Watch how former professional boxer, Johnny Nelson makes his way through an olympic distance triathlon training and event in the UK. Of course, a blueseventy sprint was his choice of wetsuit in the cool 20ºC water!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00f5g0t/b00f5fy6/Inside_Out_Yorkshire_and_Lincolnshire_22102008
Start watching at 19:25 minutes for this last BBC segment.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Heddi's St Croix Coral Reef Swim
Heddi Porter, who can only use one arm after a car accident 11 years ago, tells us about her latest long distance swim in St Croix.
We arrived in St Croix a week before the Oct 19th race, and were immediately surrounded by warm 89˚ weather and strong winds. The winds had me worried about the race, especially since the water was looking pretty rough at the time.
By morning though, things had calmed down a lot, and Jonathan and I decided to take our first dip. The water was like bath water, and such a nice change from Seattle's Lake Washington, where we did all our long swims.
I was feeling really nervous about the 2 mile swim I would be doing the following Sunday, so I had to build up to going out deep, and got a little more comfortable each day. We swam three times a day, so I had to watch that I didn't strain my good arm, and did a lot of icing at night.
On Wednesday, I woke up to horrible nerve pain in my bad (brachial plexus injury) arm, and later found out it was the first sign that category 3 Hurricane Omar was headed our way. I suddenly had visions of trying to swim
2 miles with overwhelming stabbing pain in my arm, and I also worried that the race would be cancelled altogether.
The Buccaneer, where we were staying, puts on the race and did a great job taking care of us during the Hurricane. Amazingly, when the eye of the hurricane passed, my nerve pain magically vanished!
There were a lot of trees down the next morning, and debris in the water, but there was a chance we'd still be able to swim. I went in the water that day, but didn't like swimming with all the gunk. Later I found out that
you're not supposed to go in the water for 72 hours after a hurricane, because of run-off, oil spills & debris.
By Sunday the water was less cloudy and was much cleaner, so the race was on. Unfortunately, the race directors had to reroute the 5 mile swim because the boats that usually take the swimmers to Buck Island had been damaged in the storm.
That meant skipping the beautiful underwater coral reef park that Jonathan had looked forward to, and both the 5 & 2-mile course went along the coastline, finishing at The Buccaneer's Mermaid Beach.
On race day, the wind had picked up a bit in the morning, but I wasn't too nervous about it, since the water didn't look bad where we were. We got taxied out to the starting point, which for us 2-milers was an enclosed bay that looked very calm. The sun was shining and all looked good.
The water was still a bit cloudy, so there wasn't much to see, but I did hear that some people saw manta rays along the way. About halfway, I saw an amazing rainbow arching over the closest kayak. That seemed like a good omen and reminded me to enjoy the experience.
My pointzero3 swimskin felt great, and helped me slip through the water more smoothly. I was really glad that it wasn't chafing anywhere, and that my back wasn't getting sunburned.
The calm waters started getting rougher after we left the sheltered bay, and seemed to get worse as we went along. The swells that looked like they were pushing us in the right direction had a habit of pulling me back at the end, so it felt like I was taking two steps forward and one step back.
Soon there were waves hitting from the side as well, so the chop got bigger, and I had to laugh at the fact that I was swimming in this. If I had known it would be this rough, I might have dropped out, but here I was doing it --and it wasn't that bad!
The surging water did make it harder and more tiring, but I just remembered the marathons I've run, and how you have to break it down into parts and keep going. I kept focused on the next buoy, and making it to that, and
didn't worry about what came next.
Finally, I spotted the yellow buoy that signified the last turn into Mermaid Beach. It seemed like getting around that buoy took forever, but eventually I was in the bay, and swimming my hardest to get to the finish.
Suddenly, a kayaker pulled up to me and asked if I was doing OK. It surprised me since I thought I was swimming pretty strong at the moment. Then I realized that it was the first time this kayaker had seen me, so he didn't realize that I always swim with one arm. He must have thought I had injured the other during the swim :)
It felt great to cross that finish line once my legs remembered how to stand, and I was elated to have made it. This was much harder than any of my 2-mile training swims and I surprised myself that I could do it under such
tough conditions.
I think the organizers were surprised to see me make it too, because they gave me an award for most perseverance :)
What an amazing experience!
Heddi
We arrived in St Croix a week before the Oct 19th race, and were immediately surrounded by warm 89˚ weather and strong winds. The winds had me worried about the race, especially since the water was looking pretty rough at the time.By morning though, things had calmed down a lot, and Jonathan and I decided to take our first dip. The water was like bath water, and such a nice change from Seattle's Lake Washington, where we did all our long swims.
I was feeling really nervous about the 2 mile swim I would be doing the following Sunday, so I had to build up to going out deep, and got a little more comfortable each day. We swam three times a day, so I had to watch that I didn't strain my good arm, and did a lot of icing at night.
On Wednesday, I woke up to horrible nerve pain in my bad (brachial plexus injury) arm, and later found out it was the first sign that category 3 Hurricane Omar was headed our way. I suddenly had visions of trying to swim
2 miles with overwhelming stabbing pain in my arm, and I also worried that the race would be cancelled altogether.
The Buccaneer, where we were staying, puts on the race and did a great job taking care of us during the Hurricane. Amazingly, when the eye of the hurricane passed, my nerve pain magically vanished!
There were a lot of trees down the next morning, and debris in the water, but there was a chance we'd still be able to swim. I went in the water that day, but didn't like swimming with all the gunk. Later I found out that
you're not supposed to go in the water for 72 hours after a hurricane, because of run-off, oil spills & debris.
By Sunday the water was less cloudy and was much cleaner, so the race was on. Unfortunately, the race directors had to reroute the 5 mile swim because the boats that usually take the swimmers to Buck Island had been damaged in the storm.
That meant skipping the beautiful underwater coral reef park that Jonathan had looked forward to, and both the 5 & 2-mile course went along the coastline, finishing at The Buccaneer's Mermaid Beach.
On race day, the wind had picked up a bit in the morning, but I wasn't too nervous about it, since the water didn't look bad where we were. We got taxied out to the starting point, which for us 2-milers was an enclosed bay that looked very calm. The sun was shining and all looked good.
The water was still a bit cloudy, so there wasn't much to see, but I did hear that some people saw manta rays along the way. About halfway, I saw an amazing rainbow arching over the closest kayak. That seemed like a good omen and reminded me to enjoy the experience.
My pointzero3 swimskin felt great, and helped me slip through the water more smoothly. I was really glad that it wasn't chafing anywhere, and that my back wasn't getting sunburned.
The calm waters started getting rougher after we left the sheltered bay, and seemed to get worse as we went along. The swells that looked like they were pushing us in the right direction had a habit of pulling me back at the end, so it felt like I was taking two steps forward and one step back.
Soon there were waves hitting from the side as well, so the chop got bigger, and I had to laugh at the fact that I was swimming in this. If I had known it would be this rough, I might have dropped out, but here I was doing it --and it wasn't that bad!
The surging water did make it harder and more tiring, but I just remembered the marathons I've run, and how you have to break it down into parts and keep going. I kept focused on the next buoy, and making it to that, and
didn't worry about what came next.
Finally, I spotted the yellow buoy that signified the last turn into Mermaid Beach. It seemed like getting around that buoy took forever, but eventually I was in the bay, and swimming my hardest to get to the finish.
Suddenly, a kayaker pulled up to me and asked if I was doing OK. It surprised me since I thought I was swimming pretty strong at the moment. Then I realized that it was the first time this kayaker had seen me, so he didn't realize that I always swim with one arm. He must have thought I had injured the other during the swim :)
It felt great to cross that finish line once my legs remembered how to stand, and I was elated to have made it. This was much harder than any of my 2-mile training swims and I surprised myself that I could do it under such
tough conditions.
I think the organizers were surprised to see me make it too, because they gave me an award for most perseverance :)
What an amazing experience!
Heddi
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
John Duquette is almost famous
If you make it onto youtube that is considered by some to be "almost famous." In the clip below, our man John Duquette does a great effort of youtube showmanship as he describes the fine advantages of the blueseventy Helix wetsuit to the Trisports crew. :-)
blueseventy Athletes at Youth Commonwealth Games in India
Choosing to wear the blueseventy nero rather than the sponsored Speedo LZR swimskins, the below Australian athletes are achieving phenomenal results in the Games so far;
Ryan Nepolean, won the 200 free in a new record time of 148.82 - he still has three events to go so very exciting!
Ned McKendry placed 3rd in the same event ( he is only 15) in 151.83 - a 3 sec PB for him
Jared Gold Thorpe, who had already broken the record in the heats, placed first by lowering the record again in the final of the 100m backstroke going 57.1
Bridget Rose Taylor went onto win gold in the 100m back going slightly slower than her heat swim when she broke the record in a time of 102.46
So to date so far;
3 Gold
1 Silver
1 Bronze
3 Records
and its only day one !
Ryan Nepolean, won the 200 free in a new record time of 148.82 - he still has three events to go so very exciting!
Ned McKendry placed 3rd in the same event ( he is only 15) in 151.83 - a 3 sec PB for him
Jared Gold Thorpe, who had already broken the record in the heats, placed first by lowering the record again in the final of the 100m backstroke going 57.1
Bridget Rose Taylor went onto win gold in the 100m back going slightly slower than her heat swim when she broke the record in a time of 102.46
So to date so far;
3 Gold
1 Silver
1 Bronze
3 Records
and its only day one !
San Francisco Swim Across America and Alcatraz Crossing
Check out the cool link provided by Glenn Mills who provides a slide show of his swim in the San Francisco Bay.
http://www.goswim.tv/entries/5457/san-francisco-swim-across-america-and-alcatraz-crossing.html
http://www.goswim.tv/entries/5457/san-francisco-swim-across-america-and-alcatraz-crossing.html
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
blueseventy first out at Xterra USA National Champs
Bruce Gennari and Craig Evans come out of the water in first and second place at the Xterra USA Champs in Maui, Hawaii.
(photo stolen off Slowtwitch.com)
(photo stolen off Slowtwitch.com)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
nero delivers unbelievable results at the Pacific Masters Short Course Championships
Over the past weekend, the Pacific Masters Short Course Championships were held in Walnut Creek on the 10-12th October. 16 World Records broken at the meet and all 16 in the blueseventy nero!!
Laura Val (age 57) broke 5 world records;
100m backstroke, 50m fly, 100m fly, 200m backstroke, 400m free
Richard Burns (age 65) broke 5 world records;
100m backstroke, 100m fly, 100m individual medley, 50m backstroke
David Gilden (age 65) broke 3 world records;
50m breastroke, 100m breaststroke , 200m breaststroke
Richard Todd (age 66) broke the 100m breastroke
Jackie Marr (age 65) broke the 800m free, and the 1500m free
Roque Santos (age 40) our STAR blueseventy staff member broke the 100m breaststroke and the 200m breastroke
15 out of 16 National Records were broken, and YES once again in blueseventy!
Jackie Marr (age 65) broke 2 records;
400m individual medley, 200m free
Roque Santos (age 40) broke 3 records;
400m individual medley, 200m individual medley, and 100m individual medley
Richard Todd (age 66) broke the 50m breastroke National Record
Laura Val (age 57) broke the 100m free, and the 200m free
Ruth Shaps (age 61) broke 4 National Records
100m freestyle, 50m fly, 50m free, 100m individual medley
Ann Hirsch (age 77) broke the 100m breastroke, and 200m breastroke
Richard Burns (age 65) broke the National Record for the 50m backstroke
Congratulations to all who chose to wear the blueseventy nero!!
Laura Val (age 57) broke 5 world records;
100m backstroke, 50m fly, 100m fly, 200m backstroke, 400m free
Richard Burns (age 65) broke 5 world records;
100m backstroke, 100m fly, 100m individual medley, 50m backstroke
David Gilden (age 65) broke 3 world records;
50m breastroke, 100m breaststroke , 200m breaststroke
Richard Todd (age 66) broke the 100m breastroke
Jackie Marr (age 65) broke the 800m free, and the 1500m free
Roque Santos (age 40) our STAR blueseventy staff member broke the 100m breaststroke and the 200m breastroke
15 out of 16 National Records were broken, and YES once again in blueseventy!
Jackie Marr (age 65) broke 2 records;
400m individual medley, 200m free
Roque Santos (age 40) broke 3 records;
400m individual medley, 200m individual medley, and 100m individual medley
Richard Todd (age 66) broke the 50m breastroke National Record
Laura Val (age 57) broke the 100m free, and the 200m free
Ruth Shaps (age 61) broke 4 National Records
100m freestyle, 50m fly, 50m free, 100m individual medley
Ann Hirsch (age 77) broke the 100m breastroke, and 200m breastroke
Richard Burns (age 65) broke the National Record for the 50m backstroke
Congratulations to all who chose to wear the blueseventy nero!!
'Magic' suit features at Chinese National Short Course Champs
Wearing the blueseventy nero, the Chinese National swim team were elated with their results and shared these with us:
Our Chinese distributor wrote;
"For the first time, 2 male swimmers went under 50s in the 100m free. The 200 back winner had never made finals before, wore our suit, and won the event. Even Olympic medalist are asking for the suits!
The suit is "magic" amongst the swimmers."
The 100m free champion above.
The Beijing swimming team above.
Our Chinese distributor wrote;
"For the first time, 2 male swimmers went under 50s in the 100m free. The 200 back winner had never made finals before, wore our suit, and won the event. Even Olympic medalist are asking for the suits!
The suit is "magic" amongst the swimmers."
The 100m free champion above.
The Beijing swimming team above.
Friday, October 10, 2008
blueseventy athletes out in force in Kona
Desiree Ficker picks up her new pointzero3 17...
Matt Lieto gets his goggles on...
Terenzo Bozzone gives us a grin...
Tim from nuun and Leanda do 'blue steel' with Dean from blueseventy...
Jimmy tries on the new pointzero3 17...
Chris Lieto
Chrissie goes for a quick dip...
Leanda Cave and Fee Docherty catch up in Lava Java....
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Fun in Kona
It's Tuesday before race-day in Kona and everyone seems to be in good spirits. The blueseventy pointzero3's are out in force at the swim start area each morning. We snapped some pros as they wondered around this little town that's gearing up for a huge day on saturday.
Terenzo Bozzone, although not racing of course but over in Kona to support his sponsors, gets ready for his group ride with Specialized. Gina Fergusson stops by to say hi also.
Ain Alar Juhanson in his pointzero3+ going for a quick pre-race swim.
Ruther Beke explains the pointzero3 sizing to a friend of his.
Terenzo Bozzone, although not racing of course but over in Kona to support his sponsors, gets ready for his group ride with Specialized. Gina Fergusson stops by to say hi also.
Ain Alar Juhanson in his pointzero3+ going for a quick pre-race swim.
Ruther Beke explains the pointzero3 sizing to a friend of his.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
A hungry Luke McKenzie
Luke McKenzie is a very hungry man, and while we see him here eating at Lava Java, we are talking about him being hungry for his best race yet in Kona. :-)
And along those lines, if you want to meet someone in Kona, just go to Lava Java and you'll find them sooner or later.
And along those lines, if you want to meet someone in Kona, just go to Lava Java and you'll find them sooner or later.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
blueseventy Kona arrivals
Kona is already starting to fill up with athletes for the most important race of the Ironman calendar year - the Ironman World Championships - to be held next Saturday the 11th of October. blueseventy's Stadler and his teammates catch up with Guy at Lava Java...
....and blueseventy athletes Chrissie, Luke and Luke's sister Jac get snapped at the pool.
....and blueseventy athletes Chrissie, Luke and Luke's sister Jac get snapped at the pool.
Only a few more days
The 2008 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii are now just a few days away. We are partnering with K-Swiss, Fuel Belt, fi'zi:k, nuun and you can find us every morning from 9 -12 at Lava Java. We'll be there mingling with the athletes (a few pros are going to stop by too), running a few competitions, and giving out entries into the K-Swiss & Friends After Party. See you all there.
PS: it's not too late to get your pointzero3 still; we have plenty in Kona right now! Call our US office on +1.206.632.1994 to find out your closest dealer in Kona.
PS: it's not too late to get your pointzero3 still; we have plenty in Kona right now! Call our US office on +1.206.632.1994 to find out your closest dealer in Kona.
Another update from Porter Heddi
My 2nd 2-mile Swim
This weekend I did my second 2-mile training swim. I’m not sure it was easier than last week’s, but at least I knew what to expect after having done the distance before.
I was a lot less nervous this time, so got off to a nice relaxed start. My breathing felt a bit tight, so I had to force myself to take some long, deep breaths until my lungs expanded and felt normal again. It’s so nice when you get to that point in a swim when you almost forget to breathe, and it feels so effortless.
I did an out-and-back course, and most of the first half was against a slight current. It wasn’t enough to make it really hard, but just enough to make me look forward to the return trip. Of course, it never really feels like the current is with you on the way back, especially when you’re already tired from fighting it on the way out :)
The water temperature felt like it had dropped a bit, so I was getting really cold the last half mile. Since I can’t use my left arm, it gets especially cold, and seems to make the rest of me get cold extra fast too. I wouldn’t be able to swim 2 miles in Lake Washington without my wetsuit. Even in the heat of summer I can only do a half mile without, and I lie on the beach shivering in the hot sun afterwards :)
The last part of my 2-mile swim was feeling sort of meditative--just enjoying my arm movement in the water--but I kept hoping that wasn’t a sign of hypothermia setting in:) No really—I love getting into that meditative space when I swim. It seems to happen the most when there isn’t too much to watch and distract me in the water. That’s why I’m starting to enjoy swimming out deep enough to not see any of the tall millfoil. I used to like watching myself pass the weeds in the water (proof that I was moving forward :), but now it seems like a distraction that keeps me from losing myself in the swim.
Anyway, I finished feeling pretty strong and more confident than the week before. I’m definitely getting ready, and am really looking forward to the St Croix Coral Reef swim in 3 weeks. The warmer water should help a lot with my energy level at the end, and I’m super excited to try out my new pointzero3+ swimskin!
Thanks!
Heddi
This weekend I did my second 2-mile training swim. I’m not sure it was easier than last week’s, but at least I knew what to expect after having done the distance before.
I was a lot less nervous this time, so got off to a nice relaxed start. My breathing felt a bit tight, so I had to force myself to take some long, deep breaths until my lungs expanded and felt normal again. It’s so nice when you get to that point in a swim when you almost forget to breathe, and it feels so effortless.
I did an out-and-back course, and most of the first half was against a slight current. It wasn’t enough to make it really hard, but just enough to make me look forward to the return trip. Of course, it never really feels like the current is with you on the way back, especially when you’re already tired from fighting it on the way out :)
The water temperature felt like it had dropped a bit, so I was getting really cold the last half mile. Since I can’t use my left arm, it gets especially cold, and seems to make the rest of me get cold extra fast too. I wouldn’t be able to swim 2 miles in Lake Washington without my wetsuit. Even in the heat of summer I can only do a half mile without, and I lie on the beach shivering in the hot sun afterwards :)
The last part of my 2-mile swim was feeling sort of meditative--just enjoying my arm movement in the water--but I kept hoping that wasn’t a sign of hypothermia setting in:) No really—I love getting into that meditative space when I swim. It seems to happen the most when there isn’t too much to watch and distract me in the water. That’s why I’m starting to enjoy swimming out deep enough to not see any of the tall millfoil. I used to like watching myself pass the weeds in the water (proof that I was moving forward :), but now it seems like a distraction that keeps me from losing myself in the swim.
Anyway, I finished feeling pretty strong and more confident than the week before. I’m definitely getting ready, and am really looking forward to the St Croix Coral Reef swim in 3 weeks. The warmer water should help a lot with my energy level at the end, and I’m super excited to try out my new pointzero3+ swimskin!
Thanks!
Heddi
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Nero comp swimskin wins medals by the dozen
Last week in Melbourne at the 2008 Australian Open Short Course Championships, blueseventy had many successes in the pool as medal after medal was scored by those wearing the nero comp.
Congratulations to the athletes who chose to wear blueseventy!
Gold medallists: Christian Sprenger (2 Gold), Jade Edmistone, Luane Rowe.
Silver medallists: Amy Smith (2 Gold), Ryan Neopleon (2 Gold), Bridget Rose Taylor (2 Gold), Jayden Hadler.
Bronze medallists: Jade Edmistone, Caitlin Fletcher, Jared Goldthorpe, Bridget Rose Taylor
Normann Stadler featured on Slowtwitch.com
ST: Normann, we are getting very close to Ironman Hawaii 2008. Are you ready to go?
Normann: Yes, I am more than ready and am very much looking forward to the big race in Kona. The work is done and now I just have to make sure to stay healthy and give my body enough time to recover from the hard work of the last few weeks.
ST: Where are you going to spend the next couple of weeks and what are you doing?
Normann: I have been in San Diego since August 20 and this is now for the 9th time. I’ll stay here until September 30 and then it is time to get on my beloved island in Hawaii. As I already said, the tapering has started and the work is done. I’ll try though to get myself mentally fit for the race. On October 13 I’ll go back to Germany and on October 23 the Dresdner Kleinwort Marathon takes place in Frankfurt and our team will take part as a relay. Plus I am really looking forward to the German fall season.
For the complete interview click here
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