Icebreaker - Pure Merino

To be honest I was not 100% sure about racing in Icebreaker at the 2010 Motatapu challenge (New Zealand’s iconic off road marathon).  I feel the heat and have always run or raced in a lite weight top.  So like every piece of kit I have ever been given I went out and tested it and found my self a bit surprised.

I trained in the IcebreakerGT150 Short Sleeve Velocity Crewe and found that it wicked moisture away from the body, it was cool and breathable on hot days and kept me warm on cold days.  I found I could wear it 3 or 4 days in a row and it wouldn’t smell either.

On the race day the weather was a mixed bag - cold in the morning, but overcast with sunny periods for the rest of the day.  Believe it or not I wore my IcebreakerGT200 Long Sleeve Chase Crewe and felt totally comfortable for the whole race.  Over the years I have been sponsored by a number of different clothing brands and I would have to say that Icebreaker would have to be the most versatile and best product I have used to date.

- Josh Stevenson

Last weekend 16 of my Icebreaker buddies from around the world and I, took to the Southern High Country to compete in The Motatapu. The Motatapu is one of New Zealand’s premier sporting events consisting of three events; a 15km Mountain run, an Off-Road Marathon or a 50km High Country Mountain Bike race.

The last race I competed in was a 2km cross-country race at my High School, 6 years ago. Needless to say a 15km Mountain race was slightly more than a natural next step. Not one to step down from a challenge I decided to throw myself right in.

Now that I’ve finished, I can say it was one of the most inspiring events I have completed. Despite reaching the halfway point and being yet to start our descent after 680m of vertical climbing, or the 2kms of ice-cold rivers we crossed before reaching the finish line, I look back on the event with fond memories. Running across Shania Twain’s private land, through Glencoe Station, across snow grass, and looking over the Wakatipu basin to the Remarkables was breath-taking both at the time and looking back!

Notable mentions go to Rob Achten who finished third running under the secret identity and race name of Darren Chin, our newest employee Martin Hurych who rode 30km of his first mountain bike race with one pedal and Mélina Holzer who completed her first ever marathon.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit this part of New Zealand and take on The Motatapu - don’t think as long about it as I did! It has totally inspired me to continue the training and compete in the next race that comes my way. I read in the Air NZ Magazine on the flight home that there is a race down South which involves a café stop at halfway. Sounds perfect.

- Kaylee Donald, Icebreaker Global In-Store Coordinator

So we were a little bit hungover the day after Motatapu, quite typical of an Icebreaker weekend away.  A few of us decided to pass the time ‘creatively’ whilst waiting for our fish and chips.  Team bonding IB style we like to call it.  We won’t win any cheerleading competitions soon, but hey, who cares when you’re in a location like this for ‘work’?!

In March, a team of us were lucky enough to head down south to participate in and support the 2009 Icebreaker Motatapu mountain bike/marathon race.  At times, it was a pretty daunting experience (to say the least), but the awesome location with it’s mind blowing scenery ensured it was one race we wouldn’t forget in a long time.

“A call went out to our office to sign up for the iconic South Island event at Motatapu. I now had an incentive to attempt my first marathon after a lifetime’s love of beer and pizza.

The big day arrived and on a chilly March morning I was standing in line with about 500 other intrepid runners. The gun sounded and elite athletes bounded away from the start line followed by us less elite souls. Pretty soon the field had opened up along a narrow ribbon of track winding across the glorious landscape and the cold morning had given way to a bright, sunny day.

The remainder of the run was full of awesome scenery, a challenging track and an occasional wake up call from a very cold Motatapu river. During the final 2km supporters began to appear along the route. Their shouted encouragement lifted my flagging pace and it was great to see our own Icebreaker crew cheering and waving banners at the final approach.

I had actually completed a marathon and it felt fantastic. It was fun swapping stories with the team and everyone was still buzzing when we went on to celebrate that evening with beer and pizza. Back to square one? Maybe!”.

- Bill Powell, Mac operator

“For 25kms I ran and enjoyed the incredible scenery.  For another 10kms I walked, then hobbled while trying to keep my spirits up and my legs moving.  Then…..35k into it, I sat down and cried.   Everything was hurting and I had nothing left to give.  What a crap time I was having!

Then I remembered something my mum said to me when we were in Cambodia over Christmas: “Aren’t you lucky, Sarany, not to be stuck on the streets of Cambodia, begging”.  Wandering through the most beautiful landscape, running in the name of the coolest company to help unfortunate children buy food and clothes is not a crap situation to be in.

So I grabbed hold of my second wind and ran with it. That wind delivered me to the finish line in a time of 5 hours 51 minutes, where I collapsed in a heap and cried my little heart out.”

- Sarany Pan, Financial Systems Analyst

“Crossing the finish line at Motatapu was quite possibly the most amazing feeling I’ve ever had. Even though it was at least 3 hours after most of the Icebreaker team finished, it didn’t matter. For me, Motatapu was a massive achievement, having never done anything like it before. After joining Icebreaker 12 months earlier and wanting to get into the team spirit of things, I decided Motatapu was a case of ‘if you can’t beat them join them’ and I’m so glad I did.”

- Sarah O’Leary, Design Project Manager