Great Swim tips with blueseventy

So with the very first of the Great Swim series just a week away, we know there are a few nervous people out there, so we thought we'd offer some answers to some frequently asked questions we've spotted on the Great Swim facebook page (loving the posts by the way!)

I'm doing the London swim, can do a mile in a pool easily but only Breast stroke and will not get a chance to do an outdoor swim before the date, any advice ??? - Sarah

Sarah it's always a great idea to get some swims done in your wetsuit before the event - but don't worry - you can do this in a pool. We don't recommend doing this too often though because chlorine is not good for your wetsuit's longevity. So when you go down to the pool to train, take it with you and do a few laps (usually till you get too hot!) to make sure you are familiar with the feel of the suit, and also at putting it on comfortably. Check out our video of how to put your wetsuit on here.

Would you recommend doing the swim in front crawl or would breast stroke be O.K. Just a bit worried as it is a slower stroke and bit worried about being swam over!! - Helen.

Helen it's fine to do the swim in either front crawl or breaststroke (or a mix if you want!). Choose the stroke that you are more comfortable with. The key to not getting swum over will be making sure you start at the back of the pack, and give the field a chance to get moving before you start. Your chip won't start timing until you cross the start line so you won't affect your finish time. Try and avoid being in the middle of the swim course - if you stay towards the outside edge you'll find it less "busy" although it will be a little longer swim. But basically, find yourself some nice calm water and breaststroke away!

If you are nervous of being bumped about a bit, we recommend grabbing some mates and squeezing into a lane side by side.  Cram in together, and then practice swimming up the lane in a bunch.  Your arms will get tangled and you'll grab a bit of foot and the odd leg, but practice relaxing and focusing on your stroke - this is a great way to become desensitized to the feeling of being jostled.

Race Day Tips:

• Pack the night before and double check you have everything you need, such as:
• Race packet essentials – timing chip, timing chip band, event swim cap, and any vouchers etc
• Water/electrolyte drink for pre and post race.
• Prerace nutrition – any gels or protein bars. It can be a long wait for your race so plan out your food to ensure optimal timing.
• Swimsuit for under your wetsuit
• Wetsuit
• Body Glide
• Plastic bag to help put wettie on
• Extra latex cap and (if you have one) neoprene skull cap for cold conditions
• Earplugs/nose clip if required
• At least two pairs of goggles – preferably one with a yellow or clear lens for grey conditions, and a mirror or smoke lens for sunny conditions. Always have a spare in case of malfunction. Check them the night before and apply anti-fog solution if they need it.
• Warm clothes for after the race.
• Two towels (a spare is always handy).
• Dry bag for wet kit after the race.
• Post race fuel such as a banana. And money for that well earned beer!
• Get to the event nice and early so you can ensure you have plenty of time to get organised.  Running late does NOTHING for your nerves! (Bonus is you'll grab a great park)
• Plan a timeline working backwards from the start time.  So for example if you start at 9am, you might need to be ready in your start wave 15mins before (8.45), and you may like 15mins to warm up (8.30) and you should allow plenty of time to put your wetsuit on (8am).
• When you line up to start, think carefully about your position - if you are competitive, look for the shortest line to the first buoy, taking into account any currents at play so you can take advantage of them (not fight them).  If you are concerned about being swum over, hang back and wait for the bulk of the pack to start off and join into the back.
• Sometimes the combination of nerves, adrenaline and a raised heart rate can cause you to feel like you can't breath - it's ok - you can - just roll onto your back and take a few deep, relaxing breaths. Use positive self talk and it will pass, and you can carry on.  If its too much just raise your hand for help.
• Remember to keep sighting for the next buoy - if you are doing front crawl (freestyle) look up every five strokes.  If you find the buoy hard to see, line it up with a land mark and focus on that.  Regular sighting will keep you on course... unless you really want to swim further?  We'd understand - swimming is awesome!
• R E L A X... after the initial start, focus on your stroke and nice relaxed breathing.  You may not be the fastest but there are many more people who would never even attempt what you are doing, so relax and enjoy the experience!  Enjoy yourself (note: smiling while swimming may cause you to swallow water).

All the best with your Great Swim,  and if you have any other questions, just post them on our facebook page.

Luke Bell is swimming faster

Luke Bell exits the swim in the PZ3TX at 70.3 St. Croix

blueseventy is pleased to announce that multiple Half Ironman champion Luke Bell has joined the blueseventy team for 2011. Luke enjoyed a solid thirty second lead out of the swim at last weekend's 70.3 St. Croix and held it all the way to the 2nd lap of the run where the race came down to a very exciting give and take between Luke and Ukrainian Max Krait. From Luke's blog: "The last lap was filled with surge after surge, by the both of us trying to gain some advantage. With 2miles to go Kriat got the every small 4 second gap over the top of a hill and rolled down the other side from then on it was a race home - All I wanted to do was grap him by the scruff of the neck and bring him back however I just could not reach!" Krait pulled off the biggest win of his career by 16 seconds.

Australian made Bell spends his summers in Boulder and San Diego. Many fans of the sport will recognize him from his profile in the documentary What It Takes where he was featured alongside Ironman legends Peter Reid, Heather Fuhr and Lori Bowden following his 5th place finish at the 2003 Ironman World Championships. For 2011 Luke has joined forces with Matt Dixon of Purple Patch Fitness and says, “Working with Matt for only a few months has completely reenergized my sport. I have found new direction, improved performance and now truly feel I can move up toward the lofty goals I set for myself in the sport. I am excited to see my progress so far, but more excited for what the future holds”.

Luke will be competing in most major Ironman and 70.3 events this year so be on the look out for him in our Helix wetsuit & PZ3TX swim skin.

Follow Luke Bell on Twitter

Go The Distance w/blueseventy

Now through Wednesday, May 11th visit our Facebook page to enter our Go The Distance sweepstakes for a chance to win a set of our Distance triathlon apparel. For those of you not in the know we introduced our long course specific apparel line last summer to great success with Team TBB and many of our top athletes. In 2011 two additional lines of clothing, Performance and Elite, have been introduced to compliment the Distance line.

The Distance line has been crafted with one thing in mind: getting you to the finish line faster. Incorporating cutting edge cold black treated fabric, strategically placed seams, low water absorption and exceptional breathability make for a superior long distance racing suit or two piece option. Go The Distance in blueseventy triathlon apparel! Enter here.

We also want to share this short video Tri California produced of the Women's Elite race at last weekend's Wildflower Long Course triathlon. Our athlete Leanda Cave pulled off an impressive victory just missing the legendary course record by eight seconds. Heaps of blueseventy's professional athletes competed in the race including Sam Warriner (6th), Annie Warner (9th), Emily Cocks, Clayton Fettell (2nd), Bjorn Anderson (8th), Gavin Anderson (10th), John Dahlz, Josh Hadway, Jimmy Archer and more.

A Big Weekend of Racing

Big Update below on a huge weekend of racing. blueseventy athletes in RED..


Congrats to all our athletes who raced over the weekend .

WILDFLOWER


Jesse Thomas, a 2002 Stanford steeplechaser who is in his first year as a triathlon professional, shocked the men's field with a come-from-behind victory at the 29th Wildflower long course triathlon Saturday. After two second place Wildflower finishes, two-time ITU world champion Leanda Cave held off a strong charge by Mary Beth Ellis by 7 seconds to claim the women's crown at the challenging, classic half Ironman distance test in Monterey County, California.


Men
1. Jesse Thomas

2. Clayton Fettell

3. James Cunnama

4. Matt Lieto

5. Chris Leigh

Women

1. Leanda Cave

2. Mary Beth Ellis

3. Magali Tisseyre

4. Tenille Hoogland

5. Virginia Berasategui

ST CROIX

Catriona Morrison has evidently figured out St. Croix. The Brit has now prevailed three times, this her quickest, only the second woman to break the 4:30 barrier. In so doing, she bested her likely toughest competitor at the 70.3 distance, Mirinda Carfrae. Reigning Ironman world champ Carfrae was 3rd, behind Canadian Angela Naeth in a breakout race.

Ukrainian Maksym Kriat has found moving from short course to 70.3 racing to his liking. Last year's Mooseman and 70.3 Augusta winner nailed down his biggest career victory, besting Luke Bell who lead from the water in blueseventy helix and for the majority of the race.

Men

1. Maksym Kriat (UKR): 4:11:43

2. Luke Bell (AUS): 4:11:59

3. Richie Cunningham (AUS): 4:15:50

4. Patrick Evoe (USA): 4:15:51

5. Alessandro Degasperi (ITA): 4:16:24

6. Romain Guillaume (FRA): 4:24:31

7. Gabriel Raff (ARG) 4:29:03 (M25-29)

Women

1. Catriona Morrison (GBR): 4:29:28

2. Angela Naeth (CAN): 4:32:07

3. Mirinda Carfrae (AUS): 4:36:01

4. Leslie Patterson (GBR): 4:39:09

5. Kate Major (AUS): 4:41:33

6. Amy Marsh (USA): 4:52:31

7. Jacqui Gordon (USA): 4:59:24

IRONMAN AUSTRALIA

It's the biggest win of Pete Jacobs' career and oh how Jacobs would've liked to have it with countryman Craig Alexander in the field. But the 2-time Hawaiian Ironman champion was a late scratch due to a persistent cold, so Jacobs will have to wait another day to win an IM with Crowie trying to run him down..

But Crowie's pull-out didn't mean Jacobs could coast—New Caledonian Patrick Vernay was seeking his fourth Aus IM title here at Port Macquarie.

But Jacobs built too big a lead, outriding a very strong cyclist in Vernay on a slow and windy day. Jacobs had to survive a charging Vernay today, and his 2:58:46 marathon was just enough and a little more.

Caroline Steffen was likewise winless at this distance before this weekend. It appeared here chances were in jeopardy—twice—with flat tires, but whenever she had two tires full of air she methodically pulled away from challengers. In the end she won comfortably.

Men

1. Pete Jacobs (AUS): 8:29:28

2. Patrick Vernay (New Caledonia): 8:35:50

3. Jason Shortis (AUS): 8:46:07

4. Scott Neyedli (Scotland): 8:47:16
5. Courtey Ogden (AUS): 8:49:56

Women

1. Caroline Steffen (AUS): 9:29:54

2. Amelia Pearson (AUS): 9:38:23

3. Kirsten Molloy (AUS): 9:43:55

4. Nicole Ward (AUS): 9:49:23

5. Erin Spitler (USA): 10:08:33

70.3 PORT MACQUARIE

Athletes chasing Ironman Hawaii qualification points—most of them Australians—had to think strategically this weekend. Race the Port Macquarrie 70.3 and recover quickly, or go for the gusto at the longer race. Many chose the half-distance, no doubt in some part due to the difficulty in earning sufficient points at the full distance race.

Consequently, the 70.3 boasted a field almost as good as did the full. Early leader Bryan Rhodes lead from the water in his blueseventy helix but got caught by Joe Gambles who hammered the bike and never looked back, holding off a closing Tim Berkel to take the win. Ageless Kiwi Cam Brown came home third.

Lawn pummeled the ladies in all three legs, posting the fastest swim, bike and run splits. Aussie Madeleine Oldfield had a balanced race to finish second, near enough to taste the lead all day long but never close enough to get it.

Men

1. Joe Gambles (AUS): 3:58:15

2. Tim Berkel (AUS): 4:01:40

3. Cameron Brown (NZL): 4:03:22

4. Christian Kemp (AUS): 4:04:11

5. Tim Reed (AUS): 4:04:54

Bryan Rhodes was first from the water, finishing 7th overall.

Women

1. Joanna Lawn (NZL) 4:29:36

2. Madeleine Oldfield (AUS) 4:37:24

3. Michelle Wu (AUS) 4:41:10

4. Belinda Granger (AUS) 4:43:53

5. Elly Franks (AUS) 5:00:31

Challenge Fuerteventura

Ramus Henning proved too strong at Challenge Fuerteventura leading out of the water and then holding off a strong Martin Jensen for the win.

The women's race was also close with local athlete and Spanish Long Distance Champoin Eva Ledesma finally breaking away on the run to take first place in 4:47:14, two minutes ahead of Erika Csomor ( HUN) who came in in 4:49:19. Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) rounded out the podium in 4:53:28.

Playitas Challenge Fuertventura is the latest event in the global Challenge Family  http://www.challenge-family.com/

Men's Results

1. Rasmus Henning (DEN) 4:12:59 First from the Water

2. Martin Jensen (DEN) 4:14:01

3. Stephen Bayliss (GBR) 4:14:33

4. Jons Djurback (SWE) 4:15:59

5. Daniel Halksworth (GBR) 4:16:18

Women's Results

1. Eva Ledesma (SPA 4:47:14

2. Erika Csomor (HUN) 4:49:19

3. Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) 4:53:28

4. Emma Ruth Smith (GBR) 4:57:35

5. Sonja Jaasveld (NED) 5:05:35

Feed back, VERY welcome

Had to post this one, 


It's always great to hear your product is bringing people joy and Simon is definitely having a good time using the nero TX. 




 "For me, the Nero TX Jammers are the best i've used.  The fit is nigh-on perfect meaning the compression is brilliant - consistent all-over the garment - giving the feeling of increased power and streamlining through the water.  The overall build quality of the Jammers is second-to-none, solid and sturdy but still with enough movement for all smimming strokes.  I wouldn't go back to using any other brand"


The World is swimming faster in blueseventy'  'Simon is swimming faster in blueseventy'

Busy people at Total Fittness bath report

Big thanks to Sarah from TFB, Plus our athletes for keeping us udated, Mark , Nick, and Chris cheers guys.

Calne Aquathlon, UK

Chris was looking forward to an easy race today at the Calne Aquathlon, but unfortunately he let it slip to Doug and myself.  We both popped in our last minute entries and rocked up for a team show down!!!!

Ok, so we didn't quite get the 1, 2, 3 we were hoping for, but we weren't far off.  I won with a new course record, Doug won best hair/beard combo, and Chris won fastest man wearing blueseventy hat.

Nick Beer ( The Travel Machine ) Racing in South America 

After a 19 hour flight, a stop off in Sau Paulo, I finally arrived in Santiago. With my bike bag that thankfully made it safely and in one piece, I caught a taxi to my apartment in Las Condes (the exclusive area of Santiago). My apartment was on the 17th floor and the view was outstanding. Looking to my left I could see all of Santiago and to my right, the snow cover Andes - a perfect where to relax before the first race.

The race started and about 60 athletes sprinted into the sea. A choppy and rough swim played into my hands and I came out the water as one of leading guys (5th) and was on the lead pack. The tough, hilly course caused no problems for me and I felt great. Riding up the climb with confidence and with ease; I was a different athlete. The descent cost me dearly, but practising my bike skills will solve this issue and I will be a much more competent cyclist very quickly. On to the run for the first time, in a long time - I felt great! Pushing all the way to the line and overtaking numerous amounts of athletes on my 10 km destruction path; I ended the race feeing incredibly confident and with the fastest run with a time of 32.06min, which included a 15 sec penalty. The 450m hill each lapped only aided my run and I knew, after the week I have had since my first race, I was back and now is the time that things will start happening.

Where there is a wheel there is a way !

The clock is ticking

We are almost a week away from traveling to Florida for the big race...and I am so excited, but of course nervous, as any athlete would be with any major event that is taking place. A lot of people have asked me over the past couple months, "How are you doing?"...I would be lying if I said that I am not a bit nervous, but the outpouring of support has helped in so many ways. This has truly been an incredible journey with my two "crazy bozos" and is going to be an incredible expereince come race day 05.01.11!!!

I feel nervous because I have never done anything like this before. Training for this event has been a roller coaster. Some days I feel in control, then other days, completely out of control. At the end of the day, I am 100% confident about the equipment...and most of all my brothers' strength and ability. It's awesome to say that I will become a triathlete after next weekend. Hats off to Evan and Brent, and a host of others who have made this experience incredible.


Below is a picture that I took from my wheelchair on my way home from work the other day...I often think about what drives me in life. This picture, to me, symbolizes how a dream can become a reality. As well as how an athlete is born. Thank you for your continued support and we'll see ya at the finish line!

-Kyle

need more Inspiration? check out Kyle's website http://www.race.kylepease.org and become inspired. Anythings possible, these three brothers are proof of that.

Fast Wetsuit Technique with Rasmus Henning

Our man Rasmus Henning shares his tips for a quick and stress free Helix fitting. With a personal best of 7:52:36 at the Ironman distance you might to listen!

Latest update from Rasmus after two back-to-back 2nd place finishes at the 70.3 distance: Starting to feel like I'm actually in charge of my own body again after two weeks feeling like a disillutioned 80-year-old!

Luke Mckenzie reports from New Orleans

NOT SO EASY IN THE BIG EASY!!


I was really excited to be racing the New Orleans Ironman 70.3 for the first time. On paper it looked like it ticked all the boxes for me as a race that would suit my strengths. Typically a non-wetsuit swim with a big wade in and out of the water. A flat, open, windy ride with a few short power climbs on the bike and finishing with a one way run into the city in hot, humid conditions. Well, we pretty much ended up getting none of those for Sundays race!

I arrived at transition about 1.5hrs before race start to hear the news that the swim had been cancelled due to rough water. What? Surely it can't be that bad? I went and had a look for myself and was actually pretty disappointed the race directors had made that decision. It really wasn't as bad as they were making out and I felt at least the pro's could have swum. I understand the age group athletes and the safety issue but really, we are professional and anyone lining up could have handled those conditions. Considering we were racing for prize money and valuable Kona qualification points it didn't sit well with me we were now racing a duathlon.

So the initial buzz was it was going to be a run/bike/run, something I definitely wasn't looking forward to. A short first run at the beginning on a hard 90km TT would be torture and I was relieved that the end decision was to make it a bike/run as voted by the athletes. The plan was to send us off at 30 second intervals based on our race number from lowest to highest, so being number 7 (number 1 Andy Potts didn't race) I was off about 3 minutes behind the "rabbit" Terenzo Bozzone. I was actually looking forward to this new format and with some strong riders ahead and behind me it was going to be a real test.

My start was perfect and I settled into a nice rhythm early to the first turn-a-round at about 5km. Only problem was I saw my minute man Tim O'Donnell come past in the other direction and I thought "OK not long till the turn" but as I got to the turn still no Richie Cunningham who had started only 30 seconds ahead? Approaching the turn-a-round sign I see Richie had overshot it and was a few hundred meters further down the road. This created a moment of confusion for me and I too over shot the turn by 10-20 meters having to jam on my brakes in the process. Almost starting from a full standstill I took off back on course now but soon realized my rear brake was rubbing on my Zipp disc wheel. Damn! The force of the heavy braking must have made the brake move enough to be hitting my wheel? Now going into a full blown headwind I seemed to be going nowhere. I knew after we had passed our starting point there was a series of short climbs over bridges with a quick decent on the each side and I thought if I can make it to that I could stop on the down grade of the bridge to move my brake and then quickly regain momentum on the slope. Once I reached the first bridge I quickly stopped and moved my brake off the wheel and I instantly felt my pedal stoke was much easier. Great, I was still holding off Paul Matthews who had started 30 seconds behind me and I was back in a good rhythm. Only 5km later I heard the noise of a disc wheel coming up behind me and I turned around expecting to see Paul. I thought, considering I overshot the first turn and had a quick stop to fix my brake that wouldn't be so bad. To my horror I looked to my right to see TJ Tollakson! He had started a full 90 seconds behind me! He had made up 1.5 minutes in less than 20km!!! That rattled me. I thought "wow, I must not be riding as well as I thought"? My power and speed seemed to be at good numbers and I was feeling good. Maybe I wasn't pushing hard enough, or maybe he was an an exception day? Within a few seconds TJ had passed me and I found he had also dragged both Paul and Richie up to me so now we had four guys riding together. I though "OK, you are going to have to sit with this group and once we hit the tail wind on the way home to the finish you are going to have to make your move to regain time. That proved way more difficult than I thought!

Not long after we were about to make a right turn down a street and with TJ in the lead I followed him presuming he was on course. Wrong! ANOTHER missed turn! The police officer on the corner was pointing down the wrong street and both TJ and I had to quickly corrected our course and worked to catch back up to Paul and Richie. To tell you the truth I was now getting extremely frustrated that my day was not going to plan. I found myself thinking "I hate these races directors for canceling the swim" and a lot of other negative thoughts rather than brushing them off and concentrating on my ride. I was annoyed I didn't seem to have the level of riding I had about a month ago in Abu Dhabi and San Juan and I was thinking all I want to do is be over with this bike so we could run. It definitely wasn't the right frame of mind to be racing with on this day!

At around 55km Sebastian Kienle of Germany came past me like a motor bike, yet another blow. I was doing the math and figured he must have started at least 5 minutes behind me. His riding was impressive and he clearly was the leader on the road by several minutes. I salvaged a little towards the end of the bike feeling strong again and getting back to a better head space. I was determined to have a solid run. I got off the bike with Massimo Cigana who had caught up about 2 minutes on me and I knew I had to outrun him and hopefully catch a few more guys ahead to finish in the money (top 8). It was really hard trying to figure where you layed in the placings as we ran though the city center park. There were a few little out and back sections where we could see the competition. Trying to do the math in your head to see if you were up or down on time to the rest of the field was proving hard. I got stronger and stronger as the run progress and after having only Paul Matthews run past me on his way to the second fastest run split and moving back ahead of Massimo I felt I was in contention for a decent finish. I caught Tim O'Donnell on the finish line so I knew I had taken back at least one place there. Now it was a matter of waiting and seeing how the guys behind had faired. Within about 10 minutes the final results seemed to be set. Sebastian Kienle had absolutely crushed the field, Paul Amey had secured second and Paul Matthews and ran his way from around 10th all the way to 3rd place (an amazing effort!) My bike ride had definitely cost me. With 4th-15th place all within 4 minutes I had finished in a very disappointing 13th place. Definitely no where near my expectation but I figured in an altered format taking away my swim advantage one I would have to cop on the chin.

New Orleans on a whole was a fun experience. We had a great afternoon after the race with the K-Swiss crew and fellow sponsored athletes. We had a Crawfish boil and met lot's of interesting local characters. Then we ended the night in the French Quarter checking out Bourbon Street. It was really great fun having my mum and dad there to share the weekend and see me race in the US for the first time (excluding Hawaii). I definitely want to return to the race in the future but in the hope that it will be a triathlon!

We have just landed in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and I am looking forward to locking down a solid month of training here leading into my next race, Ironman Texas.

Swim Smooth Arm Length and Stroke rate

Paul Newsome from SwimSmooth uses Pro triathletes and blueseventy athletes Kate Bevilaqua and Guy Crawford to demonstrate how arm length and stroke rates relate to individuals in the water

For more info on Swim Smooth see  www.swimsmooth.com

Swimmers Shine at IBSA World Championships

North Shore’s  and blueseventy athlete Daniel Holt, ( featured above )Daniel Sharp (Hamilton) and Mary Fisher (Wellington) were outstanding performers in the pool as they scooped up three gold, five silver and three bronze medals in the IBSA World Championships which finished 10 April.

Sharp improved his own world record in the Men’s SB13 50m Breaststroke 30.87 secs, improving the record he set back in 2008 by 0.5 secs. Second placed Russian Mikhail Zimin was also under the world record. Sharp also won the Men’s 100m Breaststroke; silver in the Men’s 200m Breaststroke (2:36.80) and Men’s 50m Freestyle (25.21secs); and bronze in the Men’s 100m Freestyle (56.55 secs).

Holt’s performance in the 200m event was particularly exciting, with Holt coming from behind to win. He swam in third place behind two Russians for the majority of the race. Holt closed the gap at the final turn and increased his pace – at 25 metres to go Holt broke into the lead, finishing with a personal best of 2:02:43. This time smashed his existing New Zealand record by a full six seconds and set a new Oceanic record – he was just 0.22 secs outside the world record. His father Phil Holt (printdigital.co.nz) said that he was “…surprised and delighted, particularly since this wasn’t his specialty event.” Holt’s also won two silver medals – in men’s 400m freestyle (4:23.55) and the men’s 200m individual medley (2:31.59).

Completing the 11 medal haul was Mary Fisher of Wellington with silver in the 200 m freestyle and two bronze medals (100m Fly and 50m Backstroke). Fisher posted a string of personal bests, a credit to her new coach and venue.

Full details are a bit sketchy as communications have been poor – no doubt we’ll get the full picture when the team arrives back in New Zealand on Wednesday 13 March.

Full results:

Medals / times

Daniel Holt (SB13) Gold Men’s 200m Freestyle (2:02.43)

Daniel Holt (SB13) Silver Men’s 400m Freestyle (4:23.55)

Daniel Holt (SB13) Silver Men’s 200m Medley (2:31.59)

Daniel Sharp (SB13) Gold Men’s 50m Breaststroke (30.87secs)

Daniel Sharp (SB13) Gold Men’s 100m Breaststroke (1:08.41secs)

Daniel Sharp (SB13) Silver Men’s 200m Breaststroke (2:36.80)

Daniel Sharp (SB13) Silver Men’s 50m Freestyle (25.21secs)

Daniel Sharp (SB13) Bronze Men’s 100m Freestyle (56.55 secs)

Mary Fisher (SB12) Silver Women’s 200m Freestyle (2:39.48)

Mary Fisher (SB12) Bronze Women’s 100m Fly (1:20.54)

Mary Fisher (SB12) Bronze Women’s 50m Backstroke (38.46 secs)

Other places / times

Daniel Holt (SB13) 6^th Men’s 100m Freestyle (58.47 secs)

Mary Fisher (SB12) 4^th Women’s 400m Freestyle (5:31.33)

Mary Fisher (SB12) 5^th Women’s 200m Medley (2:57.46)

Mary Fisher (SB12) 5^th Women’s 50m Freestyle (32.52)

Mary Fisher (SB12) 4^th Women’s 50m Fly (34.55)

Mary Fisher (SB12) 4^th Women’s 100m Backstroke (1:23.01)

Mary Fisher (SB12) 7^th Women’s 100m Freestyle (1:13.22)

Big shout out to all our swimmers competing at the IBSA World Champs , we're proud of you all. 

70.3 New Orleans

About an hour before the race the athletes received word that the Ironman 70.3 New Orleans would be a triathlon without any swimming. High winds on Lake Pontchartrain were to blame. Instead of a collective dive into the water, the athletes started a 90k individual time trial with a 30 second-interval, followed by a half marathon.
With 750 valuable points on the line for the pro's this format was going to hurt the stronger swimmers of the field such as Dirk Bockel, Luke McKenzie , and Paul Matthews to mention a few.

Athletes getting ready for there bike-run combo

With high winds, Sebastian Kienle’s explosive 2:02:19 bike split rocketed him to a dominating victory, while Julie Dibens’ race-best 2:15:16 bike gave her all of her 76-second margin of victory over blueseventys own Samantha Warriner at what became virtually the Ironman 69.1 New Orleans.


After his race best bike performance, Kienle’s 5th-best 1:14:26 run was enough to hold off two-time ITU duathlon world champion Amey’s fastest 1:12:17 half-marathon and  blueseventy's Paul Matthews’ second-best 1:13:21 run . Kienle hit the finish of the shortened event in 3:18:08 with Amey exactly 5 minutes behind and Matthews 7:16 in arrears. 


Big congrats to all those who finished in tough windy conditions. Until the next time ...
Fingers crossed we get wet at the next one. 


RESULTS

Elite Men

1. Sebastian Kienle (GER) 3:18:08
2. Paul Amey (GBR) 3:23:08
3. Paul Matthews (AUS) 3:25:24
4. Richie Cunningham (AUS) 3:25:54
5. Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) 3:26:16
6. Dirk Bockel (LUX) 3:26:22
7. Axel Zeebroek (BEL) 3:27:15
8. Matthew Russell ( ) 3:27:24
9. Trevor Wurtele (CAN) 3:28:01
10. Kyle Leto (USA) 3:28:11

Elite Women

1. Julie Dibens (GBR) 3:40:15
2. Samantha Warriner (NZL) 3:41:31
3. Yvonne Van Vlerken (NED) 3:44:30
4. Linsey Corbin (USA) 3:46:19
5. Tine Deckers (BEL) 3:46:23
6. Heather Jackson (USA) 3:48:32
7. Uli Bromme (USA) 3:48:56
8. Sonja Tajsich (GER) 3:50:00
9. Sofie Goos (BEL) 3:52:11
10. Amy Kloner (USA) 3:53:09

busy weekend

Cameron Dye wins the Lifetime Fitness South Beach Triathlon

If last weekend is any indicator the 2011 triathlon season is definitely here. The always exciting ITU World Championships Series got underway in Sydney while Chrissie Wellington broke long distance records in South Africa. The dominant University of Colorado Triathlon Team repeated at USAT Collegiate National Championships and blueseventy is happy to be supporting three of the top five collegiate clubs. U.S. 70.3 Pro Championships took place in Texas with Chris Lieto taking a very deserving win while our man Rasmus Henning backed up an impressive second place at Oceanside 70.3 with a another strong second place in Texas. Scotland's Cat Morrison, a multiple Duathlon World Champion and blueseventy athlete, took control on the run and was first women across the finish line in Texas. But the performance of the weekend has to go to Cameron Dye. Why? Well he did beat the likes of Andy Potts, Filip Ospaly, Michael Weiss and Andrew Yoder at the Lifetime Fitness South Beach Triathlon, but that's not the real reason. More importantly Cam found out that he is soon to be a father! That is one way to back up a win! We wish Cam and Natalie the best and of course fast racing this season! Hey, he's off to a good start!

Cat Morrison wins 70.3 Texas

blueseventy is proud to announce that Sara McLarty has joined the team in 2011. Sara was first female and fourth pro, male or female, out of the Atlantic on Sunday in South Beach. She finished 7th in the pro division. A former Gator swimmer and Olympic Trails qualifier we're super stoked to have an athlete of Sara's caliber racing in our product and providing crucial feedback on how to improve our wetsuit and swim skins. She's also organizing a 2 mile swim in central Florida slated for April 23rd. Click here for more information on the first annual Swim Across Minneola.

And finally we'd like to send a congratulations to Blaire Johnson of Florida who won our Get Balanced Facebook sweepstakes. She was the lucky winner of an Axis wetsuit. Her response: "I can't even tell you how excited I am to have been announced the winner of the wetsuit. I was in an aquarium shop buying some new plants and fishies for my tank at home, when I recieved the notification email; I let out a huge squeal and bounced in circles." Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter feeds for more upcoming contests for your chance to win!

Get Balanced!

We had such a blast spreading the good word about balanced buoyancy at last weekend's 70.3 Oceanside that we decided to award one lucky winner $1,000 of a blueseventy pro kit (wetsuit, warm ups, apparel, swim wear, transition bag, goggles, gear, swag, etc.). Above you can see the video featuring Thomas Johnson of Tri Club San Diego and blueseventy's Naomi Fergusson & Dean Jackson where we announced Kevin O'Neil as the winner! Kevin stopped by the booth, tried on some suits, entered the contest and went on his merry way. His response when we notified him: "This was completely unexpected." Be sure to stop by the blueseventy booth at select Ironman and 70.3 events this year for the opportunity to enter another giveaway!
Tri4Japan is a charity established by Mike Trees to help the people of Kamaishi, a town in Japan devastated by the recent earthquake and tsunami. We've been moved by Mike's cause and we wanted to help support him & Tri4Japan in Oceanside. We asked our athlete Rasmus Henning to come up on stage and along with Eric Gilsenan we auctioned off an Axis Wetsuit. It was a great opportunity to notify the public about Tri4Japan and help raise money for the cause. The $550 Axis started at $100 and was eventually auctioned off for $330! To learn more about Tri4Japan and to donate visit www.tri4japan.com

After a successful weekend and exciting race (Potts vs. Rasmus! Carfrae vs. Heather Jackson!) we're so pumped that the 2011 race season has kicked off we can't wait until the next event to raffle off another prize so we decided to launch a giveaway exclusively through our Facebook page. Enter at facebook.com/blueseventy for your chance to win!