A World Record for Suunto's Apa Sherpa

HE DID IT! Congrats to Suunto athlete Apa Sherpa on the new world record--20 Everest Summits!

Here's the confirmation from Apa Sherpa's website:

Apa Sherpa just broke his own world’s record by summiting Mount Everest for the 20th time at 8:34 a.m. Saturday. Apa’s goal in climbing this year was to help efforts to increase educational opportunities in the Khumbu Region, which includes the areas around Mount Everest. In a statement he prepared in anticipation of reaching the summit, he said, “I am thankful to have been able to climb Mount Everest for the 20th time. I climbed this year to raise awareness about the Apa Sherpa foundation, which is dedicated to increasing educational opportunities for people in the Himalayan Region. I also climbed to bring attention to the damage done to the Himalayas because of global climate change.” The Apa Sherpa Foundation was recently organized as a nonprofit organization to help Apa extend the educational opportunities that his children have to his fellow Sherpa in the Khumbu. For more information, go to http://www.apasherpafoundation.org/. Apa was just named the SAARC Goodwill Ambassador for Climate Change. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.

Apa would also like to thank his sponsors that made this new world record possible: SD7 Technology Group – IT Business Services First Ascent / Eddie Bauer – Official Outfitter Suunto - Superior High Altitude Watches Hot Chillys - Highest Quality Performance Base Layers Travel Host Magazine Bohemian Brewery - Voted Number 1 Best Brew & Grill in Utah Diamond Mold, Inc / Biomerics Hoopes Vision – The Leading LASIK Eye Surgery Practice Serving the Salt Lake City, Utah Area 8 Zone - A New Weight Loss Program That Was Created by Olympic Gold Medalist Apolo Anton Ohno Asian Trekking Partners with SuperSherpas (R) – For Your Himalayan Adventure Travel, and Expedition Needs Solarus Lending Group

Apa Sherpa Update

Update from Everest! Apa Sherpa is in the midst of attempting his 20th Everest summit. He is in the final stages of setting a world record 20th summit of Mt. Everest. Apa is updating Marshall Thompson hourly about the team's progress and updates are available on Twitter, Facebook and Apa's blog.

Here is the latest from Thompson who sits and waits for updates from Apa:

Barricaded in the communications tent- May 21st, 2010

Dawa Steven, the expedition leader, Chunu, the Nepali government liaison officer, and I are now barricaded in the communications tent. We brought in a small gas heater and have zipped up the doors and tried to plug all the cracks. It’s starting to get a bit warmer. Outside there are heavy clouds over Mount Everest right now. It’s beautiful by moonlight. Birbal, the cook, has been burning incense at the puja altar and the prayer flags above are illuminated by the flickering yellow light. As the team leaves from Camp 4, we’re a bit worried down here about the snowfall at higher altitudes. The team delayed their departure by about 45 minutes because of the snow, but they say now that it’s not that bad. It’s going to be a long night.

Good luck team! Looking forward to the updates!

Ragnar Relay in New York

The winning team of New York's "My Story" contest is the "Albany Running Mamas." The Mamas each received a Suunto t3d watch for their winning entry in Ragnar's "My Story" contest. Suunto is the official timing sponsor of all Ragnar Relay races this year and awards Suunto t3d watches to story winners at each relay stop.

The Albany Running Mamas is led by Kelly Mateja and Jes Marcy who gathered a group of mothers looking to escape the daily grind of everyday responsibility and pay homage to the famed King Ragnar for whom the race series is named.

Legendary Norse King Ragnar was fearless, rugged and wild and hit the open sea with free-spirited curiosity and the will to conquer. That spirit is embraced by the Albany Running Mamas who balance kids, careers, husbands, civic obligations and workouts.

"Running gives us a space in our lives; a selfishly wonderful time where we're not 'on call' and can focus on own goals, listen to how our bodies are feeling and where we have time to talk to our girlfriends, or just be blissfully silent in our own heads, " says Kelly Mateja. "We are tough. We are fearless. And even in our sports bras and running skirts, we absolutely embody the spirit of King Ragnar."

Way to, Mamas! You're an inspiration, and we're cheering for you.

Matt Hart Sets Trans-Zion Trek Record

Endurance athlete and good friend of Suunto, Matt Hart, recently reminded us that records are made to be broken. He ran across Zion National Park at a record-setting pace on May 14th, 2010. The Trans-Zion Trek was a sure test of endurance and took Hart just under eight hours to complete. He shattered the previous record by more than an hour! He wore a Suunto t6d, heart rate belt and Foot POD to help calibrate and pace his efforts.
The Trans-Zion Trek is a 48-mile route across Zion National Park in Southwestern Utah. This route winds through some stunning sections of the park and typically is done as a five-day backpacking trip.

Matt wrote a blog about his experience. Here are a few excerpts:

From Matt Hart: The last 3 miles felt like 20. I pushed my pace even though i was out of water and fuel. My mouth was dry and I was cramping. The wheels had come off and I was dragging axles at this point. I pushed the last two steep sections hard and when I saw Linda [support]. I just put my head down and ran the stairs (above photo), fully embracing the pain. I touched the sign and hit the stop on the Suunto before quickly laying down and begging for Nuun.
I ran the 48 miles with 10,400ft of gain across Zion National Park in 7 hours 58 minutes 07 seconds. With Jared and Christian's previous record time of 9hours 8 minutes I had managed to take 1hour 10minutes off the record. I'm happy with that.

And it's not over for Matt--he's still going full-steam doing media interviews (including one with Runner's World!)
What an impressive accomplishment, Matt--thanks for letting us be part of it.

Inspired Athlete Continues to Succeed with Suunto

We love success stories--especially coming from dedicated Suunto users like Jonathan Hinkle. Jonathan has been on the fast-track to fitness success. Jonathan started three-and-a-half years ago by taking a serious look at himself and knowing that he needed to drop weight to become healthy. Changing his diet, Jonathan lost 50 pounds in the first year. Then, in year two he took up biking and lost another 50 pounds totaling 100 pounds. Then in year three, Jonathan amped up his exercise regime and started training more intensely. He began to race in triathlons. He has reached his target weight goal of 200 pounds and is a strong competitor in a variety of venues across the country.

He most recently finished the American Odyssey 200 Mile Relay and the Charleston 70.3 Half Triathlon (with a 2nd place finish). He is also part of "Team Nameless & Shameless," set to compete in the Ragnar Relays in Washington D.C. and Miami.

Here is an excerpt from Jonathan's blog about using a Suunto t6c triathlon pack:

"I used the Suunto t6c, as always, to stay on pace. I soon as the wheels are moving the Bike Pod picks up and once the feet are running the Foot Pod picks up. When chasing PR’s I can not tell you how important it is to have one device to track your swim, bike & run. I still had a personal best with a 4:44:20 finish."

Keep up the motivating work Jonathan, and keep us posted on your race results!

Rebecca Rusch in Australia

Suunto Athlete Rebecca Rusch was busy last week, competing in the five-day Red Centre Enduro mountain bike race across Australia's Outback where she placed 3rd!
Rebecca's been blogging about the entire race on her website, www.rebeccarusch.com.
Here is just a taste of Reba's Outback experience, and the last few days of her race.
The following is an excerpt from Rebecca 's blog -- The Ingkerreke Commercial Red Centre Enduro is in the record books and hopefully the 5 days of hard racing is stored in my legs for further use in the season. The final stage was a 45 km mass start and might have been my favorite stage of all. I was sitting in 2nd at the start of the last stage with just a one second margin over third. Given the crazy terrain and tire eating rocks, it was still anyone’s race. I felt strong on the last day, but not fast. I still rode hard and kept it in the back of my mind that a flat tire would be all it would take to change the rankings. It was one of the hottest days of the week and drank all my water and was still wanting more. Gracie, who is 1/2 my age, won the stage and moved up into 2nd overall. Jodie finished off a super solid week and held onto her first place finish. I finished 3rd and was really happy with my performance. I would have liked to have been able to drum up a bit more top end speed for some of the shorter stages, but I know it’s early season and this race is preparation for bigger goals later in the year. I was super impressed with the race organization and the level of competition in Australia. It was also really fun to see the Aussie spirit alive and well. People here just seem unbelievably happy to be riding their bikes and pushing themselves. They have a way of being super competitive, but with a smile on their face and a kind word as they pass you.

To read about all of the stages and hear Rebecca's exciting and descriptive account of the adventure, check out her blog at www.rebeccarusch.com.

Suunto sponsors Team, "Road to Remission"

Suunto is one of the proud sponsors of the Ragnar Relay Series. The Ragnar Relay series is a popular 24-hour adventure race taking place at 12 different locations across the country. Before each race, Ragnar Relay and Suunto invite teams to submit a story to the "My Story" contest. Suunto is the official timing sponsor for all Ragnar Relay events around the country and is awarding the "My Story" winners each a t3d watch prior to each race. The entry topics range from the inspirational, interesting and even humorous.

The winner of New England's "My Story" contest is team, "Road to Remission." This team is led and inspired by Alfredo Axtmayer of New York City. Axmayer submitted his story about his journey and battle with Stage IV-B Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This cancer created a football-sized tumor in his chest. The tumor was removed and Axtmayer's treatment included chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant which put his cancer into full remission. After this dramatic treatment, Axtmayer rallied with his troop of supporters into forming a team for the Ragnar Relay.
Axtmayer says, "I can't think of a better way to celebrate life than conquering the 192 miles from New Haven to Boston. Finally, after a year and a half of fighting cancer, I am in remission. The support of Team Remission has been tremendous and I am thankful to have a team that rallied behind me during that difficult time."

And Suunto, couldn't be more proud of this young man and his successful battle with cancer. It is an inspiring story and we wish the best of luck to all the teams in New England this weekend!

Rebecca Heads Down Under for the Red Centre Enduro

Suunto athlete Rebecca Rusch is at it again -- she's traveling the world in search of awesome adventure and new tracks to ride. Right now, she's in Alice Springs, Australia for the Red Centre Enduro, a five-day seven-stage Mountain Bike Race.
Here are some updates from the first two days of the race from Reba's blog.

Day 2
G’day! Stage one and two are in the books and I feel really good about my performance. The first stage was about 45 km of technical, rocky, sandy singletrack. It was actually a blast and I really enjoyed the stage. The riding was one of the best XC courses I’ve ever done. The scenery was really beautiful and I even had a kangaroo jump out in front of me! I’m satisfied with my placing and now know what type of riders I’m up against. The three women that were in front of me today are some of the best XC racers in the country, including the marathon national champ and world cup racer, and the U23 XC national champ. The women’s field is super strong, but I know there are still many more hours of racing and I hope to get some time back in the longer stage. There were multiple athletes carrying and walking their bikes due to flats, broken frames and mechanicals. There were also a couple of broken people who suffered crashes. The desert out here eats bicycles and people, so I feel really grateful to have made it through the day with no crashes, no mechanicals and in a decent overall position. I was about 8 minutes back from the leader, so it’s still anyone’s race. Stage two was in the afternoon. It was a 300 meter TT hill climb and it hurt! It was a traditional countdown and just over a minute of pain. It was sort of fun because spectators were lining the road and cheering the whole time. I finished up 3rd in the hill climb and got myself a 5 second bonus for that! I’ll take whatever I can get!

Day 1
I’m sitting in my hotel room in the middle of Australia. Literally the middle of nowhere, Alice Springs. I’m as far away from home as I can get. They say it’s the Death Valley of Australia, but it doesn’t feel that hot to me yet. I’m sorting my bike, nutrition and gear for tomorrow’s first stage of the Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro/Red Centre. It’s a five day stage race that is run by my adventure racing teammate, John Jacoby. John and I raced side by side for nearly 8 years traveling around the globe through Kyrgysztan, Vietnam, the ALPS, covering what seems like a million miles together. He’s like a brother to me, so when he invited me to come experience his race, I could not pass up the opportunity. The riding is super rocky, thorny, with sandy red dirt everywhere. The big topic of conversation for this race is the flat tires. The race website and other competitors all drilled it into me that this area rips tire side walls to pieces and that the thorns are relentless. This race is 7 stages spread over 5 days. The stages are all varied and range from a 45 second hill climb to a 100 km all day affair. Tomorrow’s stages are a 40 km mass start cross country stage and a 40 second hill climb in the town. The longer morning stage is rumored to have a section of the most difficult single track that we will see all week. It’s called the Hell Line trail, so I’m sure it’ll be rough. Since I’ve never raced here, I have no idea what to expect. What I do know from John is that he loves to challenge people and this race will be far from easy. Most of the stages are quite short for me, so this will be a great training week of lining up each day and pinning it from the gun. The field is stacked with the best racers in the country, so I expect a really tough bit of racing. I will do my best to keep you all up to speed as the week progresses.

Matty Reed Wins First Round of the Revolution3 Series

Suunto athlete Matty Reed came away with the big WIN in the first race of the Revolution3 Triathlon Series in Knoxville, Tennessee this past weekend. Alongside Great Britain's Julie Dibens, the women's winner, Reed will continue towards the $125,000 series' bonus on June 6th at the Quassy race in Connecticut.

This is Reed's first win of 2010 and has been his focus for the first part of the season.

From his blog, Reed says, "I knew the best triathlete on the day would win. There was a lot of talk about the quality of bikers here and I was comfortable with my position as a strong biker, but also as a runner and how I am running. I felt very controlled all day and am happy with the Rev3 win. Now lets get to work for Quassy!"

Apa Sherpa--Going for 20

Apa Sherpa, a world-renowned mountain climber and Suunto athlete is nothing less than astounding. He is in the midst of attempting to summit Mt. Everest for the 20th time! If successful, the accomplishment will be a World Record--previously held by himself.

Largely acclaimed as one of the best climbers in the world, Apa Sherpa began climbing at a very early age. At 12 years old, he worked as an expedition porter following his father's untimely death. It didn't take long for Apa's uncanny ability and sheer strength to became noticed by fellow trekkers. Apa's first ascent of Everest was in May of 1990 and he has been leading teams ever since.

Currently, Apa is in his third rotation of altitude acclimatization before pushing for the summit with his team. Marshall Thompson, from Everest base camp, has been writing a very active blog about the team's progress.

Here is an excerpt (Before final rotation):
This is one of his last chances to get acclimatized and physically prepared for the summit push. Unfortunately, he has been plagued by a very bad case of the Khumbu Cough. A cough may not seem like that big of a deal, but when you’re struggling to get enough oxygen with every breath, a cough can cut your energy and ability to perform severely. Apa is taking it very practically. He says that if the cough is too bad, he will turn back and delay his last rotation.

Update after Snowstorm:

It should be noted that I’ve been told more than once today to stop worrying – everyone will be fine. I believe that. It’s just hard not to get worked up when you’re stuck at base camp looking up at the mountain. I’ve talked with Apa on the radio. His cough is gone and he seems very confident about what he’s doing. All I can say is that if I were stuck at Camp 2 on Mount Everest, I would want to be stuck with the guy who has climbed her more than anyone else. Last week I asked Apa if he had a special relationship to the Chomolungma (The Sherpa name for the Goddess who is Mount Everest). He laughed and said, “Maybe she’s watching over me, because she’s let me climb her so many times.”

Stay tuned for more updates from Everest! Good luck Apa and team!

Jenny Fletcher Escaped from Alcatraz

Another example of how it was a big weekend for Suunto athletes! Jenny Fletcher rocked it in her third triathlon as a Suunto Pro. She tells us Escape from Alcatraz is her favorite race and she did a great job finishing 6th.

Check out what Jenny had to say on her blog:

From Jenny Fletcher: Escape From Alcatraz is truly a race that challenges every level of athlete. There is no grace in this race. From beginning to end it tests every aspect of mind, body, and soul. There is nothing more satisfying than crossing that finish line hearing them call out your name and know that I truly did feel that I escaped from Alcatraz.

I am once again so thrilled with my race. It's my 3rd PRO race of the season in the US and I have had nothing but joy and a feeling of achievement as I crossed the finish line in 6th place with a sense of knowing that I raced my heart out and put it all out there. Knowing the training I have put in has made me so ready for each and every challenge I face during a race! I once again have to say I love my job. I am living my dream... and the best is I still feel like I am only at the beginning!

Conrad Dominates the XTERRA West Championships

Suunto Athlete Conrad Stoltz started his season off at the head of the pack, winning last weekend's XTERRA West Championship off-road triathlon in Las Vegas. This is the fourth year in a row "The Caveman" has come away from the West Championships as the champ.

Conrad told XTERRA News, "I rode as hard as I could today on this very rough and rocky and slippery desert surface. This Vegas course is pretty tough with steep uphills and steep downhills and it was really hot towards the end of the race."
Congratulations Conrad!

Click here to see more results from the XTERRA West Championships.