Timo Bracht looking good

The German site Magic Sport has a very nice 360 view feature and recently invited Timo Bracht to try out/show off new CEP items and while he was there they also wanted a nice 360 view of the blueseventy Helix wetsuit. Timo is looking fit and ready for 2009.

blueseventy hydra-vision goggles; pre-release review

Hi Guy,

Thanks for the opportunity to test the new hydra-vision goggles you kindly supplied with my recent goggles order. I’ve raced with them for two of our Thursday night weekly races here in Nelson.
http://www.nelsonseaswims.co.nz/. I do all the ocean sea swims around the country and would like to thank blueseventy for their sponsorship in making these swims possible.
First impressions where what a cool looking pair of goggles and I wasn’t the only one impressed as evidence by the small group of swimmers gathering around me at the local Thursday night sea swim to check out the fancy sunglasses I was strapping to my eyes.
I always feel that a pair of goggles without an adjustable nose bridge is a risky investment but having used the Blueseventy element goggles before I was confident that this wasn’t going to be a problem. In fact this is why I buy Blueseventy goggles as I can reliably pull a new set out of their case and without hardly adjusting the strap confidently race with them without having to worry about leakage problems. The same can be said for the hydra-vision, and because of the bigger eyepiece they seem to have an even better fitting for me and resulting In more eye suck producing the most comfortable pair of goggles I’ve worn.

I don’t usually go for the larger or bulkier sized goggle as I feel they just add to water resistance but the hydra-vision seems to have a low profile so it’s increased bulk just aids in visibility. On the Nelson sea swim nights, there is always at least one marker buoy that’s in a direct line with the sun making it very difficult to be seen but the Blueseventy hydra-vision has exceptional glare resistance and I have a wee chuckle to myself as I can swim directly to these buoys whilst the other swimmers are floundering around trying to see which way to go in the glaring sun. with the larger lens I thought that they might get fogged up more easily but this was never an issue.

The only apprehension I had about using these goggles was that the adjusting strap didn’t look to be as secure and firm fitting as the element goggle but after a few swims became familiar with the easy adjusting mechanism and have now found them to be perfectly reliable. However I still wasn’t confident enough to use them in the Wellington harbor swim as conditions were rough
and as yet I haven’t tired the goggles in rough seas so used the old reliable element goggles which I’d only just received from you and had only one previous swim with them. They certainly gave me no problems but with the limited visibility from the rough conditions can’t help wondering how much better the hydra-vision would have been? The Nelson sea swims have a 3.8km swim coming up on the 6th Feb so I’ll certainly be using the hydra-visions for this simply for their comfort value on the longer swim.

In conclusion I would not recommend the Blueseventy Hydra-vision to my fellow competitor as I want to be the only swimmer in the race with a competitive advantage.

Denis Cooper, Nelson, New Zealand

New VW pickup spy shots

Check out these new images of the new VW pickup truck. That is a very cool looking vehicle with lots of outdoorsy features including neoprene seats. We also approve that they used blueseventy pointzero 3 swimskins for the photo shoot.

Stunning videography

Martin Sundberg is working on an interesting video project with Chris and Matt Lieto. On his blog Martin has a few stunningly beautiful teasers from the project. How can you not want to go swim, bike and run when you watch these clips?

blueseventy; made for the cold!

Barry Davis sent us this picture of himself finishing his daily swim on the east side of Quadra Island, BC, Canada, wearing his trusty blueseventy wetsuit. The temperature at this time of the year is a chilly 5.5 C!

blueseventy Named As Sponsor of UK Open Water Training Facility

blueseventy has announced its sponsorship of the blueseventy Open Water Swim Centre in Reading, Berkshire. The facility, the venue for the swim in the first ever triathlon to be held in Britain in 1983, is popular with swimmers from the South Coast to Oxfordshire, offering a true club atmosphere for everyone - from those just starting out to some of the most experienced triathletes in the UK.

Open from March to October, the blueseventy Open Water Swim Centre, will be the first to open its doors this year on the 21st March 2009 and it is expecting a busy year as the interest in both open water and triathlon continue to grow in the UK.

“It’s great to officially welcome blueseventy as our sponsor and officially name our facility after the brand. It’s obviously a natural synergy as many of our customers choose blueseventy product and it’s great to secure the investment in what we hope will be a year of considerable growth in open water and triathlon. Everyone is welcome here so if you’re thinking of taking the plunge or just want to find out more about it, come and see us and we’ll give you a tour!”




Set in beautiful surroundings but conveniently located just off the M4, the Centre which prides itself on its friendly atmosphere, offers expert guidance and advice, personal training sessions, swimming equipment to hire, full changing and shower facilities and refreshments. The 2009 calendar will include special women only sessions and a focus on junior swimmers. For those planning on competing in events this year – whether for the first time or as seasoned athletes – the lake has a well marked out 800+ metre swim loop and a straight up and down course.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Dean Jackson, Global Sales and Marketing Manager at blueseventy, said: “We’re really pleased to come on board as an official sponsor. Facilities as good as this make a real difference to the thousands of people who like to swim outdoors in the UK, whether they’re training for events or simply keen to enjoy the great outdoors. It’s the perfect match for blueseventy as we now have a venue for our on-going research and development where we can test and trial product and get valuable customer feedback, as well as a facility for media briefings and launches.”

About blueseventy Open Water Swim Centre
o The Centre officially opens on the 21st March 2009
o Sessions are held every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday morning (7am to 9.30/10am) and on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (5.30pm to dusk)
o Single tickets (£5), in addition to multi swim and season tickets (10 for £40, unlimited for £300), are available, in addition to special women only and junior sessions
o For further information and the current water temperature, visit www.mysportingtimes.com

Team blueseventy UK are go!

**NEWS FLASH!**

It has been discovered that blueseventy's UK Operations Manager, Sharon Bates, has quietly signed up for the Timex Women's Triathlon to be held in Eton on the 4th of July. Sharon will be competing in the sprint distance of a 400m Swim, a 20km Bike, and a 5km Run and this will be her first triathlon.
Best of luck Sharon, and we will be looking forward to a full race report! :-)
BOOOM!

blueseventy crosses finishline first in Brazilian FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup

The first race of the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup 2009, which was held in Santos (BRA) on January 24, has been hailed as a resounding success by organisers and in global open water swimming circles. The competition doubled as the widely popular Maratona Aquatica Internacional de Santos / Travessia Renata Agondi and the event included festive amateur races in the distances of 1km, 2km and 4km in addition to the premier 10km. More than 1000 athletes participated in front of thousands of spectators.
To the delight of the crowds, the winner of the women’s 10km race was home favourite Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA, 2h09:49), in her blueseventy nero swimskin; the 16 year old who finished fifth in the Beijing Olympic Games 10km, while her compatriot Poliana Okimoto (seventh in Beijing) took silver in 2h09:58. Third among women was Nadine Pastor (GER, 2h10:00), while Olympian Martina Grimaldi (ITA) took fourth just one second later. Among men the medals went to three Italian swimmers. Gold was reserved for Simone Ercoli (2h05:44), silver for Luca Ferretti (2h05:49) and bronze for Valerio Cleri, defending 10km MSWC champion from 2008 (2h05:54). Finishing seconds later in fourth and fifth were Olympians Allan do Carmo (BRA) and Luis Escobar (MEX). As a result of their top local finishes, Cunha, Okimoto, do Carmo and Marcelo Romanelli Soares (15th, BRA) have earned berths to the 13th FINA World Championships in Rome this July.

Above, blueseventy's VP swimming sales Roque Santos with Ana Marcela Cunha after she won the women's event in her nero swimskin.

The official FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup event shirt (with blueseventy as a sponsor).

blueseventy partners with TBB

Top swim and triathlon brand, blueseventy, is delighted to announce a new sponsorship deal with TeamTBB. From 2009, the brand will supply wetsuits and swimskins for all team members as well as being the official supplier of wetsuits and swimskins to TBB stores.

blueseventy is the world leader in triathlon and open water wetsuits and swimskins. Since 1993, the global brand has designed, tested, refined and crafted products that have instilled confidence in swimmers of all levels and carried world-class athletes to victory.

Dean Jackson, Global Sales and Marketing Manager at blueseventy, comments; “We’re thrilled to be associated with one of the best triathlon teams in the world and one which is genuinely committed to improving the lives of young people through sport.”

TeamTBB is a development squad that provides hope and opportunity to many young athletes and struggling pros that would have had no opportunity or pathway to being able to become an earning professional athlete. TeamTBB provides physical, psychological and mechanical information to all of its athletes and more importantly its current leading athletes are the role models to the rookie and development athletes.

In addition to its professional and amateur athlete programs, TeamTBB also works to ensure that youth around the globe can participate in multi-sport events through its social development projects and its franchise, The Bike Boutique. The Bike Boutique provides unique lifestyle services through its bike lifestyle stores and encourages cycling as a means of transportation supported by its bikeLodging™ services.

Alex Bok, Managing Director of The Bike Boutique Holding and teamTBB comments; "We’re delighted to be able to team up with the industry’s leading wetsuit and swimskin brand. We want the absolute best for our athletes - in all aspects of life – and blueseventy are proof of this commitment.”

A focused Chris McDonald at Challenge Wanaka...

Above is a great shot that our Sponsorhsip Manager, Guy Crawford took of winner Chris McDonald preparing for the start at this year's Challenge Wanaka, held in New Zealand. Congrats on another win Chris!

blueseventy athletes storm Challenge Wanaka

Blitzing the course record, blueseventy's Aussie Chris McDonald powered home to win the third Challenge Wanaka long-distance triathlon in 8hrs 37.41secs yesterday, nearly seven minutes clear of New Zealander Keegan Williams. Czech Petr Vabrousek rounded out the podium just 30 seconds in arrears in what turned out to be a close-fought battle on the run.

The race takes place on a scenic course through the Southern Lakes region and along the Clutha River in the South Island of New Zealand.

McDonald exited Lake Wanaka two and a half minutes down on the race leaders but by 30km into the cycle had moved to the front. "I got on the bike and hammered the bejeezus out of the first 80km," he said, noting he'd clocked 1.55 over the distance. "I thought I better slow down."

McDonald came into the transition area with four minutes on training partner Justin Daerr, a young American triathlete who finished fourth on the day. He went through the first 21km of the run in 1.23 and at 32km learned he had seven minutes in hand and settled into a steady pace. Behind him, though, it was all change as Daerr dropped back under the withering pace of the veteran Czech campaigner and the young Williams, who was off the bike third more than six minutes adrift of McDonald.

The win makes a great start to McDonald's 2009 campaign, one that follows on a win at Ironman Wisconsin one week after a second at Ironman Kentucky and a fourth place in the Quelle Challenge Roth. "I couldn't be happier. What a way to start the year," he said.

Defending champion and fellow blueseventy athlete Gina Ferguson exited the water first and was never headed to break her own course record by some five minutes and finish in 9.28.27.

"The swim was hard," she said at the finish. "I had a great ride."

In her helix tst wetsuit, she exited the lake with the top male swimmers in 54.34, then set a new bike course record of 5.14, breaking the 2007 mark set by Aussie Belinda Granger.

Ferguson (right) said she struggled from 20km to 30km on the run then came right. "You just have to keep pushing," said the Christchurch-based athlete, who was a winner at December's Ironman Western Australia after an eighth at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. She arrived in Wanaka with only three weeks of training after a bit of a break after the Australian event.

"It was tough to do it yourself all day long-mentally tough," she said. "I hope that will stand me in good stead when I go to race in Hawaii."

Wanaka's own and Merryn Johnston (also wearing blueseventy), fourth here last year in her professional debut, improved to second in 10.03.56. Third spot went to American Hillary Biscay, who was second here last year, in 10.16.39.

Challenge Wanaka is part of the global TEAMChallenge series that features six events in France, Germany and Spain, as well as New Zealand. Now in its third year, it drew more than 470 athletes from 21 countries for a weeklong festival of sport that also included short distance events in the Contract Tri Series on Friday evening.

Results

Challenge Wanaka

MEN

1) Chris McDonald (AUS) 8.37.41 (57.12/4.45.34/2.51.33)

2) Keegan Williams (NZL) 8.44.08 (54.41/4.55.04/2.50.41)

3) Petr Vabrousek (CZE) 8.44.38 (57.09/4.55.42/2.48.25)

WOMEN

1) Gina Ferguson (NZL) 9.28.27 (54.34/5.14.28/3.15.19)

2) Merryn Johnston (NZL) 10.03.56

3) Hillary Biscay (USA) 10.16.39

The 'Hottest Couple in Triathlon'; sponsored by blueseventy

The American National Examiner has dubbed blueseventy's Michael and Amanda Lovato the "hottest couple in triathlon". Below is what Roman Mica wrote about the couple;

"It can be somewhat unusual when professional athletes meet, fall in love, and get married.

The first couple of triathlon has to be Michael and Amanda Lavoto. While both have seen their fair share of success in their chosen profession of triathlon, the two share a distinction that is very unusual and unique in the world of chiseled and ultra fit professional triathlets.

According a story published today in the triathlon web site xtri.com they met as age group triathletes competing at the World Championship in Montreal, Canada.

"No one knows me better than my husband. I am number one in his life and he is number one in my life, with or without triathlon. And our marriage comes first...ALWAYS," said Amanda Lovato.

On New Year's eve they celebrated their 4th wedding anniversary which Amanda chronicled in her popular blog: "Hear me Roar!"

"The day that ML became my husband, was the day my life changed...for the better. I never thought I would meet someone who I thought could be my perfect match...," Amanda Lovato writes in her Blog.

But the couple also shares another very unique distinction that is very unusual even for professional athletes.

In a recent online poll they were both selected as the Hottest Triathletes of 2008.

With thousands of votes cast Amanda Lovato was just edged off the Hottest Podium, and was voted the 4th Hottest triathlete in the world.

While her husband Michale Lovato took the second place on the Hottest Podium just below the famous bachelor triathlete Andy Baldwin.

Which means that when combined as husband and wife, Amanda and Michael are certainly the hottest couple of triathlon."

Aussies sink results at the Junior Pan Pacific Games in nero

Australian blueseventy nero swimskins fans recently came out on top at the Junior Pan Pacific Games in Guam, Jan 09, with amazing results.

Ryan Nepolean (pictured above just after one race) ended up with 4 Gold and one Bronze and a time in the 800m free that makes it onto the 'all time fastest top 8 ' list of any Australian in history, touching the wall in 7:58.66! In the 400m free he also claimed a meet record of 3:51.12 and a gold medal win.


Amy Smith (above, seen stepping onto the side of the pool) just missed out winning the 200m fly behind USA swimmer Camille Adams in 2:10.55 and was part of the Australian Bronze winnning team in the 4 x 100m medley relay. USA and Canada came 1st and 2nd respectively.

Ned McKendry is only 16 and ended up with a silver behind Ryan in the 400m freestyle clocking a 3:54.70 and third in the 800m freestyle in a time of 8:07.90.That's not too bad considering this was the first time Ned had given this event a go.

Heddi checks in; learning how to swim with one arm....

I had my second session with Paralympic coach, Kiko VanZandt, and was really excited to see my progress.

Since my car accident, I've taught myself to swim one-handed but am really happy to find a coach that understands the ways I need to compensate for the injury. I need to rely on my rotation even more than most swimmers, so I don't injure my good shoulder.

I am rotating a lot more, since Kiko had me work on the timing of my stroke. I'm leading less with my shoulder, and more with the hip rotation. She had me practice turning my hip as my hand pulls next to it under the water. She calls this "opening the door to the garage" :)

It's amazing how much less effort this takes, when the timing is right. She also noticed that I was dropping my elbow a bit as my arm came out of the water. Kiko had me work on rounding my arm, to scoop the water with my hand and whole arm as it enters the water.

I also did some work with a swim paddle to find the right hand position. I was amazed to feel the difference, depending on which angle my hand enters the water. This is going to be a great tool to find both the best pull
position, but also to feel when I use my shoulder more than I should. It really hurts if I get the angle wrong!

Kiko also noticed that my left leg gets a bit lazy when I'm going for air on the left side. Since I only have one arm working, it's more important to keep a good strong kick going. I'm definitely going to have to concentrate on that, since I caught myself doing it a number of times in the session.

I talked to Kiko about mentioning her name in this blog, and she said she loves blueseventy! She sends thanks to Roque for providing her paralympic swimmers with skinsuits--they really loved them, and the records they set with them. I just tried mine out in the pool, and it was a blast slipping through the water:)

Heddi

Racing Kiwis in Cromwell

Pictured above are Tony Dodds and Aaron Barclay, having a laugh just before they raced the Lake Dunstan Triathlon, in Central Otago in New Zealand over the christmas period. It was a chilly day, so their blueseventy helix wetties came in handy! Dodds went on to win the event.

Gina Ferguson interview on Slowtwitch

ST: How did your Ironman Hawaii race go for you? What were your expectations?

Gina: It was my first time racing Hawaii so I didn’t know what to expect but I was really excited to be there and saw it as a great learning experience for the years to come. I knew the conditions would probably be the toughest I have ever faced in a race so far and in this it lived up to my expectations. I had a good swim coming out with the lead women. I wasn’t very happy with how I cycled. I felt very flat during the race and I struggled with the cross winds. The run was mixed. I felt very, very good for the first ¾ of the run and was able to run my way from about 15th off the bike to 7th. The last stage was agony for me however as I got very bad cramps in my stomach and lost one place and finished in 8th. I was a little bit disappointed as I have always been very strong in the last 10km and so I was saving myself for this part of the race. However my goal had been a top 10 finish and so 8th was great. The best part is I learned so much from the race and I am now very determined and motivated to improve upon those things.


For the complete interview go to slowtwitch

blueseventy becomes U.S. Masters Swimming Sponsor

December 21, 2008 - U.S. Masters Swimming is pleased to announce that starting January 1, 2009 blueseventy will become an Official Gold Medal Partner of U.S. Masters Swimming. The multi-year partnership will see blueseventy become the official swim skin of U.S. Masters Swimming which will feature event signage, presence on www.usms.org, a special member discount purchase program, co-branding promotion at blueseventy triathlon supported events and a season long print advertising sponsor in SWIMMER magazine.

"We're very pleased to be able to put something back into Masters swimming - investing in swimming is something that blueseventy is very serious about. The U.S. Masters Swimming community is tremendously loyal and we look forward to helping each member meet his or her objectives," commented Roque Santos, blueseventy V.P. Swimming and a USA Olympian. Roque, a U.S. Masters Swimming member and Masters competitor continues, "the Masters swimming community has been a big supporter of blueseventy for several years, helping us to launch our 'Nero' suit, so we're excited to support their workouts, competitions, clinics and workshops."

Rob Butcher, U.S. Masters Swimming executive director commented "blueseventy has become a commonly seen brand at many of our competitions. We are thrilled to have their global brand committed to giving back to our membership. Their member incentive program we are developing extended exclusively to U.S. Masters Swimming members will more than pay for ones entire year membership. In addition, their desire to promote U.S. Masters Swimming at open water and triathlon events they sponsor will really help extend, grow and strengthen our brand."


About U.S. Masters Swimming

U.S. Masters Swimming, founded in 1971, is a membership operated national governing body that promotes adult health, fitness and wellness through aquatics. It does so by partnering with more than 700-adult swim clubs across the country that offer swim/fitness programs, promotes information via a bi-monthly member magazine and www.usms.org, and sanctions and promotes pool, open water and virtual competitions. Nearly 50,000-adults are registered members of U.S. Masters Swimming.

go team blueseventy!

Here we have blueseventy's Events Manager, Shawn Lucas, from Seattle competing in the Harbor Lights Spring Triathlon, just north of Chicago.

blueseventy's Roque'n Rollin'

Roque Santos (right), our ex-Olympic swimmer and nero VP of sales, takes a dip in his helix wetsuit with his ex- College roommate, Todd Robinson under the monumental Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Ute Muckel in action

Thanks to Benjamin in Germany, he's sent us this cool picture of our athlete Ute Muckel in the pointzero3+. Superb!

blueseventy nero's torture test!

by Glenn Mills; Dec 15, 2008

When I first took hold of my BlueSeventy, I didn't anticipate how the swimming world was going to be turned upside down by these suits. A day doesn't go by without someone high up in the swimming profession writing, or talking about, how these suits have changed the sport...and hardly any have talked about how they've changed the sport for GOOD.

The most recent comments about the suits express the opinion that they're enabling too many records to be set. The swimming "purists,"as they've labeled themselves, are totally against them, stating that they're going to bankrupt teams and be the end of the sport. Well, as of today, they're legal, being used, and people continue to purchase them. While any article written about these suits is sure to generate controversy, and while we can start a conversation in the forum about the pros and cons of the suits, what I'm giving here is merely a report for those who are going to purchase one of these suits, and what they can expect.

Whenever you spend $400 on ANY swim-related item, you want to make sure it will do certain things.
1) Make you feel better in the water.
2) Make you go FASTER in the water.
3) Last for more than a few swims.

Again, PURISTS BEWARE!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! The BlueSeventy will absolutely accomplish the first two items on my short list of three considerations. Should that be legal? Forum posts, please. :)

Item #3... "last for more than a few swims"... is a big one for many people, and I'm here to give you a report on what my BlueSeventy has been through over the past 8 months. I can hear someone already... 8 months... and the suit looks like THAT?!?!?! Read on...

I took hold of my suit back in May for a Masters meet. I've written about my swims, and I can tell you, the swims were eye opening. I had SUCH a good time swimming that fast again. It was fun... and fun is good... right? I mean, I'm a Masters swimmer now. It's not as if I was going to make any money, or get a scholarship. It was just fun.

Shortly after that meet, I had an assignment that required me to spend 4-5 hours a day in the water filming. The water was competitive-level cold, and I wasn't going to be moving a lot. I needed to be able to stay under for extended periods without SCUBA gear, so I couldn't be too buoyant but really was looking for some additional insulation. BLUESEVENTY to the rescue.

I was in and out of the suit all day... and in and out of hot showers. I knew the suit was supposed to be used just for swimming fast, but the athletes I was filming were pretty fast, and I had to do something to keep up, so I figured that counted. Overall the suit was pretty saturated with water from day to day, but dried out well and was ready to go back in service the next day, or later the same day. What I discovered about this suit is that I'm able to take it off easily, and put it back on wet. This meant I didn't have to sit around in it all day at a Masters meet... unless I just wanted to look GOOD (i.e., slimmer).

Since then, the suit has been brought out of storage for multiple drills and video shoots, ESPECIALLY those in which I wanted to be in front of the camera. I've even worn it for a few practices to see if my current training has been effective. I love swimming practices in the suit because I have a better shot of keeping up with my younger swimmers.

One of my high school-aged swimmers has tried multiple full-body suits, and has found none that he likes. He feels too constricted, like he can't breathe, so no matter how much convincing I've tried to do, he simply wouldn't swim in one. A couple months ago, he sent me a text and asked if I had a set of "pants" he could try at practice. I figured it was a good opportunity to get him to try my BlueSeventy. Besides, I wanted to see if it had the same impact on him that it had on me. I designed a set for him for morning practice in which he'd do
part of the set in his drag suit... then get out, change into the "pants" he'd requested, and repeat the set. When he got out after the second round, I surprised him and pulled out the BlueSeventy and told him to wear it for the 3rd time through. It took only one 100 for him to finish with a smile on his face. He wore it for the rest of
practice, then at his meet that night. This swimmer is 6'1", while I'm 5'10"... so he was STRETCHING my suit as well.

I wore it a few more times at college practice, and for more filming. One of the college swimmers asked for help on his breaststroke, and through the course of working together, I decided to have him try my BlueSeventy. He put on the suit and proceeded not only to swim faster in practice, but also to make the stroke changes we had worked on.

When it came time to order suits for the college team, everyone was wondering which to order. While I didn't have access to any other suit than the BlueSeventy, I at least wanted to allow as many of them to try it as possible. While I avoid recommending suits to my swimmers, I do try to give them the opportunity to test something. On one day at practice, approximately ten different swimmers put on, swam in, and took off my BlueSeventy. These are BIG guys! The suit was starting to show some wear... the ankles were becoming a bit looser, and were starting to fray. Man... some of them have HUGE feet!

Test after test, swim after swim, there wasn't ONE swimmer who returned after his first 50 without a smile on his face. While the BlueSeventy was being tortured, it was still effective. Through the stretching, twisting, and arranging of the material, finally, a tear started to appear in the neck. Now the question was... do I allow them to TRASH my suit, or save it for myself? That question was answered very quickly because the swimmers are ALWAYS more important than the coach. Put it on another swimmer until it finally disintigrates.

I continued to wear the BlueSeventy occasionally for filming and practice. I figured that, at this point, its usefullness for competition had passed.

A few weeks ago, the college team traveled to a meet with its arch rival. One of our swimmers was going for a very lofty goal, and decided he was going to try the BlueSeventy. Since this was a special occasion, an order for a single suit was placed. As sometimes occurs, a mistake in shipping from the company we ordered it from happened, and as the bus was leaving the station, we were without his suit. Good thing I had Old Faithful in my bag.

Because of the rules in college swimming, we had to make sure the BlueSeventy logos were blacked out. I was following the swimmer around before and after his warm-ups, swims, and warm-downs... with a black marker doing my best to cover the logo each time. Permanent isn't always permanent on these suits... but for the short time he was racing, the logo was blacked out.

JUST before the meet started, the new suit was delivered to the pool and my "marked up" suit was now a backup. Since the suit was there, and since it was already advertising-legal, one of our other swimmers asked if he could try it. Now, this particular swimmer is one of the bigger individuals on the team. While making sure he could fit in the suit, which was now stretched beyond its original size, his warm-up went without a hitch. In his individual event, he swam a fantastic time, placed 3rd, and achieved a very high personal goal. It was
great to see the smile on his face as it always is.

Since I never know when I'm going to need my BlueSeventy, it's become a permanant fixture in my swim bag. It holds no special place on the drying rack; it's just another piece of equipment. Because of that, when a Masters friend asked me last week about his interest in the BlueSeventy, and which size he should get, and if it was worth it, I pulled the suit out of my bag and said... give it a try. This particular swimmer is 6'3". He wore it for his entire practice, smiled when he handed it back to me, and as far as I know has placed his order.

The last time the suit has been out of my bag, may have been the last time it's going to be fully functional. In our most recent college meet, the same swimmer asked if I had the suit. I pulled it out of my bag and he wore it for one of his races. He walked around in the suit the rest of the meet, until he came up to me for his final event
asking if I'd be so kind as to zip him up. As I reached for the zipper, it finally happened. After what's been estimated at nearly 70 swims by individuals of many varied sizes, a tooth broke on the zipper, and we were stuck. So we thought. Through some tugging and pulling by teammates, we were able to line up the tooth, zip up the zipper, and get him to the blocks on time. The zipper held through his 50 free, and the suit made it back into the bag.

With some nylon thread, the zipper is somewhat functional again, and the suit LIVES ON!

In my opinion, for those saying that these suits will have a negative impact on the sport because they cost too much... I say it's not the case. While I would RARELY get this many swims out of any suit I've ever used at a championship level, I found this suit to be as, if not MORE, durable than any that I've ever had. Its performance advantages aside, this thing is a great value.

I know there will be people who don't like hearing positive things about these suits. I'm not one of them. Their impact on our sport, positive or negative, will be measured in the long term. As of today,
they are legal and people are wearing them.

We can all put our feelings into the forum about the impact of these suits. As for this article, it's a thank-you letter to my BlueSeventy for hanging in there for so long. I've definitely gotten my money's
worth out of it and... with the zipper fixed... it's not dead yet.

The Moxey man diaries

Tim Moxey was interviewed on XTRI.com in a 3 part interview.



XTRI: When Ironman Wetsuits changed to blueseventy, was that just a change in name, or did things change too as a company?

Tim: Basically, as a company, we were constrained. When you looked at our competitors which were Zoot, Orca, QR, they had all broadened their range. Orca and QR were doing clothing in addition to wetsuits, and I was like ‘I’d love to do that, but I can’t,’ because we had a license for Ironman Wetsuits. And that’s not a label to put on clothing cause it sounds stupid – you can’t have an “Ironman Wetsuits” track suit – sounds a bit silly. So I felt constrained. So rather than expand into adjacent markets, I wanted to go deeper into the channel we were in, which was swim, specifically “openwater” since we made brilliant wetsuits and had a chance to really lead within that area. I wanted to make goggles, swimskins and other products for openwater…but I couldn’t expand given the licensing. By changing the name to blueseventy, it signaled that we’re not just about “Ironman”. Or “Wetsuits”. We make products that make that experience better. And for any distance triathlon. And even if you’re just a swimmer.”


Part 1 of the xtri interview: http://www.xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=5207&CAT=21&xref=xx

Part 2 of the xtri interview: http://www.xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=5213&CAT=3&xref=xx

Part 3 of the xtri interview: http://www.xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=5216&CAT=23&xref=xx

2008 Ironman World Championships on NBC

NBC will broadcast the recap of the 2008 Ironman World Championships on Saturday, December 13 at 2:30 Eastern. Watch Chrissie Wellington and Craig Alexander again as they storm to their titles and endless other stories take place.

Introducing Mr & Mrs Bayliss

Britain’s Ironcouple and blueseventy triathletes Stephen Bayliss and Bella Comerford were married recently in the beautiful grounds of Murrayshall House in the United Kingdom. The couple married in a civil service in front of family and friends and shared a pic with us, below.

We love the cake!
Congratulations to Bella and Stephen on their marriage and also on a very remarkable year of solid results. We wish you all the best for 2009 and onwards!

The Mo results are in!

Well after a crazy month of Movember, the blueseventy-nuun team (called Rubbery Tablets) managed to raise a fantastic $1.870.00 that went to the US Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Here is a photo of some of the blueseventy team towards the end of Movember showing just how far some of them went...

L-R (back) John, Guy, Steve, Trevor, Dean, Shawn, Roque and Seth...and Sharon and Meline in the front not wanting to miss out on the fun! Not bad attempts, ladies!

Thanks to everyone for taking part and also thanks to all who donated and encouraged them!