Movescount.com Features Update

Award-winning Movescount.com, powered by Suunto, is the first and only sporting social network that allows you to track your workouts and interact with other athletes. We are dedicated to making the site better and better every day and we think the following updates will make the site better than ever.

Greatest Moves
If you're an active sports person, you may have noticed that your coolest Moves may not be visible in your public profile for quite as long as you'd like. Not anymore! Now you can select up to five Moves per year that you can highlight in your profile. It can be a marathon run or a nice hike up in the mountains with a lot of photos, whatever you choose! You are able to name each great Move, which are then shown with their notes, shouts and thumbs in your public profile.



Easy Move adding
You can now add Moves more quickly directly on your scoreboard. This is a small change but should make a big difference!



Tag cloud
As you already know, you can add tags to your Moves. Now you can search for Moves based on these tags. This way, you can easily find all the Moves you have done in your favorite climbing place, with your best friend or with specific gear. The options are limitless!



Embed top 10 group members
Want to promote your team in your blog or website? Now you can use the '10 most active members current month' element on another website. It's just as simple as adding a Youtube video on another website. You could add the ten most active members list to your blog, fitness club homepage or team's own website. We will add similar functionality for individual members during the next month so soon you'll be able to promote your idol or, even better, yourself!



Front page
The front page has been updated as well. Now, as you are enter the site, you will see the most liked members, moves, routes and groups. Here you are able to click any of these and get a better idea of what is happening in your area.



Other improvements
The .kml route uploads have been made more robust and Moveslink has been enhanced to handle exceptional cases better. The training programs are now also visible in the calendar, so you are able quickly see what was planned for each day.


To join Movescount.com click here.

For more on Suunto and Suunto products visit our website here.

Movescount.com wins Web Association Web Award

Even though Movescount.com, powered by Suunto, has only been around for a short time, it has been making waves among the sporting and social networking worlds. We are thrilled that all our hard work is paying off and Movescount.com was honored with the “Sports Standard of Excellence” Award by Web Marketing Association in its 14^th annual international Web Award Competition. Awards are given to talented individual and team efforts in creating outstanding website development and generate internet marketing exposure for the award winning website. More from the press release:

Movescount.com excelled in categories innovation, content, interactivity and technology. Judges commented the community: “A great sport community website with lots of interesting things to do. Fantastic”.

“The award is great recognition for the Movescount.com, which has been developed in three months from the launch into one of the most inspiring sports solutions in the digital world. The latest development, the innovative social training plan tool, has shown the power of our enthusiastic community. We are still warming up in our exciting hike to our long term vision”, says Janne Kallio, Suunto Digital Marketing Manager.

The Web Marketing Association was founded in 1997 to help set a high standard for Internet marketing and development of the best websites on the World Wide Web. The organization is made up of Internet marketing, online advertising, PR, and top web site design professionals who share an interest in improving the quality of online advertising, internet marketing, and website promotion.

This is very exciting for Movescount.com to be honored like this especially since the site is still so new. We are looking forward to continuing our dedication to bringing the sporting community together with new advances and developments in our site every day.

To join Movescount.com click here.

Conrad Stoltz Wins XTERRA USA Championship

Suunto's Conrad Stoltz has done it again. He tore it up this past weekend at the XTERRA USA Championships winning the race by finishing a full five minutes ahead of the second place finisher, Nicolas Lebrun. Stoltz finished the 1-mile swim, 19-mile mountain bike ride, and 6.5 mile trail run in 2:24:03. Stoltz has won the six-stop XTERRA U.S. Pro Series for the eighth time since 2001.

“I’m really, really surprised with my performance today,” said Stoltz. “I’ve said before that this is the anti-Conrad course because there are 3,000-feet of climbing and not a whole lot of descending, and because I’m 180 pounds it is especially challenging for me, but my legs felt amazing and the Specialized 29’er I was riding was incredible, it just rolled over all the roots and rocks.”

Stoltz’ five-minute margin of victory was by far the most dominating performance in the history of the XTERRA USA Championship race, and his prowess on the mountain bike turned it into a race for second place early on.

It all started with Stoltz one minute behind the swim leaders; amateur Patrick Valentine, and pros Seth Wealing, Branden Rakita, and Dan Hugo. Stoltz not only got that minute back, but put another minute on the field by mile four after the first big climb up Wheeler Canyon. By mile eight he led by three minutes and was absolutely flying when he passed a collection of journalists tracking the race.

When the bike course reached Snowbasin Resort at roughly mile 13 his lead was more than four minutes, and he went into the bike-to-run transition five minutes, 20 seconds up.

“I was really worried about the two mountain men, Josiah Middaugh and Nico Lebrun, because they are such great climbers and had no idea I had such a big lead until I got on the run. When I heard about the gap I was really able to enjoy this run, and savor the beauty of the course,” said Stoltz, who even had the chance to stop and kiss his girlfriend a half-mile before the finish line.

Conrad is the overall point leader in the U.S. for XTERRA this year. For more information on Conrad visit his website here. For more on XTERRA visit their website here.

Suunto Debuts Social Media Lounge at XTERRA USA Championships

Suunto, a global leader in outdoor and fitness wristop computers and official timing sponsor for the 2010 XTERRA Championship series, announces the launch of the Suunto Social Media Lounge co-sponsored by Snowbasin Resort at the Ogden XTERRA USA Triathlon Championships at Snowbasin on September 25^th 2010.

Suunto and Snowbasin invite all spectators and athletes to the Suunto Social Media Lounge to check out race course standings, transition times, upload photos, and update Twitter, Facebook and Movescount. Suunto will offer free public use of its computer stations hooked up to secure wi-fi provided by Snowbasin Resort. The Suunto Social Media Lounge will be set up at the event Expo area at Snowbasin and will be open on Saturday, September 25^th from 10 am to 2 pm.

“The Suunto Social Media Lounge will be a great service for those looking to use the internet to enhance their overall experience at the event,” says Nora Stowell Business Director and Vice President of Suunto USA. “Since the XTERRA USA Championships is in our backyard, we wanted to make people feel at home. We want them to be able to access their training logs on Movescount and to let their friends and family know how they’re doing.”

In celebration of Suunto’s new social media platform, Movescount.com, anyone who signs up for the site at the Suunto Social Media Lounge will be entered into a drawing to win a Suunto M4 watch. Movescount.com is a unique platform that allows anyone who is interested in sports and fitness to manage their moves by uploading, rating, tracking and engaging with other members worldwide

Suunto Announces Partnership with XTERRA Triathlon and Trail Events

Suunto is the official timepiece for the XTERRA triathlon and trail events.

XTERRA chose Suunto as the official timing sponsor due to its long standing tradition in accuracy, precision and support of the sport.

Suunto is providing the official timing support for four key events slated for the remainder of 2010 which include:

September 18^th 2010 — XTERRA Trail Running Nationals, Bend OR,

September 25^th, 2010 – XTERRA USA Championships, Snowbasin Resort, UT

October 24^th, 2010 – XTERRA World Championships, Maui, HI December 5^th, 2010 – XTERRA Trail Run World Championship Oaha, HI,

Suunto athlete and XTERRA powerhouse, Conrad Stoltz, is poised this late triathlon season to take the title again in 2010. Stoltz, a two time Olympian, a three time XTERRA triathlon World Champion, seven time XTERRA USA Series Champion and a career highlighted with 32 XTERRA wins is again lighting up the podium in 2010. Winning every XTERRA race he entered this year, except for one, Stoltz is a dominant presence this fall for the Championship series title.

“Suunto is proud to be the official timing sponsor of the XTERRA Championship series,” says Nora Stowell, Vice President and Business Director of Suunto North America. “Not only is XTERRA an exciting event to be part of, it is great to watch and support Conrad on his quest to secure the title of World and USA XTERRA champion.”

This is exciting news for Suunto! We’re very excited to be right there along all the action. Good luck to Conrad Stoltz and all the other racers!

Karl Meltzer Ponies up for the Red Bull Human Express

On September 15^th, endurance athlete and Suunto user Karl Meltzer embarked on an approximately 2000 mile journey attempting to retrace the steps of the famous Pony Express Trail by foot. Official sponsor Red Bull is calling it the Red Bull Human Express. He will be crossing the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains from Sacramento, California to St. Joseph, Missouri.

Meltzer and his support team (including Suunto friend Matt Hart) are all wearing a Suunto td6 watches to track his progress. You can also follow him along the trail on online on the offical sponsor’s (Red Bull) event website www.redbullusa.com/humanexpress. Matt has also been posting plenty of pictures of Karl’s trek on his Twitter page so you can keep updated.

From the Red Bull Human Express Website:

The Pony Express served as the premier mail service from east to west for 18 months in the 1860s and became the West’s best form of communication prior to the telegraph. While historically, the prairies, plains, deserts and mountains were crossed on horseback, Meltzer will attempt to navigate the more than 2,000 miles on foot through challenging terrain and unpredictable weather. He will rely solely on his wits, athleticism and endurance to push the boundaries of human potential.

Karl writes from his website before he began the journey:

Let the games begin! I’ll be headed out to run approximately 2000ish miles retracing the steps of the Pony Express Trail. This run commemorates the 150^th anniversary of those crazy mailmen on horses, running mail and messages from Sacramento, California to St. Joseph, Missouri. It’ll be a long trek, a true adventure, and a mindboggling expedition. It’s about mental power, dealing with adversity, and simply running all day long. This is a huge challenge for me… and I’m accepting it with open arms. So bring it on!

This is going to be quite the feat! Good luck Karl, we'll be following you!

Full Throttle Endurance Racing Continues To Dominate!

Suunto-sponsored Full Throttle Endurance Racing has had one heck of a season and it doesn’t look like they are going to slow down anytime soon. They are getting ready to defend their 4-time title at the USA Team National Triathlon Championships on October 2nd in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The team has enjoyed some impressive accomplishments recently including Doug Clark's 5^thplace overall finish (1^st American overall) and 3^rd place in the Men’s 40-44 age group at the Triathlon World Championships in Budapest.

Mike Hanson earned a 1^st overall finish at the Vassar Medical Ctr Duathlon with a time of 1:02:45

One week after the USA Team National Championships Doug will be joining Espen Katerras, Allison Lind and Matt Mauclair in Kona, HI for the 2010 Kona Ironman.

Great job Full Throttle Racing and good luck!

Margo Pelligrino Concludes her Paddle the Pacific

Back in July we told you about Suunto enthusiast Margo Pelligrino and her epic journey paddling the Pacific Ocean from Seattle to San Diego in her outrigger canoe. Her trip was an effort with the Blue Frontier Campaign to help bring awareness of Ocean preservation. Her Suunto Lumi was an integral instrument in her trip as she braved the waters of the Pacific this summer. This past weekend Margo successfully paddled her way into the beaches of San Diego bringing her trip to an end. She was all smiles as she was greeted by family and friends. Read the article by Robert J. Hawkins of the San Diego Tribune about her arrival:

The Jersey Shore met Ocean Beach on Sunday morning. Nobody got punched. Nobody got arrested. And no reality TV cameras were on the beach to record this meeting for posterity.

The real reality: Margo Pellegrino, 43, of New Jersey steered her 21-foot Kamano outrigger kayak through the three foot surf and then carried it onto the sand about 30 yards north of the Ocean Beach Pier about 10:40 a.m.

She high-fived her "land crew goddess," June Barnard of San Francisco, and in unison the two of them screamed "No hulis!"

In other words, she didn't dump the outrigger while coming through the surf.

Crazy way to end a two-month solo paddle that started 1,500 miles away in Seattle.

On shore to greet Pellegrino was her husband, Carl; two kids Billy and Julia; and her mom, Judy Howard who summed it all up for the family in her distinctive Jersey accent: "I came here on the plane. It was much faster. I'm very proud of her and my son-in-law."

Just up the beach were about a thousand supporters of clean ocean water, here for the 19th annual Surfrider Foundation Paddle for Clean Water. About 300 of them had braved chilly water and weather to mount their boards at 10:05 a.m. and paddle through the pier for the mile-long loop around the end and back to the beach.

Pellegrino, escorted by a pair of red six-paddle outriggers, was waiting for them off the end of the pier, having just rowed over from Mission Beach. "This is cake," said Pellegrino with an effusive laugh. She had "unofficially" finished her paddle on Saturday, taking the 20-mile Mission Bay to San Diego Harbor swing around Point Loma.

Pellegrino's paddle and the Surfrider event were both about calling attention to ocean polluters. Since 2005 Pellegrino has been long-distance paddling for the cause. Miami to Maine ; New Jersey to Washington, D.C.; Miami to New Orleans; and now, Seattle to San Diego with support from the Blue Frontier Campaign.

"It is amazing. I can't believe I did it. I hate the cold!" said a shivering Pellegrino as she stowed her gear.

The trip itself? "Gnarly, the whole distance. California was sweet. California was sweet," she says. "All my days off were because of events or schedules. It wasn't weather. Oregon and Washington, it was conditions, weather, bar closings ...."

Not that kind of bar closings. Sand bars.

Pellegrino has seen her kids three times since the tour started -- at the Seattle kick-off, at Shelter Cove in Fort Bragg and on Thursday when she paddled into Mission Bay. Husband Carl, who works for the EPA in New Jersey, says they've been in nearly daily contact by satellite phone during the trip.

And her next trip? Pellegrino says whatever it is, she wants her land crew member Barnard in an outrigger along with her. The two were put together by Blue Frontier's founder David Helvarg (author of "50 Ways to Save the Ocean") and they clicked.

"We talked on the phone for 20 minutes and didn't stop laughing, recalls Pellegrino of their first encounter. And they were laughing still on the shore of Ocean Beach. San Francisco and South Jersey bonded in hardship, laughter and a love for the ocean.

"And we'll take Snookie on," teases Pellegrino. "She ain't Jersey!"

Great job Margo, this is an amazing feat!

For more on Margo and her journey visit her website here.

For more on the Blue Frontier Campaign vist their website here.

Jenny Fletcher Turns Out Solid Performance at Nautica Malibu Tri

As her first season as a Pro begins to wrap up, Suunto athlete Jenny Fletcher turns out another solid performance at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon. She competed in the International Pro/Elite category and finished 7^th among the women and 24^th overall with a time of 2:11:22. After a hard race in Chicago, this past weekend went much smoother for Jenny as she produced a great PR during the run section of the Olympic regulation course. She writes from her blog:

Well the season is almost over but the stories and adventures continue. This past weekend was the Nautica Malibu Triathlon. I had about 6 or so miles to go to the finish of the bike segment and had just passed 2 girls and was ready to hammer home as I know these roads so well and know that I can get top speed on the return into Zuma beach... only to hear my front tire let out all the air. In my mind I was thinking... NO NO NOT NOW.... So I sit up and am thinking do I stop... it's only 6 miles should I keep biking??? I am still pedaling not wanting to give up the lead I had just started to accumulate from passing the girls. I struggled to keep pushing the bike to T2... It was flat and should have been easy but my legs were fatiguing out more than on the whole bike course... Everyone's yelling and cheering for me and I breathe a sigh as I make it to T2.... off of the bike and a fast T2 sends me out on the run course. I had decided in my mind that this race I was going to run a positive mental run.. and I desperately wanted another PB. I felt great. My pace was comfortable and I knew I was holding a good turnover. I had a few moments where I went into my slowing the pace down for no apparent reason but said to myself.... "not today... today I run because I know I was born to run and be fast"... and so I do. I run and I focus on relaxing and keeping close pace to Ave (One of the athletes I train with from Siri's squad)... It actually felt good to be so positive in the run and hold the pace I was holding.... and "YES" I was surprised that running fast in a race felt as good as in training. You see for me I have been running great in training but hadn't figured out yet how to translate it over into the racing... as I would get into the race and somehow decide that I need to go into conservative mode. All the fears... the what if's .... always battled in my mind as I raced. However... in the Malibu Nautica Tri I had another breakthough.... "WHO CARES??!!!" If I run my hardest and don't finish due to maxing out... who really cares... tomorrow everyone has moved onto another day and all my inner struggles of fear of letting people down... mainly myself... no one is even thinking about my race tomorrow... everyone has moved on except me.

SO today in this run... I had no fears... no cares... just a desire to run and run fast. Knowing at the end of the day I have to be happy with that. I am on this journey because I love to dream and strive and reach new limits and because there is no place I'd rather be.

And now for the reason of my passion at the end of this story.... I had a personal best in the run of over a minute. OVER A MINUTE... and I still know I have only just started this journey. I am so excited. That run changed my whole mind. It's one thing to believe and know you can do it... it's another thing to actually know what it feels like... and it's another thing to actually EXPERIENCE your dreams unfold before your very eyes. I am in awe and so thankful and blessed to be able to do what I love to do. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU AS ALWAYS FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO IN SUPPORTING ME!

For more on Jenny Fletcher visit her website here.

For more on the Nautica Malibu Triathlon including race results click here.

Matty Reed Wins Big at Nautica Malibu Triathlon

This weekend Suunto athlete Matty Reed took away another title as he won the Nautica Malibu Triathlon held in Malibu, CA. Matty raced in the International Pro/Elite Division which is a Olympic regulation course consisting of a 1.5K ocean swim, a 40K out and back bike course along the Pacific Coast Highway, and a 10K road race along Zuma Beach. With a winning time of 1:50:29 Matty left the rest of the competition way, way back.

Congratulations Matty on an awesome job this weekend!

For Full Race Results visit the results page here.

For more on Matty Reed visit his website here.

You can also follow Matty on Facebook and Twitter.

Kim Havell Update From Tibet

As we reported earlier, Suunto athlete Kim Havell, a top alpine skier and mountaineer, and a team of nine others are attempting to climb the North Face of Shishapangma in Tibet followed by the First decent of the Swiss/Polish route. Here is an update from Kim and the rest of the team from their blog:

The lingering Monsoon has kept us in Kathmandu for an extra day. We are hoping the bulldozers are busy clearing the alleged 5 landslides between here and our first stop in Zhangmu (just across the border into Tibet).

We are all getting eager to leave Kathmandu, though the additional day will hopefully provide time to sort out the Yak weight negotions (like the Monsoon our personal Yak weight allotments have been a bit shifty). With the Yaks all set the remainder of the day will be spent finalizing details, getting some "epic temple shots", eating, and more than likely some adventure in Kathmandu transportation (uncertain at this point if it will be motorized or human powered).

Overall, all is well... The team is healthy, happy, and typically a bit sweaty.

Before they left Kim described some of the logistics of the trip:

Our food for on the mountain above advanced base camp (“ABC”- 19,200ft) will be high altitude meals provided by Mountain House, supplemented by Clif products. We will also have staples such as chocolate bars, energy mixes, soup packets and more. When at BC, we will eat local food like Dal Bhat (rice and lentils), occasionally mixed with pieces of goat, along with more standard fare like pasta.

Moving on to the gear category, expeditions that involve ski-mountaineering, which is climbing mountains and then skiing down them, demand different gear choices then other types of trips. Since skis add an extra load carry to the process, weight and efficiency become top priorities in the system.

The specifics are lengthy but generally speaking we bring two light axes/ice tools/and or a whippet (axe attachment made for a ski pole), light bindings with spare parts, light crampons- two sets, and light tents. We also bring two sleeping bags each, one for our ABC, and one that travels up with us on the mountain. There are as many variations on gear and equipment as there are cows in India, but hopefully this lends some perspective on the general process and the gear that we will use.

Playing further into the equation, our clothing choices are extremely important. We use merino wool for base layers, and down and gore-tex for outer/upper layers. Since we will be attempting to ski, we will climb in ski boots, which are not as warm and beefy as your typical mountaineering boot. So, in this case, we will bring “overboots” which are neoprene zip-on booties that allow you to attach crampons to the boot but keep your feet warm in the colder environments up higher on the mountain. We also bring more high density down jackets (800+ fill) for warmth and flexibility, as our clothing cannot inhibit our ability to move in ski descent.

When we arrive to BC (16,400ft), we will settle in for a day or two and then will slowly move our operation to base out of ABC (17,700ft). From ABC, our plan is to climb up whatever route/s we plan to ski down so as to understand the snow and the terrain. We will work our way up the mountain carefully, acclimatizing and accessing conditions and options each step of the way. We will adhere to the alpinist adage, “climb high, sleep low” and we will hope that the weather and conditions cooperate.

Good luck to Kim and the rest of the team!

For more on Kim Havell visit her website.

You can also track Kim’s adventure on Outside TV and at www.fashisha.blogspot.com

Rebecca Rusch Wins Big In Brazil!

Fresh off her second consecutive record breaking win at the Leadville Trail 100, Suunto athlete Rebecca Rusch gets to add yet another impressive title to her staggering resume. This past week Rebecca was in Brazil for the UCI Master’s Cross Country World Champions and blew the competition away. From her website she writes:

Done. 16.5 km of pure pain and I’m the new UCI masters’s cross country World Champ (35-44)with a set of rainbow stripes! I”m adding this world title to my three 24 Hour Solo Worlds titles, one Adventure Racing Worlds title and one Masters Cross Country Skiing World title. It’s kind of cool.

This trip started with a theft and less than ideal preparation with a ton of travel, too many days off the bike and too much time in a police station. However, it ended up just great. The course took me a few days to master the technical parts, but today’s race went off without a hitch. My bike and legs both did the job. I rode my Specialized S-works Era with Sauserwind tires for this course. My race group started 30 seconds back from the 30-34 women. The course started straight uphill with about a 5 minute climb. As my coach told me to do, I laid it on the line and pinned it from the start. By the time I reached the top of the climb to drop into the single track, I had caught and passed all the women in the previous age group, except for one woman from Argentina. I kept her in sight for most of the race. Behind me, I just wanted to keep opening a gap on the climbs so I could ride the descents without traffic and focus on being smooth. I buried myself on the short, sharp climbs and then held on for the desents. I rode all of the descents with no crashes and I was really happy about that. I had to walk one uphill that was about 29% and just seemed faster to run. My throat is killing me and my Suunto HR numbers will be really fun to download on Movescount. Quite different from my 24 Hour World Champs experience. It hurt, but was over so fast. It is a different sort of suffering. My race was about 1:18 and I was about 11 minutes ahead of the next woman. It was a blast to jump out of my element and race XC. It was great for me to put myself out there and work on some of my weaknesses like starting fast and riding technical terrain. The awards were a blast and I must admit it’s hard not to get a bit choked up when they played the American National Anthem. Augustina was the Argentine woman who won 30-34 and finished in front of me. I almost broke into tears when she took the podium because there were about 30 Argentine racers all singing their national song and waving their arms in unison. It was quite a show of national pride.

I spent the afternoon doing a few interviews, socializing and watching the dowhnill qualifying runs. We also swam in the ocean, had lunch on the beach and drank Caipirinha to celebrate! I owe huge thanks to Martin and Pinano, from Argentina, for taking care of me this week. They have been my mechanics, translators, feed zone crew, transportation and technical riding coaches this week.

For more on Rebecca visit her website here.

You can also follower her on Facebook, Twitter, and Movescount.

127 Hours and the Suunto Vector

The upcoming movie, 127 Hours, recreating the dramatic true events involving Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who amputated his own arm in order to free himself after being trapped by a boulder should be good. Ralston became trapped for five days (127 hours!) in the isolated canyon of Robbers Roost, Utah in 2003 after a boulder fell on his arm. Ralston amputated his own arm, scaled a 65-feet wall and hiked more than eight miles to find help.
The Suunto Vector plays a very important role in the dramatic movie--documenting every minute, second and hour of the whole ordeal. We can't wait to see the movie, which opens November 5th, 2010.
Check out the trailer below: