in the new Helix? "I tested my Helix yesterday in the comfortable 19 degree water here in Abu Dhabi. I noticed free-feeling mobility in the arm and shoulder area, which is especially elastic, and of course I was happy to feel the buoyancy in the legs which helped me to maintain an ideal body position in the water."

What type of swim session did you perform yesterday? "I did a 3k session spiked with small intervals--which were completely comfortable and no problem in the Helix. I was a bit worried since I haven't been swimming in a wetsuit in a while, but it doesn't feel like a wetsuit--it is more like a second skin."

Dirk, this is a stacked field and arguably the toughest field outside of Kona - what is your perspective going into the event? "There is a reason I have been with blueseventy for a majority of my triathlon career -- it is the wetsuit that I feel the most comfortable in when I have to race against the world's toughest field. This weekend I will be doing just that in Abu Dhabi. I am excited to start my season in the UAE-- it is always an amazing experience to be out here and I know I am in great shape--so now I have to let the legs do the talking!"

What Was Your Longest Swim?

We are willing to bet not many have equaled Ben Campbell-Macdonald's endurance swim. He swam the length of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand. 81kms, 18+ hours in 15 deg C water. The distance is the equivalent of 3 x the Cook Strait crossing. Amazing endurance feat from Ben Campbell-Macdonald. Tools for Ben's success: Helix wetsuit, 7mm hood, neoprene boots, thermals and a kilo of petroleum jelly. Amazing Ben, just amazing. Ben's team provides us with the following pictures-

Careful prep pre-swim and all-smiles

That is a 7mm hood...

Lake Wakatipu is large even in a boat

Truly gorgeous scenery

Epic open water swim.

The First blueseventy Tattoo?

We just completed the "BE THE FIRST" 2012 Helix photo contest last week and this week something pretty remarkable came along that might be another "first". Steve White "The Swimming Gardener" from the UK has taken his love for blueseventy to a new level- a tattoo!
Steve told us his mother suggests therapy... but he prefers to only show his friends the tattoo when it isn't safely disguised under his jeans or his Helix wetsuit. Well, the secret is out now! Steve's love for swimming is remarkable. He has raised thousands of dollars (or British pounds) for an array of charities.
We honor you Steve, not only for your tattoo, but foremost for your charitable work that you tie into your passion for open water swimming. Steve's website is found here: www.swimminggardener.org.uk

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