Suunto Blog

How did the new mom pull off what is one of the greatest achievements ever in endurance sports? Dedication, planning, consistency – and plenty of mental fortitude. We interviewed Debi and her coach (and husband) John to find out what made her tick - and keep ticking. We know it was hard – but what was the hardest? Debi: Illness, injury… and rain. I caught a virus from Ryder [Debi and John’s one-year-old son] and that really knocked me back. Days 50–56 I was battling through a foot injury, but by day 60 I was 100% pain-free again. Other than that – rain! We had one super rainy week at the beginning, including a day with up to 85mm. There was often water up to the axles of my bike! Then of course there were the days with 40°C heat. Debi during one of the sunnier bike legs. Speaking of the bike, how did it survive? John: Actually, we took it for a tune-up before the big official race day here in Port Macquarie – he took one look and said ‘what the hell have you been doing to this thing?’. Debi was really only using two gears so those were totally worn while everything else was quite clean. The bike did better than the shoes – she went through about eight pairs of shoes! So you ran first at home in Sydney, then finished in Port Macquarie. Yep - days 1 – 94 were at Centennial Park near our home. Then we hopped in the camper for a 5-hour drive to Port Macquarie, where she did the last six. The transition was tough – especially with a short night of sleep. But the final day – one which I did a full Ironman, not just a half. John is Debi's husband, coach and a fellow triathlete. That’s… not how to taper. John: Talk about coming in with tired legs! Debi still did great – fourth in her age group and 18th overall. Not bad for a cumulative 99 days of half-distance triathlons preceding. Debi: Yeah, the course was tough – the road is big chips, not smooth at all – but having all the people out there helped. There were about 3,000 people out on the course, and tons of spectators. That made a huge difference! What kind of pace did you keep? John: Well below race pace – we knew we were in for the long haul. Debi became addicted to heart rate and time. It was nothing to do with the distance – if she kept the heart rate and time, she’d finish. It was about 125–130 average running, and on the bike 110 average. That’s versus 160 during the run and 150 with the bike when fresh, tapered and race-ready. Debi post ride with Ryder. Other major highlights? Debi: Breaking the world record on day 31 was a blast. We had about 70 people out with us that day. (You can read more about that day here!) How much of it is physical vs mental? John: After a certain point, your body adapts and the physical impact is the same. Debi went on autopilot – Her average speeds are so consistent. After that it’s all mental. Most people run on emotion, not intelligence. When you use intelligence for endurance events, you become a lot more successful – it’s a three-way conversation between body, intellect and emotion. As long as everything is going well, the body responds accordingly. When your emotional level suffers, your body suffers. You have to reason your way out of a difficult situation. We’ve likened it to the body being a computer. The software is the emotion. The processor is the intellect. What’s next? Debi: Lots of other ideas! John would love another go at the 100-day challenge – he’s got a couple tendons in the shoulder that need surgery first. But we feel that we work best as a team, so it’s going to be something together. There’s definitely another adventure in the works! Watch Debi, John and Ryder cross the finish line on the final day Main image ©witsup.com

The post-race sauna and making new friends with some reindeer might have helped but really we came to realise our connection is rooted in our shared passion for sport and the outdoors. "Meeting outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world and learning their stories and sharing our passion for different sports was truly inspiring." -Philipp Reiter, trail runner and photographer, Germany (Image by Oskar Henriksson) "The Suunto Summit was a great experience that felt like i was a part of a family with a shared passion for the outdoors." -Arnau Martorell Sala, Spain "The summit brought a whole new, and overwhelming sense of joy to meet so many open and strong athletic women who are excited to get out there. It was comforting to not feel alone or intimidated." Mia Morandi, USA. "Listening to all the experiences of my fellow Suunto Summiteers has left me inspired and completely in awe…and mingling with the team behind Suunto was absolutely invaluable. It has been such a privilege to be here." -Ramon Fadli, Malaysia. "Bravo! I’ve loved Suunto 20 years, I love you even more…" -Barbara Edelston Peterson, USA "It really has been a unique experience and a wonderful opportunity to meet the people at the heart of Suunto and to leave Helsinki feeling part of the family. Thank you all, you guys rock!" -Tim Major, UK We are grateful to have shared the experience with such an incredible group, and agree with one of our participants, Pelle Nyberg, from Sweden, that the "Suunto Summit captures the essence of the community." All images by Philipp Reiter

Diving offers a unique chance for humans to observe marine animals in their native environment. In April we asked you what are your favourite marine animals and why. Based on the three lucky winners sea turtles and sharks are on top of the list!     The three winners are Babak Davoudi from California, Ruben Castro Castillo from Spain and Kimberly Jeffries from Hawaii. Here are their pictures and stories.   Kimberly & hammerhead shark By far the biggest myth people say about sharks is they are mindless, man eating monsters. Nothing could be farther from the truth. These are beautiful, majestic, sentient creatures that actually appreciate and return for affection over and over and over again. Jim Abernethy - Tales by Light - Happy Earth Day everyone 🌏 。 。 。 。 #shark #travel #freedive #rebreather #savesharks #subal #conservation #neverstopexploring #ocean #freediving #yourshotphotographer #oahu #explore #teamcanon #extinction #photo #hawaii #scuba #photooftheday #marine #marineconservation #photography #underwater #padi #galapagos #hammerheadshark #hammerhead #wild #suuntodive #earthday A post shared by Kimberly (@kimberlyswimberly) on Apr 22, 2017 at 11:14am PDT “Hammerhead sharks are among some of the most amazing ocean animals. Their head shape has evolved to act as a hydrofoil underwater and their bodies are capable of extreme maneuverability. They're absolutely beautiful to see moving underwater. Sadly, despite evolution, Scalloped hammerheads are considered endangered, with their population having decreased around 95% in the past thirty years due to over fishing and shark finning.” “This particular photo is of a scalloped hammerhead off Darwin's Arch, Galapagos. Schools of sharks will gather to be cleaned by fish and to find mates. It's beautiful to see untouched nature like that.” “Although this photo was shot in the Galapagos, I'm lucky enough to call Oahu home. We have crystal clear diving all year round and every island in Hawaii has a little different flavor so it's always an adventure in the water.” –Kimberly Jeffries, California, USA   Ruben & angel shark Ruben’s angel shark video (The same video was also shared on Instagram) “I went diving again today and was lucky enough to meet an angel shark. They are fantasic creatures and it’s always good to see them. I think we have to protect them, and the best way to educate and teach people is through videos and images.” “I am from Madrid, Spain, but live in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Usually I dive in the Canary Islands.” –Ruben Castro Castillo, Gran Canaria, Spain   Babak & sea turtle My favorite dive buddy of all time! Throwback to an amazing experience, diving in #turtlecanyon #Oahu and encountering with many of these giant #seaturtle #honu The average shell length of an adult honu is 3-4 feet and they weigh ~250 pounds, but they can grow to a weight of 500 pounds and their average life span could reach 80 years. #suuntodive #hawaii #scubadiving #paditv A post shared by Babak Davoudi (@babakd) on Apr 20, 2017 at 11:24am PDT  “The picture is from my trip to Hawaii, Oahu, Turtle Canyon dive site, right after I got my open water certification and I was so excited diving in Hawaii. We saw a lot of these huge sea turtles surrounded by small fishes cleaning them. It was my first time seeing turtles that big. They are so calm and the way they swim and glide in the water looks like they are flying. Looking at their faces make me happy and smile. To me they look like ancient and prehistoric creatures.” “I live in Irvine, California and normally dive around here in Catalina Island, Shaw's Cove, Channel Islands and sometimes going on trips to another places. I dove in Dubai, Hawaii (Molokini and Oahu). I'm getting more serious about diving, it's been my dream since I was a child to dive and it became true when I moved here to California.” –Babak Davoudi, California, USA   Congratulations to the winners and thank you for participating and sharing your stories, everyone! The three winners got easy-to-use, nitrox-capable, large-displayed Suunto Zoop Novo dive computers to accompany them on their future adventures.   Main image by Stephen R Woods / Suunto

In its 10th edition this year, the Vertical Blue competition is comprised of three depth disciplines: Constant Weight, Constant No-Fins and Free Immersion (CWT, CNF, FIM respectively). #VB2017 is an AIDA sanctioned event which offers competitors six official dives to challenge themselves to obtain the coveted title of “Champion” at the most elite freediving competition in the world. William’s rival in free immersion, Miguel Lozano of Spain, will also be on hand to conquer new territory, as well as diving legends Davide Carrera & Homar Leuci of Italy. Heating things up for the ladies are world record holder Sayuri Kinoshita of Japan and first-time attendee (but renowned Italian mistress of the deep) Alessia Zecchini. Over the course of the next 10 days freediving fans around the globe can watch the record-breaking battles among the world’s most talented athletes, who are literally pushing the limits on what was once thought impossible for the human body to do. Stay tuned here and via the Suunto Diving + Vertical Blue Facebook pages, the VB event website, Suunto & VB Instagram, the VB Youtube Channel, Trubridge’s Twitter feed as well as the Vertical Blue twitter handle & hashtags #VB2017 and #verticalblue for a live feed from the platform, amazing videos & images and results. Join us as we watch dive history in the making! All images © Daan Verhoeven/Vertical Blue

Emelie Forsberg is travelling to Cho Oyu together with Kilian Jornet. After considering various options the couple chose this mountain that has a reputation as one of the least technically difficult 8000-meter peaks in the Himalayan range and that is reasonably accessible from the base camp. Kilian will use Cho Oyu as valuable preparation for climbing Everest. He will be traveling directly to the highest mountain on Earth after Cho Oyu. Emelie, how are you feeling before attempting to climb your first 8000-meter peak? I´m super exited and so motivated to give my all. I know it´s not sure at all that I can reach the summit, but the adventure and the journey there will be very interesting. How did you prepare for this project? Did you train differently than you would otherwise at this time of the year? We did sleep in an altitude tent, and I was not fresh after that so I couldn’t train the same as I normally do. I tried to do that in December and I was so tired after hard trainings. So I did a little longer days instead which can be good for the summit attempt. What do you like about mountaineering? I think mountaineering is just the step after skiing and running, when we come to more technical terrain, that’s when the mountaineering starts! I like it because it´s like the continuation of skiing and running, we need to be able to climb mountains to get ourselves there. I like the focus I need and that it´s so much more I need to learn. Every time I get more comfortable in mountaineering there are higher levels to go, so it never ends! How do you like Tibet? Never been there. It will be a new experience. What’s the highest you have been so far? ”Only” 6600 meters! How do you adapt to altitude? It can be different from time to time, but I have never felt really bad in altitude. But over 7500m will be very different, I think. What will the biggest challenges be for you? The altitude for sure, and to be moving for over 20 hours. What are the conditions like on Cho Oyu currently? Normally in the beginning of May it´s pretty good conditions; not too icy, not too much snow, and pretty stable weather. What’s the goal of this project? For sure it would be a success if I can go to the summit, but everything is an experience that leads us somewhere.

After taking part in the Mezzalama on Saturday (a skimo race where Kilian finished second together with Marti Werner and Martin Anthamatten) there was no time to relax: on Sunday he boarded a plane en route to the Himalayas, where he expects to spend the next few weeks on two very different climbing projects. First stop: Cho Oyu During the first part of his trip Kilian Jornet will attempt to climb Cho Oyu (8,201m), the world’s sixth highest mountain. He will be accompanied by his companion Emelie Forsberg. Kilian and Emelie looked for a peak that would be reasonably accessible from base camp. After considering various options they chose this mountain which has a reputation as one of the least technically difficult in the Himalayan range. “It will be interesting to see how we feel as we will have to acclimatize very quickly. We’ve been preparing this expedition for weeks but we won’t know how our bodies will react until we get there. It will be an interesting experience and Emelie’s first 8,000m and I want to be there to accompany her. As for me, it will be good preparation for Everest because I’ll be better acclimatised when I get there,” Kilian says. The pair will be on Cho Oyu for two weeks before Kilian prepares himself for the second part of the trip. Everest, the remaining giant In mid-May Kilian will travel to Tíbet to reach the monastery at Rongbuk, at 5,000m, the starting point for the Everest expedition (8.848m). This time the team is even smaller and only the cameraman Sébastien Montaz-Rosset will accompany him. Kilian’s objective is to conquer the world’s highest mountain and complete his personal project, Summits of My Life. Over the past six years Kilian has travelled around the world setting climbing records on the world’s most iconic mountains. He began on Mont Blanc in 2012 and since then has climbed mountains in Europe (Mont Blanc and Cervino), North America (Denali) and South America (Aconcagua). Now, to complete the project, for the second time he will attempt the ascent of Everest after having to postpone the 2016 attempt due to bad weather conditions. The team planned to travel to the Himalayas in autumn but, unable to obtain permits, decided to bring it forward to spring. “This year will be different from 2016 as there will be more people in the base camp while last year we were alone. The reason for wanting to try it in August-September is the temperatures are a little warmer and there is less risk of freezing. In spite of everything, the knowledge we acquired last year will prove vital in this expedition,” Kilian explains. As they did last year, the Summits of My Life team will try to reach the summit of Everest via the north face. The north face is the least well known, as most commercial expeditions go via the south side. Kilian still doesn’t know what route he will take as it will depend on the weather conditions. The idea is to attempt it via either the Norton or the Hornbein corridors. During the first few days the team will establish the advanced base camp (ABC) at 6,300m. From there they will make several excursions to acclimatise and reconnoitre the terrain before heading down to the starting point. This is the basic principle of Summits of My Life: ascending from the last inhabited place and returning to it once the summit has been reached. On this occasion the point of departure will be the Rongbuk monastery at 5,000m. Kilian knows that on Everest the most important things to bear in mind are the altitude and the weather conditions: “There are many factors in play that will depend on how I feel at altitude and the prevailing conditions during the expedition. That’s where we will take the decisions, but knowing that we want to do it as we have always done - light and quick. There are people who think it’s madness but for me the mountain is a space where everyone should be free to do what they think they can do. I like to travel light so I can be quick. In this way, we spend less time at altitude and suffer less fatigue, although we are aware that it makes the expedition more risky. However, weighing everything up, this is the way we’ve chosen and that we will attempt again on Everest.” Kilian Jornet expects to spend a month on Everest in order to make the attempt before returning to Europe. Our Everest, a global campaign The expedition can be followed using the hashtag #OurEverest. The idea is to bring together the community of followers who have backed the project since the beginning and who have made the expedition to Everest possible. “We began this challenge together five years ago and with our values and our approach to the mountain we’ve got to this point. Although we don’t know what will happen, I’m clear about one thing: it’s not my Everest, but ours, everyone who has in one way or another contributed to making this project a reality,” says Kilian. Stay tuned for updates! You can learn more about the project at summitsofmylife.com