June 14th, 2010 / Athletes + Company + Events + Head Office + Outdoors + People
Four of our staff members - Rob Achten, Hamish Allan, Jason Brown and Mike Stepanek are currently competing in the Race Across America - one of the world’s toughest endurance races, an epic non-stop bike race across the US from June 12-20.
You can follow their progress on our specially designed RAAM website here: http://raam.icebreaker.com/
Please send in messages of support via Twitter and Facebook. We’re also giving away daily prizes of Icebreaker gear and four Speight’s Coast 2 Coast entry tickets on the RAAM Competition page.
Thanks to the tremendous support crew made up of Icebreaker staff - they’re doing a great job ensuring the team in well looked after on the race!
Go hard guys!
June 3rd, 2010 / Athletes + Competition + Events + Head Office + Merino + Outdoors + People + Photos
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!
February 13th, 2010 / Athletes + Events + Head Office + People
Well the Icebreaker team have finished the last day of the Speight’s Coast to Coast World Multisport Championships on a high! They’ve had a fantastic time, battling some crazy weather conditions and many a course change, and they’ve come out the other side pumped full of wonderful memories from an awesome event.
It’s fair to say Mother Nature showed us what she’s got with the athletes battling extreme weather conditions in the last 24 hours - torrential rain and gale force winds put everyone to the test. Even the supporters suffered - check out the team trying to pitch the Icebreaker tent in the high winds! Lucky they were all wearing Icebreaker to keep them warm we think.
The team have seen lots of people wearing their IcebreakerGT baselayer that they received in their race packs, it’s great to see they’ve joinded the flock and experienced the revolution of merino!
We’re really proud of our guys and can’t wait to celebrate with them when they’re back in the office next week. Enjoy your merino BBQ at Sumner Beach tonight team, wish we were there!
February 12th, 2010 / Athletes + Events + Head Office + People
The Icebreaker NZ team have gone down to the Speight’s Coast to Coast World Multisport Championships this weekend. Day 1 is underway and the crew are having a blast competing (and supporting) at the race. The event covers 243km across the Southern Alpine of the South Island in New Zealand and there’s still a long way to go, they’re set for a big weekend.
Our team is doing really well, there’s still even some with smile’s on their faces at the transitions. A few of the support crew have even managed to rest up with a bit of rexlexology treatment along the way - lucky! Big congrats to our first Icebreaker Runner home - NZ Market Manager, Jason Brown!
Go team, we’re behind you 100%!
January 29th, 2010 / Athletes + Events + Outdoors + People
The Speight’s Coast to Coast traverses the South Island of New Zealand from Kumara Beach on the Tasman Sea to Sumner Beach on the Pacific Ocean. Over either two days (individuals or two person teams) or the one-day event (individuals only), competitors cycle 140 kms (three stages of 55km, 15 km and 70 km), run 36 km (including a 33 km mountain stage that crosses the Southern Alps) and kayak 67kms of the grade two Waimakariri River through the Grand Canyon of New Zealand, the Waimakariri Gorge. Icebreaker is sponsoring this event in 2010, and a bunch of us are competing. Here’s an excerpt about the lead up from one of our team members:
So why am I doing the one day Coast to Coast? Mainly I believe, because it is a fantastic opportunity to learn about myself. I know that to get there I have to push myself to my physical and mental limits.
So with only weeks separating me and the start line, do I feel ready? Well yes I think I do, but I am sure there will be some nerves and doubts… But that is part of why I’m doing it really. We face challenges because they test us and make us stronger. In the act of thinking about the question of “am I where I want and need to be?”, I have to reflect on where I was when I was told I would be on the Icebreaker Team. I was nowhere fit enough (7kg heavier than I am now), and I had no kayak or decent road bike. All I really had was a desire to find a new challenge and a giant opportunity.
So now here I am, metaphorically putting the last strokes of the first rapid that we call preparation. The next rapid is more of the same but longer and I know from experience that to do well in a race, a rapid or life in general you need to be prepared, relaxed and focused on where we are going. Bring it on!
- Dave Tait, Speight’s Coast to Coast competitor - Team Icebreaker
