1 June Update FINA approval process

We remain in the same situation as before and are not on the list. We continue to believe this is an oversight since we can now confirm that our suits passed all the tests that EPFL put them through. We will be in further contact with FINA and will have an update on the situation at 1pm PST weds.

USMS Response to FINA Suit List

Below is a statement from USMS President Rob Copeland with information regarding suit legality for United States Masters Swimming.

Date: May 20, 2009

At this point in time no suits should be listed as banned by U.S. Masters Swimming for pool or open water swimming.

While FINA has listed the 202 approved swimsuits, FINA has NOT listed the 10 suits that have been “rejected for not passing the tests of buoyancy and/or thickness” or made a ruling on the “136 swimsuits to be modified in accordance with “Dubai Charter”." Until FINA provides the definitive list of banned swimsuits and specific actions on the 136, we should not report any suit as banned in a USMS sanctioned event.

If you hear anything from FINA in contradiction to this statement, please inform me as soon as possible. The list of FINA approved suits can be found at: http://www.fina.org/project/index.ph...=2389&Itemid=9. The FINA press release can be found at: http://www.fina.org/project/index.ph...390&Itemid=108

Rob Copeland
President - United States Masters Swimming

22 May FINA update

Hi All,

Quick update for everyone who may be watching this. Overnight (EU Friday) we were able to meet with both FINA and  the EPFL.

I can't divulge exactly the contents of both those conversations, yet, but I can say that we are extremely optimistic that we will be able to get a correct and just decision regarding the current status of blueseventy's suits, and that it is possible this will be in the short term future.

I hope everyone is able to enjoy their weekends, good luck to everyone at meets especially JEI, and we'll have more info early next week, when we hope to have a time at which the FINA bureau will be able to review the decision made by the commision.

Thanks
Steve

USA swimming allows nero suits

Hi All,

Just a quick update again re: suit approvals. Our understanding is that USA swimming and USMS are still allowing any suits currently FINA approved, but not on the newly published list to be used in competitions over the weekend.

It would appear that the absence of clear timelines from FINA, in terms of which meets, and at which date the current suits become illegal (Some people are saying this is only for ROME, others this should be applied to events from 31 March...) mean they do not have a clear idea of what is expected by National bodies. Therefore every countries national body is doing their own thing.

Thanks 

Steve

FINA approval update May 21: what do I do with my nero

Thank you for your email in regard to your blueseventy swimskin. We understand your initial concern regarding the legality of competing in this currently and wish to assure you that we are working towards a win / win solution for all our loyal blueseventy customers. The most common question we have at the moment is “What does this mean for me, I just bought a nero suit, is it now useless”

Our initial contact with FINA has been to immediately over turn the decision as it is based on factually inaccurate interpretations of their own laws.  Please see our website for more information regarding this, or visit Steve Nicholls, Our CEO’s blog, details below

Regarding the legality of your suit:

Currently there are several points that need clarification:

1. Dubai charter was set up to limit suit use for the ROME world championships. At this stage it is unclear whether the current rules will make suits illegal/ legal for any other events in 2009, or just ROME.
   
2.   We have already started sampling different ways to, at our cost voluntarily adjust a blueseventy nero suit to fit into FINAs new rules.  Our goal is to have a method that is quick, simple and something we can do to suits that have been purchased already. Currently FINa have requested we modify our suits because they "may trap air" and the lack of objective measures to quantify this effect is the major limiter on evaluating success/ failure of this modification.
   
3. We also have several straight forward alterations to forward production that will allow the escape of the possibly trapped air that has made our suits illegal. These are minor changes but again depend on what constitutes trapping air, and what constitutes air escaping.
   

Most importantly we’re thinking about what we can do for our customers, and people who own one of our suits, so please be patient keep your nero, a lot of countries are still letting swimmers use these suits until such time as they get clarification from FINA (for example USA swimming, US masters swimming). We’ll be updating information as regularly as we can, please see any of the below links for details:

www.blueseventy.com

http://www.thewaterisopen.blogspot.com/

www.blueseventysteve.blogspot.com

FINA approval update: May 20

Hi to all following this:

Just a quick update for anyone following this:

Our position after analyzing the decision made by FINA is that there has been a misinterpretation by the FINA executive on the rules of FINA. UNder FINA's current rules:

Clause 3.1(c) dictates that the suit:

…shall not be constructed to ….create an air/water trapping effect…..”

This is an objective measure.  

Your assertion that the rule has been offended is based on Professor Mason’s subjective assessment that the construction“may” cause the air/water trapping effect.  

Clearly, until it can be categorically proven that the construction of our suits creates the air/water trapping effect, clause 3.1(c) has not been offended and FINA has no basis under its own approval requirements to reject our suits.  The current rejection is therefore wrong. 

We have requested urgent clarification from FINA regarding this matter, and have submitted a letter to them yesterday (lausanne time). We have placed several Calls to FINA but at this stage we we're told that Mr Marculescu is unavailable. 

Additionally it is worth noting that overnight (thursday) will be a Holiday in Switzerland so we are unlikely to get any further information until the next day.

We will try to keep you updated.

Regards

Steve

blueseventy Addresses FINA’s Suit Approvals

New Zealand — May 19, 2009 — Today FINA released its list of approved suits for the World Championships in July. FINA rejected 10 high-tech racing suits and approved 199 others with 136 swimsuits to be modified in accordance with the “Dubai Charter”.

blueseventy submitted 11 models of suits for FINA approval, including tights and jammers. At this time, blueseventy suits are not listed on FINA’s site as approved models, including the models that had previously been submitted (in late 2007) and had received approval.

blueseventy is stunned by this omission. “As a company, and personally, we were very comfortable with the criteria for testing that FINA had outlined, our suits passed well under the threshold for buoyancy and thickness proposed by them,” stated blueseventy’s Global Marketing Manager, Dean Jackson. “We have had confirmation that our suits passed the independent laboratory testing for both of these tests.”

Officially blueseventy is classified as one of the suits that ”may cause significant air trapping when worn by the swimmers.” However, there are several other similar brands with suits that use exactly the same fabric, with a similar construction, that have passed without a problem. This confusing situation has led the company to seek clarification directly from FINA and blueseventy is awaiting their response.

blueseventy has 30 days to make modifications to the suit so that it no longer traps air, but the system around this is unclear since trapping air is not a measurable value and the subjective nature of this “testing” is not black or while. Initially the Dubai Charter and resubmission of these suits was in order to gain acceptance for the Rome World championships and it is blueseventy’s understanding that previously approved suits remain legal for all competitions.

“We are dedicated to working on the best solution to the short-term situation and will work closely with FINA on this process,” said Roque Santos, blueseventy Vice President of Swimming. “Most importantly, we care about swimmers, we care about our company and we care about fair play for all brands in this process.”

blueseventy's Dirk Bockel Wins Big at Ironman 70.3 Florida

May 17, 2009 marks the first career Ironman 70.3 victory for blueseventy athlete Dirk Bockel. Dirk led the race from the beginning where his plan was to “…take the swim out really hard in order to keep the group small once we were on the bike.” Exiting first from the water Dirk maintained through the bike and was at the front of the pack in the run with competitor Luke Bell. “It was a bit of a yo-yo game on the run. I threw in a couple of surges and gained ground…In the last loop I knew that I was the stronger one – so it really didn’t have to come down to a sprint at all.” Showing his confidence, Dirk even threw on a pair of Mickey Mouse ears while running to the finish.

This year Dirk placed third at Ironman New Zealand in March and finished 4th at Ironman St. Croix only a couple of weeks ago. Later this summer he will compete in the ITU Long Distance European Championships in Prague and will finish the season at the Ironman World Championships in Kona.

Congrats Dirk!

blueseventy Athlete Normann Stadler featured in German FHM Magazine

World class triathlete Normann Stadler was featured in the European FHM Magazine, giving readers hints on how to be a successful triathlete. Normann suggests starting out with a sprint triathlon as a first race. He also provides a training schedule as well as specific tips for each leg of the race. For the swim, Normann states that you don’t have to only swim crawl stroke, but recommends it over the breaststroke. His most important piece of advice though, is to have fun with both the training and the competition.

Check out the German FHM for the full article!
Photo from FHM Magazine

blueseventy Partners with Legendary Swimmer Rowdy Gaines

Seattle, WA, — May 8, 2009 — blueseventy, the world’s leading maker of wetsuits, swimskins, and other swimming accessories, is pleased to announce their sponsorship of swimming legend and triple Olympic Gold Medal winner, Rowdy Gaines.

“blueseventy has truly gone from zero to 60 in the pool swimming market in just a year,“ says Roque Santos, V.P. of swimming at blueseventy. “Today, we are very excited to be signing a man we consider to be swimming royalty. Knowing Rowdy personally and now working with him is a great honor. He truly encompasses all that is great about our sport and embodies the spirit of blueseventy.”

Back in the sport, and swimming competitively again, Gaines has broken three records in the blueseventy nero comp swimskin, including two National Masters records at the YMCA Nationals in the 50 yard freestyle and 100 yard freestyle and most recently at the USMS Masters Nationals in the 200 yard freestyle.

“I have been involved with this great sport for 35 years,” says Gaines. “It is amazing what blueseventy has brought to swimming. I am so proud to be a part of a company that thinks of the athlete first, both young and old."

Under this agreement, Gaines will serve as an ambassador for blueseventy at Masters Swimming Competitions as well at his clinics. In addition, Gaines will work as a close advisor to the blueseventy product development team on innovations in swimskins, goggles and other swim accessories.

Gaines was the fastest man in swimming throughout the early 1980s. At the peak of his career and heavily favored to win five gold medals at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the U.S. boycott denied him that chance. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he capped his phenomenal career with three gold medals and two world records. Displaying his intense perseverance and incredible competitive drive, Gaines’ swimming accomplishments are truly remarkable including:

• 8 Time NCAA Champion
• 22 Time NCAA All American
• 17 Time National Champion
• 8 Time Pan Am Games Champion
• 11 Time World Record Holder
• 5 Time World Champion
• 3 Time Olympic Gold Medalist

Known as the voice of swimming, Gaines has worked with CBS, TNT and ESPN as a regular announcer for swimming and other events, and called his fifth Olympic telecast for NBC at the 2008 Games in Beijing. He will again be part of the NBC broadcast team in 2012 for the London Olympics.

The blueseventy/Gaines sponsorship represents the first of several partnerships that will be revealed by the company in the upcoming weeks.

Alejandro Jacobo – Mexican World Championships MVP!

Congratulations to Alejandro and his recent outstanding performance at the Mexican World Championship Trials!

Across the world, nations are holding meets to determine who will represent their country at the Pool and Open Water World Championships in Rome this July. Recently, Alejandro swept the 50, 100, and 200 breaststroke events at the Mexican World Champs wearing a blueseventy Nero and was named MVP of the meet. All three of these swims were Mexican National Records, earning Alejandro a spot on the Mexican World Championship Team, and a chance to compete with the best in the world this summer in Rome.

Congratulations Alejandro!

blueseventy's GreatBig OpenWaterSwim (UK) coming up!

The inaugural blueseventy GreatBig OpenWaterSwim takes place on Saturday 11th July in the crystal clear water of Dorney Lake, Eton, near Windsor – one of the greatest triathlon venues in the UK, the rowing venue for the 2012 Olympic games and the perfect location for open water swimming.

Accurately measured 1km, 1 mile and 3km race distances are on offer, which are likely to appeal to a whole range of competitive swimmers, ‘open water’ first timers and triathletes looking for something a bit different. Entries are already flooding in and with the likes of Great Britain's leading masters swimmer, Dan Bullock also taking part, the racing promises to be lively and exciting over all three distances.

As well as the exceptional facilities - free on-site parking, toilets, showers and refreshments - Dorney Lake offers an unrivalled opportunity for spectators to watch the swimmers from the lakeside and follow the race down the course.

‘blueseventy are absolutely delighted to be title sponsor for this exciting new event in the South East’ said Dean Jackson of blueseventy. ‘The GreatBig OpenWaterSwim is perfect for long distance swimmers, triathletes and basically anyone looking for a thrilling new challenge.

blueseventy is the leading wetsuit brand in the UK, with the ‘Helix’ being voted ‘best wetsuit of 2008’. So teaming up with Human Race, who are the UK's leading multi-sport race organisers, for this event couldn't be more appropriate. The GreatBig OpenWaterSwim promises to be a fantastic day of racing and entertainment, and is one not to be missed’.

All swimmers will receive a goodie bag, swim hat and a fantastic blueseventy Great Big Open Water Swim t-shirt as a memento from this epic inaugural event. Entry costs only £20 (for all distances) and around 1000 swimmers are expected to take part.

To enter online and for more information check out www.humanrace.co.uk
For more information about the blueseventy ‘Helix’ and the full range of wetsuits see www.blueseventy.com

Charlotte Paul doubles her score!

Charlotte Paul won the Western Australia half ironman, just a few weeks after winning one of the hardest Ironman races in history (Ironman China). Charlotte is showing some great form leading into the northern hemisphere season. Watch this space!
She sent us her most recent race report:

"Hi all

Just checking in to let you know what's happening.

I have just returned from Busselton in Western Australia where I won the Half Ironman on Saturday. It was a big surprise for me to feel so good on the day and be able to take out the title. I had no expectations and no pressure, I was just going to see how I felt on the day. Well I felt good! I won in a personal best time of 4 hours 23 minute.

It was a really fun week with school visits, interviews, a chat with the TriWA junior elites and congratulating all the kids at the finish line of the kids triathlon. Pictures attached. Kristian also gave a presentation to TriWA members on "triathlon is not swim + bike + run".

It's now definitely time for some rest before I start my build for the Quelle-Challenge Roth.

I'm now ranked 2nd in the World, according to www.ironmanrankings.blogspot.com which ranks athletes in M dot ironman distance racing, for the 2009 season, starting with Florida 2008.
According to another website, www.triathlonranking.com, I am 10th in the World. This site ranks athletes on all long course races.(Pre-Busselton results) I finished 2008 ranked 40th, so I'm on the up! You could say I'm going through a "purple patch". I'm on a roll and I'm going with it.

Revised schedule for 2009;

May 2nd Busselton Half Ironman, Western Australia.
July 12th Quelle-Challenge Roth, Germany.
August 23rd Philippines 70.3.
October 10th Hawaii Ironman World Champs
November 1st Port Macquarie Half Ironman
December 5th Ironman Western Australia

I appreciate all of your support.

Charlotte"

Clas is BACK!

blueseventy's Clas Bjorling is back racing again! He got in touch with us to share his latest conquest...

"Hi all.
Yesterday I came back home after finished 2:nd in a international multisport race in China called 2009 Baise Outdoor Quest. It's a 3 day race where you race 5-7 hours a day in running, mountain biking and kayaking, with some more technical things like abseiling, net climbing and cave running.

I raced with 2 other Swedish guys named Martin Flinta and Per Boqvist and a NZ based girl named Fleur Pawsey, our team name was Team Sweden/worldofmultisport.com

The race included 5 international teams and 15 Chinese teams.

It was the first multisport race for me and it was a lot of fun, I felt strong during the whole race, I have had good training through the Swedish winter with a lot of cross country skiing and I also just came home from a 3 week camp in Spain just before the race in China.

Now I’m enjoying a few easier days before I head back into a training routine.

Next thing up for me will be “Tour of Sweden” www.tosweden.se which is a training camp where we will ride the length of Sweden over 2 weeks, 2300 K,plus swimming and running of course, will be a lot of fun.

After that camp I will probably start to be in pretty good shape and be ready for some real triathlon racing."

Luke Mckenzie updates us on his win at the Western Australia Half Ironman

photo by Sarah Hall

"I have just arrived back home after a successful weekend at the Western Australia Half Ironman in Busselton. I won the race in a new course record time of 3.47.01.

We arrived in Busselton on the Friday morning prior to the race to unexpected chilly weather. Our morning swim in Geograph Bay was freezing after training in the warmer waters of Noosa and some uninvited guests (1 million Jellyfish) decided to take up residence on the swim course. The afternoon prior to the race was busy with media commitments for the local and state television and newspapers and an appearance at the kids tri and signing hundreds of autographs for the young ones. We crashed into bed after a long day ready to race the following morning.

Race morning dawned and ideal race conditions came to the party. Blue skies, not a breath of wind and ideal temperature ment it was going to be a fast day. Warming up for the race I learned that TIm Berkel who had won the Ironman event in December and recent third place finisher at Ironman Australia was out of the race due to illness which was a little disappointing as I was looking forward to a rematch against him and Pete Jacobs.

Warming up for the swim I dove in and took 3 strokes only to find the Jellyfish had seemed to increase in numbers overnight and I got stung across my face straight away. I ditched the idea of a swim and decided it would be best to do a dry land warm up with some arm swings and stretches. Luckily my BlueSeventy Helix wetsuit kept me from getting stung on my body once the race started but my face hit a few more stingers throughout the 1.9kms. I swam comfortably on Pete Jacobs feet and we exited the water with a good lead over the chasing group.

Exiting transition and onto the bike I put my head down and went for it, managing to drop Pete through the technical town section before we hit the fast open roads. My Scott Plasma 2 was humming along the open stretches and the front Zipp 1080/ rear Disc combo was roaring, the bike almost felt like it was motorized! I continued to pull away at every turn-a-around and by the end of the 90km bike leg I had established a six minute lead over Pete, Courtney Ogden and Sean O'Neill. I was really surprised with my ride as I felt like I had been struggling in past weeks in my bike training but I just had one of those days where it all clicks and I was stoked to ride to a new bike course record of 2.05.42.

Onto the run and I felt comfortable and in control. I was initially worried that maybe my effort on the bike might have tired my legs but as I found my rhythm I knew I was going to back up the bike with a solid run. My K-Swiss K-ona's bounced along the course and I ran well within myself to maintain my winning break and crossed the finish line in 3.47.01, a new Western Australia Half Ironman course record time. It was awesome to come down the finish chute to see all of Amanda's family cheering me on and celebrating the win with me. Thanks for coming to support guys!

After an overnight red eye flight to Brisbane we are now back in Noosa and back into training. Only 10 days left in Australia before we head to Hawaii for the Ironman 70.3 and our training base for Ironman Japan in June."

Congrats Luke! Triple threat....

Cat Morrison; blueseventy's quiet acheiver

Cat Morrison took the 70.3 St Croix after exiting the water with the lead group, riding comfortably and proving too strong on the run.
blueseventy Joanna Zieger lead out of the water, but unfortunately had to pull out of the race.

Cat swam with the pack, stuck to her plan on the bike and entered into T2 with a 3 minute deficit on former world champ Miranda Cafree. She then proceeded to do the one thing that she does best, run! She won by almost 3 minutes to take her first win of 2009.


1 MORRISON, CATRIONA 9/2/1 /WPRO 00:28:05 02:41:04 01:23:29 04:32:38
2 CARFRAE, MIRINDA 4/1/2 /WPRO 00:27:58 02:38:17 01:29:06 04:35:21
3 GLAH, KEN 1/1/1 46/W45-49 00:27:54 02:34:35 01:35:31 04:38:00
4 SNOW, CAITLYN 7/10/3 /WPRO 00:28:03 02:49:34 01:23:07 04:40:44
5 KRAFT, NINA 2/4/4 /WPRO 00:26:15 02:44:40 01:30:13 04:41:08

Bockel rebounds at St Croix 70.3

At St Croix 70.3, just gone, Dirk Bockel made his move on the 70.3 world circuit.
Although not having the running legs he'd hoped for, Dirk lead out of the water and took it to them on the bike.

It was a scorching 31 degrees in St. Croix , when Dirk Bockel went on to face tough competition at his first Half Ironman of the season.

His old rival from Ironman New Zealand, Mr. Cameron Brown, pulled out of the race before it began, but there were plenty of other competitors to contend with, including multiple Ironman and Half Ironman winners Richie Cunningham (AUS), Timothy O’Donald (USA) and Bryan Rhodes (NZL).

The 2 km swim took place in a relatively calm Christainsted Harbor, with Dirk taking the lead from the first buoy. He remained in the first position until the end of the swim, when he came out of the water first, taking the swim prime and setting a new swim course record of 24 minutes.

A group of 6 men (including Bockel, Cunningham, Rhodes, Hayes, Amorelli, & O’Donald) took off out of transition together. They stayed together throughout the course of the 90 km bike, and despite a multiple efforts to breakaway from this pack, Dirk decided to stay with them. “I created a gap [from the main pack] on several occasions. Once with Richie [Cuningham] and Igor Amorelli, and another time I went with Rhodesy [Bryan Rhodes]. The chase pack closed the gap after some time so I was unable to gain a substantial lead on the bike. As my running form is not exactly perfect due to my foot injury, I knew I needed to focus on the swim & bike a bit more this time. The bike course is one of the most difficult ones that exist--so I tried to make it even harder for the guys that run well by attacking on the bike and pushing the tempo.”

Just as he demonstrated at his Olympic performance in Beijing last August, and his Ironman debut in March of this year, Dirk was the first out of Transition 2, leading the run straight off the bike. The run started out at a comfortable speed and Dirk eventually settled in with a group of 5 athletes.

The sun was beating down on the men as they pounded through the 21 km hilly running course. After 10 km, they started to spread out a bit more, with Timothy O’Donald taking the lead. O’Donald went on to win the race (also setting a course record), Amorelli took 2nd, Cunningham 3rd, and Dirk Bockel finished 4th. “I really wanted to make a podium, but there was nothing else left in the tank. The conditions were brutal. I could have gone faster on the bike but wanted to save up a bit for the run. I actually had a great run, considering my previous injury and the small amount of running that I have done this season. My foot injury did not bother me at all during the running, but I did develop some very intense blistering that covered the entirety of my foot and ankles. This is just a part of long distance racing that I am not really used to yet--and I am certainly going to be wearing socks at my next race!”

Docherty Wins By An Inch

Last weekend, Bevan Docherty from New Zealand outsprinted Australia’s Brad Kahlefeldt to win the opening leg of the Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championship Series as they crossed the line together in 1:50:25. A photo finish awarded victory to the Kiwi in the US$150,000 event held in the Korean city of Tongyeong and places him at the top of the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship rankings.

The two lap 1500m swim was led out by Korea’s Chang Yon Lee which sent the Tongyeong crowd into a frenzy. Hot on his heels was France’s three time European champion Frederic Belaubre and Australia’s Courtney Atkinson who was given a 15 second time penalty in transition for a false start.

On the 40km cycle a large front pack of 50 athletes formed until Mark Fretta from the USA and Belaubre managed to escape up the road, carving out an ever increasing lead as they pushed on. The duo managed to open up a one minute advantage over the main pack coming into second transition following 30km of hard graft. On the final cycle lap a Russian pairing of Dmitry Polyansky and Alexander Brukhankov also managed to open a gap of 30 seconds taking them clear of the chasers which included Canada’s double Olympic medallist Simon Whitfield and 2008 Tongyeong ITU World Cup winner Tim Don from Great Britain.

Once on the run the Russians quickly caught Belaubre as Kahlefeldt, Beijing Olympic Games bronze medallist Docherty, and his compatriot Kris Gemmell set about reducing the gap to the leaders. Polyansky managed to break Brukhankov but was caught by the chasers lead by renowned runner Jarrod Shoemaker from the USA as the athletes hit half distance on the 10km run.

Despite being caught Polyansky refused to be dropped as a surging Kahlefeldt first shelled Shoemaker, and later Gemmell from the lead pack. The Russian eventually succumbed to the brutal pace in the final 500m as the Aussie and Kiwi broke clear to fight it out in the home straight.

Kahlefeldt stole the early yards but Docherty responded and sprinted past. The Australian kicked again and overhauled the Kiwi but then slipped some ten metres from the line, losing momentum and allowing Docherty’s last ditch effort to gain the extra inch that he needed to win.

Kahlefeldt appealed against the verdict to award Docherty the race victory but the decision was upheld after a review of the photo finish.

“It’s all a blur, when it comes down to those sort of situations,” admitted Docherty. “It’s just mind over body. I couldn’t really feel my legs but they wanted to go forward. Brad got a bit of a lead on me and I came back and inched in front and we both just went for the line. It was a case of just cross your fingers and go for it!”

“Deep down I know I have a pretty good sprint. That was my game plan going into the Olympic Games but unfortunately it didn’t quite go my way. This time it paid off but that Olympic gold medal is going to haunt me and until I achieve that I’m not going to stop.”

I was more than happy with my result, but of course I wanted to win,” said Kahlefeldt. “I felt really good out there and kept trying to push the pace through the twisty and windy sections on the run but I was waiting for Bevan to come around me. In the home straight he got past, then I came over the top of him, then he came back in front and I just gave it 100 percent. I’ve been in these situations before when it’s oh so close, and I knew I just had to give it everything in such a big race.”

All About Mitch

Coming off Ironman Australia, blueseventy's Mitch Anderson confirms that he's an athlete to look out for. Mitch will only get stonger as the year progresses. Recovering well from IM Australia, Mitch snatched the title here in Japan at this Strongman event. He writes...

"I headed over to Japan on the Monday night prior to the race. It took us 38 hours and two nights in airport hotels (epic!) before Sam Hume and I got to Miyakojima, which is a near tropical island at a latitude close to Taiwan. The weather is usually humid (80%+) and warm (25-30C) for race day…plus the white sands of the local beach and a magic buffet breakfast make it a paradise for triathletes. The race has a cap of 1500, for which 2500 Japanese locals apply. I was joined by Humey, German Norbert Huber and the top Japanese athletes like Kawahara (2:47 off the bike last year, 4th IM Japan 08) and Matsumara (2:50 runner, 2nd last year). My legs felt pretty good in the lead up- I was able to run 80 min on the Sunday following Australia and swing an Eliza loop (115km) with the boys…so I had my fingers crossed that I could push the bike and hang tough on the run.

That’s pretty much how my race panned out- I swam 41 high with Kawahara, losing time to Hume and 2-time Olympic turned TBB athlete Nishiuchi…but Hume double flatted and I swept to the lead by the 35km mark. I felt like I was riding a motor scooter for most of the bike portion- I rode a 3:54 for 155km (incl transitions- which was a record by 1.5 min). This was 8 min faster than I had ridden on a much easier day in 2004 and 7 min faster than Matsamaru, with the third best bike split 20 minutes down! My new TT is really perfect, as is the wheel combo of zipp 1080 and sub-9 disc. The marathon was a challenge for my legs after 15km- they felt like dog meat for most of the next 27km. The course is undulating and we had a strong headwind on the 21km out, which made for a bit of a sweaty time on the run back in. I turned with a 7min lead on Matsamaru, who was having a similarly tough run, after expending a fair amount of energy limiting his losses on the bike. I knew it was unlikely that given he had only made 2min up in the first half, that he could make up 7 in the second half…unless I totally cracked. So I kept up the base 4m 30s pace, with a few dips on the ups! I got to the finish which consisted of 300m on an athletics track, and was joined by some local drummers and a couple of guys dressed up in dragon suits! Magic stuff- I thought I might have been taking a serious dose of L.S.D. When I saw those characters!

So, a good win so close to IM OZ and this means I get an automatic invite back next year. I hope I can get Bridie to come for a holiday on Miyako in 2010. Congrats to her for a stellar TT on Chong Ming (45km/h for 21km!) I’m trying to get an Australian tour together, so I’ll keep you posted on that with help from Shane Smith and TriTravel. Many thanks to Naant and Sam for race day support, plus Gary Sato who did a stellar job keeping me running the right directions (no flash backs to IM Japan!). Of course thanks to Darren, Graham and Jo from Giant for all their help- plus a supply of t-shirts and socks that make me constantly branded correctly! Thanks to Darryl and Steph from Shotz, who supply the worlds best nutrition products. Mary and Neil at Supercraft for their moral and continued support. Matt and Michelle from Shimano for the right groupo- looking fwd to electric durace asap! Antho and the Daves’ from CBD keeping my equipment in prefect nick. Glenn from Cannibal keeps me looking like the fastest athlete, even when I mightn’t be. Chris and Greg from Zipp for the ceramic weaponry. Greg from Rudy- the new glasses are all fantastic and a real step up in eye wear. Guy from Blueseventy for the wetties and Tim from Nuun for the tasty electrolyte replacement. Paul for the Puma gear on and off the track! TriTravel for getting me where I need to go- thanks Shane and Tiff. Sally for the Polar heart rate monitors to help keep me objective. Monika for the Giro helmet free speed and finally Phil at computrainer for making sure I train hard in any weather and can prepare for any course!

My next stop is Europe, where I’ll be hitting a few halves over their summer. This will allow me to prepare for a big day in Kona in October, with IM WA in December.

See you at the coffee shop,
Mitch"

Olympian Alistair Brownlee goes in blue and comes out gold!

Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee convincingly won their respective races at the British Elite Duathlon Championships held at Prestwold Hall Airfield yesterday (26th April).

2008 Beijing Olympian Alistair Brownlee (and newest blueseventy triathlete to join the ranks) led from the front in the senior men's race, winning by a convincing margin from the impressive Matt Gunby, with Matt Moorehouse in third.

Kat Grimmet continued her fine start to the season, by adding the British Elite title to her National Age Group Duathlon title she won earlier in the month at Emberton Park. However she didn't have it all her own way, Grimmet led after the first run stage but Emma Dews closed her down and passed her during the bike, however Grimmet was strong enough to pull back through on the second run to claim the win. Eimear Mullen rounded out the top three in third.

There was some close racing in the Junior age groups, with Jonathan Brownlee and Sophie Coleman claiming the wins, and in the youths Henry Jarvis won the boys race in a close sprint finish with Will Johnston. Maddy Winzer won the youth girls race by an impressive margin.

blueseventy nero used to set Pan American Free Diving record!

As a recent addition to the blueseventy family, Jana Strain smashed the Pan American record in dynamic no-fins free diving - a sport for the mentally and physically tough for sure!!
Jana was ecstatic when exiting the pool and said, “Today was a challenge, static this morning, then going into the dive with a pounding CO2 headache and performing in the deep end of the pool. It was not an easy dive, but it helps me to grow and keeps things interesting and exciting.”

Jana broke the existing records of Mandy-Rae Cruickshank at 100M (328 feet) and Tanya Streeter at 113M (370), both set in 2005. Again this is the best performance by a woman in the Western Hemisphere in almost four years.

For more information about Jana Strain please visit www.janastrain.com

Dynamic Without Fins (DNF) is covering the greatest possible horizontal distance under water on a single breath, without the use of any propulsion device. DNF requires very good technique. Performances can only be recognized in pools with a minimum length of 25 meters

Jana was competing with many other talented athletes today including William Winram who also set a new record in DNF. Jana’s record was officiated by Grant W. Graves and Robert King, AIDA Judges. This competition was the 1st AIDA Canada sanctioned competition since being awarded the national delegate by AIDA International earlier this year.

Legend Mike Ross loves the nero!

Former champion Mike Ross tried the nero with super quick results (some even faster than our own blueseventy legend Roque Santos). Below is a quick review he sent to Roque after trying out the nero.

"Roque,

The blueseventy pants are magic.  Rather than beating around the bush, I will just give you the play-by-play:

Saturday
100 Free, Full Body, 45.61 (I flubbed the last turn and had a poor underwater kickout, so I was happy with this time)
200 IM, Full Body, 1:51.85 (I was shocked by that time.  All-time best)
50 Back, Leggings, 22.77 (this convinced me to try the leggings for the backstroke on the next day)

50 Fly, Full Body, 22.61
100 Back, Leggings, 48.49 (I came back faster than I ever have as a masters)
50 Free, Leggings, 20.83 (I have never, ever, broken 21.  I kept the leggings on, because I didn't have time to change)

5 National records

Mike"

BOOOM!

blueseventy's Charlotte Paul Ironman winner!

Charlotte was kind enough to give us the low down on her fantastical and purely tough race in China in sweltering conditions.


"In Chinese culture, the number 8 is lucky. The Olympics in Beijing were opened at 8pm on 8/8/2008. On Sunday 19th April at Ironman China, my race number was 8. And now I have 8 sunburnt into my skin!

Last year Ironman China was horrific due to “freak” weather conditions. No chance of that happening 2 years in a row! As everyone who raced has said, these were by far the toughest conditions I’ve ever raced in. I was at the media conference with girls saying “the hotter the better”, surely they wouldn’t have asked for this? Or wished this on all of us? A staggering 40% of the field did not finish.

Most people know that the temperature hit 45 (113f) degrees c, what most people don’t know is that the “heat index” hit 56 (139f)…Herein lay the problem.

I was hungry for the win, and determined to go after it! I was disappointed with my performance 6 weeks earlier in New Zealand and wanted retribution. I knew it was going to be tough. Edith Niederfriniger I think is very similar to me across all 3, and I knew Tereza Macel was on form after a strong race at the Singapore 70.3. Then there was Hillary Biscay, Mariska Kramer-Postma and Kim Loeffler too...we totalled 5 past Ironman Champions.

The theme of the day for me was racing blind and purely on feel. It’s the first time in an Ironman that I haven’t seen the course. I asked Belinda Granger, last year’s winner, if I should check it out. Belinda never checks out the course, so I wasn’t surprised by her answer- “if you’re confident about your biking, which you should be, you’ll be fine, and the run’s flat”. Now I couldn’t see the course, as it would mean I wasn’t confident.

Blind also meant no heart rate and no bike computer. I’ve raced my last couple of IM without HR and I really like it, but this was the first time with no computer too.

The swim was absolute chaos, a mass start with age groupers wearing wetsuits, the pros speed suits. We were told in race week that the river currents were strong- they weren’t kidding! Getting around the buoys was a mission- battling the current was mission impossible for some. Usually when I look up in a swim I can see a stream of athletes’ ahead- the direction to swim is pretty clear. This time I would look up to see swimmers scattered over a 50m radius- with no idea who to follow. We were being swept all over the place, and all choosing different lines. It was as if we were all told to go swim around randomly for about the right amount of time, and then we could get out!

I had avoided the river in race week. I didn’t want to risk picking up any bugs. So lap 1 was a disaster, I was 5 mins behind the lead female, Tereza Macel, lap 2 slightly wiser, a further 3. I swam a 54:59.

I was very happy that once on the bike I was able to take on Michael Phelps attitude from his book “No Limits”, the acronym “W.I.N.”- What’s important now? I put the swim out of my mind. Dwelling on the swim wasn’t going to help me on the bike.

The bike course was fantastic; it took us along undulating smooth highway, through villages and Haikou City. It’s definitely the sort of course I like- point and go!

I rode really well for me, a 5 hour 12. I had moved the seat of my Airfoil further forward since NZ, and I felt much more powerful. I caught Edith just after the first turnaround at 45kms, and then rode with her for the next 45, until she dropped me. It was getting hot. At this point I started to feel a bit average, and realized that I hadn’t peed. I needed to drink more. Until that point I was getting a 500ml water bottle at every aid station- every 30 mins. So I started slowing down at the aid stations and grabbing 2 bottles each time, half in the mouth, half on the head- absolute heaven. I chose to wear a non- aero helmet and am very glad of that decision. I came good, and finished the bike feeling pretty strong.

Tereza had flown on the bike, and was 16 minutes ahead of me into transition. But as I came in on the bike, the course follows the first 10km of the run course. I caught sight of her walking. This gave me a huge boost. On the flipside, I couldn't see a lot of running happening, and that was pretty ominous. The worst part of the run was the first 10kms, the heat was just so brutally intense, like nothing I've ever experienced. My head felt like it was in a vice, my hands felt swollen and my skin slathered in thick white sunscreen was all making me feel slightly sick. Somehow it got better.

There were more athletes than I have ever seen walking- and these were the 70.3 athletes too!
In the first 10ks I really wanted to walk, but I wanted to win more. That’s what kept me going.

I just concentrated on running- any pace. It didn’t matter, it was a start, and I was at least moving forward. I was breathing like a freight train, and yet I think I was clocking near 5 min kms, about 50 seconds slower than planned. I didn’t ever consider what the temperature actually was, or my pace- that was all irrelevant, I appeared to be gaining on the others, and that’s all that mattered. None of these facts would have got me up the road any quicker. They probably would have just killed me mentally! This was one of those times where it’s “best not to know”.

I was looking up at the sky- desperately searching for clouds! There were a few wisps, nothing more. But at soon as there was a slight bit of breeze, or shade, and the temp dropped just slightly, I picked up my pace. It was noticeably easier. I pushed when I could, and concentrated on just moving when it was too hot. I was suffering too, but not as much as others it seemed. I could see I was gaining on the girls ahead so I just kept working.

In that first 10kms I made up 10 mins on Tereza and was only just behind Edith. At this point I thought I could catch them. I took the lead at about 18ks. I really didn't let myself think about the win until I was at the 30km turnaround, I was heading for home and I could see there was no one coming to get me. I had been dying to look behind to get some kind of indication of the gap. I couldn't turn around- it would break one of my golden rules- never look back! Even though I counted 7 mins to Edith, I was so conscious of not cramping, or dehydrating that I remained really focused the whole way to the finish.

Nutrition was paramount. I made sure that I took on whatever liquid was on offer, and as much as I could. This was no time for being choosy! Most people were stopping for aid and so they weren't really prepared for anyone trying to run through the stations- so I just had to grab whatever I could. I was taking almost 2gs of sodium per hour, and made sure I had my High5 gels in small amounts- because I knew my guts would be more sensitive. There was no room for slacking off. I felt totally on the edge. I'm usually a peeing machine on the run- I think I went once.

I saw my friend Hillary Biscay, out on the run course, she was so excited to see me in the lead- she was awesome! There’s no crowds cheering in China- but I didn’t need it- there was Hillary- she nearly made me cry- so I shouted back at her “I love you Hillary!” I must have been delirious.

The finish chute was quite an emotional experience. 9 hours and 48 minutes worth of focusing was over- and I had done it! I crossed the line 1st female, 5th overall, and my 3:35 run was the fastest of the day- men included- and broke the course record. It could be my best ever day at the office.

I didn't think I'd win another Ironman until I was able to put together a sub 3 hour run. I've been training to do just that. So quite ironic that I ran one of my slowest times ever and it was the fastest on the day- crazy! Yes the course was flat, no I don't think it was long. It was just insanely crazy, crippling, elephant on your back- hot!

Ironman commentator Whit Raymond spoilt me rotten- it was my birthday the following day- and I think it has to be my best ever present. I’m not a “look at me” type, but for one day it was really quite nice. Thank you Whit.

After all our suffering, it was the best post-race camaraderie I’ve ever experienced. We were drawn together and had mutual respect for anyone who was out there- had they finished or not. For most, not finishing wasn’t a choice and they don’t even remember what happened!

Without a doubt I believe I won this race because of my attitude on race day. I’m bottling this feeling and keeping it safe. I altered my expectations and my pace with the conditions and how I felt. I was going to say, “I listened to my body”, I definitely did on the bike, but I had to ignore it on the run, or I wouldn’t have finished! Would I race "blind" again? Absolutely. Would I come back and race Ironman China again? Most definitely.

Thanks to all my sponsors for their support, and a BIG thank you to Kristian, my husband and coach, who prepared me perfectly for this race.

Charlotte"

Congratulations Charlotte... what a magic achievement in such horrendous heat!
From us all at blueseventy.

Photo courtesy of Steph Cox.

Don't just take our word for it...

Angie from Jack and Adams Bicycles in Austin, Texas thought she'd share her thoughts about trying on the helix before her wetsuit-swim triathlon on the Jack and Adams blog.


"The guys at the shop encouraged me to check out the new wetsuits and said that I would most likely be pleasantly surprised. I was a little skeptical until I tried my wetsuit on the night before the race in my hotel room. Boy was I impressed! I could actually move my arms freely in my new blueseventy Helix. It was awesome! I was excited to complete a wetsuit swim."

For the whole post please go to:
http://jackandadams.blogspot.com/2009/04/wetsuits-what-not-to-do-pre-tri.html

Townsend faster than in the Olympics!

Wearing a blueseventy nero, Darian Townsend provided the biggest fireworks of the fourth night of long course swimming at the South African National Championships. He came through with an African record in the men's 200 IM.

Townsend clocked an African-record time in the men's 200 IM semi's with a time of 1:58.33. That effort smashed his standard of 1:59.22 set at the Beijing Olympics currently recognized by Swimming South Africa as the record. Townsend, however, does reportedly have a 1:57.88 to his credit from the KZN Provincial meet in December. Riaan Schoeman also cleared 2:00 with a second-seeded 1:59.94, while Chad Le Clos finished third in 2:01.83.

For the full media release please go to:
http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/20927.asp