Suunto triathlete, Andy Potts held is own this past weekend at the Coeur d'Alene Ironman prevailing over some stiff competition. This is Potts' first triathlon outside of Hawaii, and he lived up to the pre-race hype by securing the title and podium win. Potts, a former Olympian and ITU competitor, continued to show is transition speed after getting out of the water 30 seconds behind John Flanagan. By the time he got on his bike after the swim, he had gained back the deficit all but three seconds and pulled away from Flanagan in the beginning miles of the 112 mile bike ride. By the end of the bike, Potts was still in the lead by more than seven minutes. Potts continued to dominate the run and finished his Ironman in 8:24:54. A big win for Potts and Suunto is proud!
It's not always how you place, but rather what you're taught during a race. That's according to pro triathlete and Suunto athlete Jenny Fletcher who recently competed at the Coteau-du-Lac ITU Triathlon.
From Jenny's Blog: As the old saying goes, "For every two steps forward there's always one back," sums up my second attempt at the ITU (International Triathlete Union) circuit. I've made a lot of progress in my training, however that doesn't always immediately translate onto the race course. At first it can be discouraging but I know this journey is a building process. I haven't met a single pro triathlete that says their first year was a breeze, especially in the ITU circuit. Most of them said they've either got lapped out or DQ'd at some point. I breathe a sigh of relief, not because it makes me really feel any better but because I know deep down I am doing all the right stuff in training and it WILL all come together!
Read all about diving into a boiling cauldron of flailing limbs and the rest of Jenny's tri adventure from last weekend by clicking here.
Big week for Suunto! We globally launched a NEW fitness watch for those looking to get fit, lose weight or receive personal training. The much-anticipated Suunto Moves-Series comes with a dual heart rate monitor to provide guidance, monitor activity, inspire, motivate and turn measured data into personal recommendations and training plans. The M-Series works as a personalized training tool to guide you every step of the way making workouts fun, easy and motivational. The M-Series answers questions about how hard to train, how long and when--a perfect complement to Suunto's new fitness social media site, Movescount.com. This site is a social gathering place for users to share information and connect globally with like-minded fitness enthusiasts.
"We’re pleased to offer a range of stylish training watches designed specifically for those looking for guidance,” says Matt Kaplan, Vice President and Business Director of Suunto North America. “The M-series is a truly personalized system to help our users meet their workout goals.”
The Suunto M5 provides the most complete multi-sport fitness and recovery partner. The M5 shows when the user has fully recovered from the previous workout and can safely complete the next high-impact workout. The M5 comes equipped with a Suunto Dual Comfort Belt, is compatible with Suunto Fitness Solution, track speed and distance with optional PODS, upload exercise data onto Movescount.com and can download custom workouts from Movescount.com.
The Suunto M4 guides the user through a seven-day training program with unique goal-setting ability and feedback. Taking the user’s iindividual goals into consideration, the M4 training program is designed to improve aerobic condition. The M4 comes with a Suunto Dual Comfort Belt, is compatible with Suunto Fitness Solution and exercise date can upload into Movescount.com.
The Suunto M2 provides essential features for customized guidance. Users are able to get real-time feedback on their progress. The M2 ensures that the user is working out in the ideal zone for burning calories. The M2 comes with Suunto Dual Comfort Belt and is compatible with Suunto Fitness Solution.
Considering Suunto is the official timing sponsor and huge fan of the very popular Ragnar Relay race series, it seemed appropriate to participate in the challenge ourselves when the race came to our town. The Ragnar Relay has experienced dramatic growth nationwide and is quickly becoming one of the most popular 24-hour race--and now we have first-hand experience! By "we," we mean the office folks--not competitive Suunto athletes.
The Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back was this past weekend and Suunto employees and friends joined together in a 12-person team to run 188 miles in the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. Courtney Vermaas, Marketing Coordinator for Suunto USA, efficiently organized our group and recruited Suunto PR folks from Montana, other AMER departments (Atomic) and local Ogden friends to race. I'm sure at times, she felt as if herding cats would have been easier, but we all managed to make it to SLC and successfully run the race. With two vans leap-frogging over 188 miles of paved and dirt roads in Utah's back country, during a 24-hour period it made cheering on and providing water to the runners a full time job--little time for sleep. Running through rural Utah during the witching hours of the night, which are usually slated for sleep, and seeing creatures eyes light up in the headlamp led to some funny memories and good laughs! But, overall no major mishaps or disasters occurred.
The race began in Logan, UT with a fantastic finish at The Canyons in Park City, UT. The Suunto co-ed team finished 68th out of 658 co-ed teams! Our official time was 28: 31:05. Not bad for our first year and is motivation to race again next year! The Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back is the original Ragnar Relay and draws a huge crowd--this year more than 1050 teams participated in the event.
Thanks Ragnar for a fantastic race and we'll see you next year!
Conrad Stoltz is definitely in the zone with an impressive 4th XTERRA East Championship win on Brown's Island in Richmond,Virginia this past weekend. A classic hot, humid day didn't seem to bother "The Caveman" as he chocked up the 2nd fastest swim time in the heat, controlled the fasted bike split, and delivered the fastest 10K time of the day. The tall South African seems to like competing in VA because this was Stoltz's fifth win in six years.
“Since I finished high school in 1991 I’ve been racing professionally so I’ve had basically 18 summers back-to-back, so I’m familiar with the heat,” said Stoltz. “I’m not great in the heat, though, so I have to prepare for it, which mean’s pacing and never going too hard in the swim, bike or run. The whole race I had to pull back a little bit, pull back a little, and make sure I had some energy left for the run.” By midway through the bike Stoltz’ biggest threat was coming from his hometown of Stellenbosch in the form of 25-year-old Dan Hugo. Hugo, making his 2010 U.S. debut (he won Xterra South Africa back in February), was riding and running strong and all by himself in second place for most of the day.
Congratulations to The Caveman! Here are the top ten results of the Men's race:
PRO MEN 1. Conrad Stoltz 1:46:28 2. Dan Hugo 1:47:39 3. Josiah Middaugh 1:50:40 4. Seth Wealing 1:52:16 5. Craig Evans 1:55:40 6. Brandon Rakita 1:55:49 7. Will Kelsay 1:56:20 8. Trevor Glavin 1:57:29 9. Cody Waite 1:58:33 10. Kevin Carter 1:58:55
Another exciting weekend for Suunto athlete, Jenny Fletcher. Jenny competed well in the Elkhart Lake Triathlon in Wisconsin and came out with a 2nd place podium finish.
Here is recap from the race from Jenny: I just wanted to give a quick race result on the race I did in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin! Great race! A gorgeous lake swim, a hilly 28 mile bike course, and a hilly run. Definitely my kind of race!The swim is coming along and I had the 2nd fastest swim time! My goal was to get on someones feet in the swim and I was happy to catch the guy I had my eyes on! The bike is becoming my strength and I had the fastest bike time. Maybe more non-draft races are in my future! For a hilly course that was a few miles longer, I knew this is where I could gain some time! At mile 5, I took the lead and from there it was all about making the gap bigger! The run I had the 3rd fastest time! Not by best run, but I am happy with my finish! Unfortunately I was passed in the last mile... But I will give Gwen (the winner) credit for she ran a 33:45. She had the fastest run, even over the men!Overall, I am totally thrilled with my 2nd place finish!Next up, another try at the ITU circuit! I have Coteau Du Lac on June 26th. A continental cup in Quebec!!Thanks for supporting me as always!
Good job Jenny! And good luck next week in Canada.
It's three wins in three XTERRA triathlons! Conrad "The Caveman" Stoltz is on a vicious winning streak and secured a win last weekend at the XTERRA Southeast Championships. Winning his 3rd XTERRA Championship this year makes Stoltz undefeated this season. The weekend proved to be very hot with a technical bike course. He used his 29'er bike with wider tires to handle the bumpy, fast, rooty ride.
From Stoltz's blog: "On a bumpy course like this the bigger tires ride better. They have a bigger contact patch with the ground that gives you better traction. You don’t have to brake as much so you can keep your momentum rolling. It’s like an extra suspension, and because it’s so smooth you don’t get as tired.”
Stoltz commanded the entire race finishing 2 1/2 minutes faster than the second place finisher.
An excerpt from Competitor Magazine detailing the hot conditions: It was the hottest weekend of the year here in the South with temps in the mid-90’s and humidity that made it feel even hotter.It was so warm that Stoltz, who won his third straight on the 2010 XTERRA America Tour and fourth in a row here in Shelby County, put ice cubes under his swim cap before the race got started.
Congratulations Caveman! We look forward to your next XTERRA Atlantic Cup 0n June 20th in Richmond, VA.
This past weekend, two superstar Suunto athletes, Matty Reed and Andy Potts competed well in the Rev3 Tri and the K-Swiss Ironman 70.3 in Kansas, respectively.
Matty Reed came out strong in the swim and bike to finish up at a very respectable 3rd place podium finish with Craig Alexander winning and Terenzo Bozzone earning 2nd place. Dominating the tri-scene since the 90's, Reed, known as "Boom Boom" is a dominant force and fared well against stiff competition.
Reed's twitter feed during the race kept us all informed--here are a few quotes of the race and weekend from @boomboomreed and his Facebook page:
Was a tough day out there today. Gave it what I had on the day and for that I am pleased. Amazing race and got beat by two champions.
At the airport headed home. Hard as Hell race today. Beaten by two Champs! Thanks @rev3 great Event!
Good job Matty!
Andy Potts also competed well this past weekend at the K-Swiss Ironman 70.3 Kansas event. After setting a new course record in the swim, Potts battled hard against Chris Lieto til the bitter end, but ended up with a 2nd place finish. Also an active twitter feed (@Andy_Potts) kept fans informed of the race.
Back on the Podium! After setting a new swim course record, Andy races to a solid second place finish at IM 70.3 Kansas.
Our friends over at Salomon Running are busy these days. One of Salomon's extreme trail runners, Kilian Jornet is currently running across the Pyrenees! Last year, Kilian was crowned the World Mountain Running Champion and double winner of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in addition to crushing a "regular" competition season. Kilian is currently crossing the Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. In total that is 700 km (435 miles) and close to 40000m (131000) in just seven days. That breaks down to a daily average of 100K!
The journey began on May 31st and is set to finish on June 6th. Kilian and his support team are doing very well, but have found some unexpected snow in the high country, causing them to alter the route and take different trails. Kilian and the Salomon support crew have added an additional day to the plan due to snow. Here's the most incredible part--this entire feat is just a Kilian's training regimen for the U.S. Western States Endurance Run--only two weeks after his quest across the Pyrenees.
Kilian has met hundreds of supporters along the way from Spain and France. Kilian is set to break the current World Record of 12 days for running across the Pyrenees. Breaking the record isn't the top priority for him, though. He says he is just glad to be home in his childhood mountains and experiencing the run at all levels.
Conrad Stoltz is on fire this season--most recently exemplified by winning the XTERRA South Central Championship in Waco, TX last weekend. He chocked up his second win of the season in a definitive victory in the hot, humid conditions. Known as "The Caveman," Stoltz switched it up at the finish by sporting a Texas-sized cowboy hat.
Here is an excerpt of his thoughts on how the race went:
"Today, I was feeling much better and I loved this course. It has 300 turns and twists and a ton of sharp uphills and it suits my power.”
Finishing 3:05 minutes ahead of the second of runner-up, Josiah Middaugh of Vail, CO, it seems as if Stoltz is just getting better and better as the season processes.
