Icebreaker - Pure Merino

Hey Icebreaker,

Once again this year I decided to put myself through a whole heap of pain for no apparent reason! Specifically on this occasion it was for the Peak to Peak Multisport race in Queenstown. The Peak to Peak starts at the Remarkables Ski field at the highest peak with a small run in ski boots quickly followed by a ski leg down the black run Homeward Bound.

After jumping the fence it’s on to the Mountain Bike for a blast down the access road, followed by a flat section along to Frankton Beach. Here is where the real race starts, a 9km kayak around into Queenstown bay, from this point you don the running shoes and run out of town towards Coronet Peak, at the base of the hill you jump on your bike and have the lovely ride to the top!

All in all it’s a solid day at the office!!

This year I travelled up to Central from Dunedin on Friday and then set about getting all of the gear needed ready for the next morning. I decided that I would wear a IcebreakerGT 200 long sleeve top the whole way from start to finish along with my other cycle gear.

With a dedicated support crew of Dad, my girlfriend Amy (Thanks for coming from Christchurch) and local lad Tom (I promised him Subway for helping me) we set off to Queenstown to the start of the race.

At 12:10pm on Saturday the chaos began. The ski wasn’t too bad although poor snow cover made some parts interesting! Then onto the Mountain bike all was good although in retrospect I should have chosen different tyres as parts of the road were greasy!

Into the kayak all things started well until I went to take a drink from my lifejacket, nothing happened… I came to the conclusion that there was a kink in the hose (later revealed that there was) so I was stuck drinking straight Leppin, which sat uncomfortably in my stomach!

Onto the run and I quickly downed a large portion of water from my Fuelbelt and then tried to get into a steady pace, my left leg had gone numb in the kayak, so I invented a new running style! Not sure how efficient it is though! The run didn’t really improve much, my legs felt heavy the whole time and my stomach was trying to get rid of some Leppin any way possible.

Onto the last ride and I started to push pretty hard, I had borrowed a bike with lighter wheels and lower gears than mine to make the uphill as easy as possible. Lucky I had! Through all the pain I managed to get to the top, and with Tom running the last few km’s beside me to make me go faster!!

Finally crossing the finish line I had been out there for 2hr54min, which in comparison isn’t heaps but it hurt!! I managed to be 1st junior male, and improved my time by 15minutes from last year, next year I have to jump up to the Open male section, but I will be better prepared than ever!

My clothing choices were perfect for the conditions, I never got to hot or cold, and even I was surprised I didn’t smell at the finish!! Here are a couple photos from the final hill climb, excuse the pain on my face!!

Thanks Icebreaker!!

- Blake Luff, Icebreaker Fan

A team from Icebreaker’s head office in Wellington is about to take on one of the world’s toughest endurance events – Race Across America, an epic, non-stop bike race across the US.

Mad, huh?  We think so, but our team is committed to putting our gear to the test, taking it to the limit and getting back to nature.

Last weekend, the team – Rob, Hamish, Maureen and Jason – completed a test run, cycling from Wellington to Taupo in some of the worst weather we’ve seen in a while.  They battled the elements in preparation for the race, rocking out their IcebreakerGT gear and showing us what they’re made of.  The pictures speak a thousand words – see for yourself.  Shot by Fred l’Ami our Identity Design Director, he’ll also be covering the Race Across America.

The team and support crew will be wearing Icebreaker for the duration of the event.  We’re looking forward to putting our gear to the test during this 8 day non-stop epic Race Across America.

You can watch the progress of the team, send messages of support, ask questions, enter to win Icebreaker gear and entries to the Speight’s Coast to Coast via the following website:  http://raam.icebreaker.com

We’d love you to join in and support our guys – highlight June 12 in your diaries for the start of the race!

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