July 26, 2022

Track & Field of Dreams

 

Clockwise top left: Bill Dellinger and Jim Bailey training at Hayward Field in 1955; The mythical Steve Prefontaine, University of Oregon’s famed alumni and one of the greatest runners ever, whose life was tragically cut short at age 24 in a car accident; Newly renovated Hayward Field; The women of gold medal winning Team USA 4 x 100m relay; Seiko Prospex Speedtimer World Athletics Championships Oregon22 Limited Edition
 

The 2022 World Athletics Championships concluded last weekend with another thrilling gold medal performance by Team USA in the Womens 4 x 400m relay anchored by Sydney McLaughlin. It was a blazing follow-up performance for this running sensation who had broken her own world record once again on Friday night in the 400m hurdles with a dominating gold medal win. The Team USA women also took gold in the 4 x 100 relay on Saturday, shocking favored Jamaica with a upset win.

These were just a few of the highlights that made these World Championships so memorable — especially for this editor who had the opportunity to attend as a guest of Seiko, the Official Timekeeper, and run a lap on the same storied track as the world’s greatest runners.

For the first time in history the World Athletics Championships were hosted in the US at legendary Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. Otherwise known as TrackTown USA, it was in Eugene that Nike was born, and where its co-founder, University of Oregon Track & Field head coach Bill Bowerman famously created the first waffle trainer that Nike would later produce, inspired by his wife’s waffle iron. Bowerman was the head coach from 1948-1972, succeeding Bill Hayward for whom the field is named. Read More

 

June 1, 2022

The Coolest Coolers

 

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CLICK COOLERS FOR SHOPPING LINKS

As summer kicks off, we’ve got the coolest coolers in every size and shape. From the backyard to the beach to the campsite, chill out with your favorite drinks wherever and whenever you want a cold one.

ROW 1: STOIC HYBRID BACKPACK COOLER $149.95. This 28 liter waterproof backpack holds and keeps 24 cans chilled. Compression-molded bottom increases durability. Handy bottle opener is attached too.

MOBOT BIG BERTHA 40 OZ. FOAM ROLLER WATER BOTTLE $59.95. It’s a foam roller. It’s a water bottle. It’s conveniently two-in-one, sustainably built with high-density, non-toxic foam and 100% recycled stainless steel. Available in smaller sizes too.

YETI SILO 6G WATER COOLER $300. Take the water cooler to go for icy hydration anywhere you want it. Yeti is the gold standard in coolers with its Permafrost Insulation, Interlock Lid, and Coldlock Insulation that blocks out heat and locks in cold. Read More

 

May 11, 2022

The Lightweights

 

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CLICK ABOVE FOR SHOPPING LINKS

Cycling, running, paddling, hiking…
get in gear with this collection of super lightweight and performance driven equipment that all together weighs less than 50 lbs!

SPECIALIZED S-WORKS AETHOS DURA-ACE DI2 BIKE $14,000. Top off the world’s lightest frame with Shimano’s legendary Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and Roval’s featherweight Alpinist wheels for the ultimate ride. With its clean and minimal design, and weighing in at 14 lbs, Aethos puts the focus on a great cycling experience for those riders who appreciate the performance of a high-end racing bike more than just winning races.

NIKE ZOOMX VAPORFLY NEXT% 2 $250. Weighing just 6.6 oz, the Vaporfly NEXT% 2 is Nike’s fastest and one of the lightest carbon fiber racing shoes you can buy. It offers the record-breaking technology that has propelled pros like Eliud Kipchoge across the finish line, with an upper redesigned for everyday comfort and durability.

100% HYPERCRAFT $165. The frameless 100% Hypercraft shield is incredibly lightweight yet durable at just 23 grams with its UltraCarbon™ technology. Streamlined laser cut rimless shield with aerodynamic ventilation; crack resistant Ultra HD lenses; and 5.5-base cylindrical shield lens for increased peripheral combine for superior performance, optics, and protection. Also available is smaller Hypercraft XS. Read More

 

March 27, 2022

A Special IRONMAN

 

STILLS FROM A SPECIAL OLYMPICS STORY: CHRIS NIKIC

On November 7, 2020, Chris Nikic crossed the finish line of the Ironman triathlon in Panama City Beach, Florida in 16:46:09 — 14 minutes under the 17-hour cutoff time. But in completing the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run, Chris became the first man with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman triathlon. One year prior, he had been unable to do a single push-up.

The documentary A Special Olympics Story: Chris Nikic debuted last week for World Down Syndrome Day and tells the inspirational story of how this Special Olympics Champion Ambassador was able to accomplish this unfathomable feat with a simple mantra: get 1% better everyday.

Chris was introduced to Special Olympics through a golf skills program when he was 9 years old, and soon began participating in other sports like basketball, athletics, and swimming as well. Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, and provides training for more than 6 million athletes in more than 190 countries around the globe. Read More

 

February 11, 2022

Fashion’s Game On

 

TOP: THE PRADA LINEA ROSSA COLLECTION FOR RIDERS REPUBLIC; JULIA MARINO WINNING SILVER IN SLOPESTYLE AT THE BEJING 2022 WINTER OLYMPICS

As Team USA’s Julie Marino went airborne in the Slopestyle competition at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal and going viral on her Prada snowboard, the fashion brand was gearing up for another snowboarding launch — along with skiing, mountain biking, and wing-suiting — joining forces with leading video game company Ubisoft to debut the newest Prada Linea Rossa collection in the virtual gaming world of Riders Republic.

The Prada Linea Rossa collection for Riders Republic dropped Tuesday with gear and apparel designed action and outdoor sports, set in American National Parks. Players can customize their characters in Linea Rossa looks that revisit signature Prada prints like the colorful Flame print, graphic Wild Stripes print, and geometric Camouflage Rock print — amplified with street-style attitude. Read More

 

November 20, 2021

Sleepwalkers

 

CLICK ITEMS ABOVE TO SHOP!

Turn your sleeping bag into a snowsuit, your blanket into a poncho, your puffer into slippers with this season’s insulating convertibles! From the campsite to the sofa, you’ll be warm and cozy no matter the temps outside!

 
CLOCKWISE TOP RIGHT: ORIGINAL SELK’BAG $189. Originated in Chile, the Selk’bag is a wearable sleeping bag crafted with 100% recycled fabrics, designed to encourage adventure by creating freedom of movement, in total warmth and comfort. No matter the location, just wake up and go!

THE NORTH FACE NUPTSE MULE BOOTIE $74.95. Whether snuggled on the porch watching fresh flakes fall or moseying into town for coffee, the Nuptse Mule makes sure feet never feel the cold. The ultralight pillowy down traps in cozy-by-the-fire feels, while the grippy rubber sole keeps footing solid and foldable heel expedites slide and go!

MARMOT YOLLA BOLLY 30° SLEEPING BAG now $232.50. Wrap yourself up in this sleeping bag turned quilt. This roomy bag has 650-fill power down insulation, with Down Defender for performance in damp conditions, and a wrap around zipper to open into a quilt. The soft fabric at the inside hood provides an extra touch of comfort, while the silicone-printed back reduces slipping when on top of a pad. Tuck small items into the internal stash pocket for easy access. Read More

 

October 23, 2021

#TrainersforHire

 

CLOCKWISE TOP: DEGREE DEODORANT INCLUSIVE POP-UP CYCLING CLASS; STEVE SERIO, 2-TIME PARALYMPIAN GOLD MEDALIST TEAM USA BASKETBALL; GARRISON REDD, TEAM USA PARALYMPIC POWERLIFTER

Event Photos Courtesy of Degree Deodorant

In late September, Degree Deodorant launched the #TrainersforHire Campaign, an initiative for of National Disability Employment Awareness Month challenging the fitness industry to hire trainers with disabilities. The kick-off was an inclusive pop-up cycling class in New York City’s Flatiron Plaza, led by eight-time Paralympic Track & Field medalist, Blake Leeper. The class included people with and without disabilities, on both spin bikes and hand cycles, to showcase how simple it is to create an inclusive fitness class.

As a participant, I can attest to the inspiration of a spin class taught by an instructor with a disability – a Paralympian no less – and the fact that it was a great class regardless. Blake told me that he actually has an advantage to offer that others don’t. “I use my personal experiences of adversity and challenges, that mental toughness from being born without legs, and apply that to the class. I’ve had to push through, so push through with me.”

Blake was born with a congenital birth defect, and has worn prosthetics since he was 9 months old. He made his international Track & Field debut in 2009, and his first Paralympic Games were London 2012. Blake set his sites beyond the Paralympics last summer, with the goal of competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but was barred from competition on the grounds that his blade-like prostheses might give him an unfair advantage. Read More

 

September 3, 2021

Ultramarathon Man

 

 

I’ve run the NYC Marathon 3 times. 26.2 miles is a heck of a long way to run, not to mention the hundreds of miles you log training for it. At no point on any of these quests did I think to myself, ‘26.2 miles just isn’t enough… I really wish it was longer’. But in the booming sport of ultramarathons, races are 50, 100, 135 miles, and even longer. Equally as grueling as the distances are the conditions in which they are run.

Dean Karnazes is often credited with that booming popularity, and putting the sport of ultrarunning onto the map. For him, a marathon is a training run, and he usually runs one before breakfast. Karnazes completed his first ultramarathon in 1993. His first 100-miler was the famed Western States Endurance Run, a race that has become the marquis event of the sport. With just 369 spots, there are nearly 10 times the number of applicants. It’s the ultramarathon everyone wants to run, and comparable to the NYC Marathon, there is a lottery to get in. Karnazes is an 11-time 100-Mile/1 Day Silver Buckleholder in the event, which is awarded for completing the race in less than 24 hours.

In addition to other unfathomable challenges is the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon. It is run across Death Valley in the height of summer where temperatures have climbed as high as 130 degrees. Karnazes won it in 2004, in addition to five other top-10 finishes from 2000 to 2008. At the opposite end of extreme, he has run a marathon in the South Pole, with temperatures as low as -40 degrees. He has run across the United States from Disneyland to New York City in 75 days; 50 marathons in 50 states on 50 consecutive days; and, just this summer, 1000 miles across Australia. Read More

 
 

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