Jesse Featonby joins the Hammer Team
Jesse Featonby is a 21 year old Triathlete from Albury who's ambition is to represent Australia at the Olympics. Training in Canberra over winter under Coach Glen Gathercole will no doubt toughen him up. He has signed up to race a couple of ITU Asia Cup races in Singapore and Beijing in July and August, which will allow him some early season race form.
Jason has made the under 23 Elite Aquathon team, which will be held on the Gold Coast in September. His CV is a looking great and we are really looking forward to working with Jesse to help him pursue his career and represent Australia.
Good Luck Jesse.
Cheers
David
Recent Career Highlights:
1st Australian Duathlon Championships Benalla (ITU Junior) 2006
Represented Australia at the 2005 ITU Junior World Duathlon Championships in Newcastle were I finished 17th
1st Canberra Capital Triathlon (Male 16-19), Canberra 2007
1st Hobart International Triathlon (Male 16-19), Hobart 2007
1st Victorian Sprint Distance Championships (U23 Elite), Sandringham 2007
1st Canberra Capital Triathlon (Male 20-24), Canberra 2008
2nd Australian Olympic Distance Championships (Male 20-24), Perth 2008
1st Australian Sprint Championships (Male 20-24), Huskisson 2008
2nd Portarlington Triathlon (Elite), Portarlington 2009
7th ITU Australian Sprint Championships (Elite U23), Hobart 2009
5th ITU U23 Oceania Championships (Elite U23) , Gold Coast 2009
8th ITU Aria Mooloolaba Triathlon (Elite), Mooloolaba 2009
Kokoda Challenge
The
Kokoda Challenge is on again
The Kokoda Challenge is a cross-country bush walking team event where teams of 4 people trek a 96km course through the Gold Coast Hinterland within a 39 hour time limit.
The event was designed to reflect the key elements of the Spirit of Kokoda with 96km representing the actual distance of the Kokoda Track and the 39 hours symbolizing the 39th Militia who were the first of our Australian troops to arrive at Kokoda on 15th July 1942. !
This is one gruelling event, which has broken many an individual and teams apart.
The best thing about this challenge is that you have to work together with each other to finish. Everybody has to finish.
Team Nike/Hammer have won this event for the past 2 years and are back again for a 3rd time.
Each year gets harder and harder as more and more teams take up the challenge.
We asked team member Mike Page to give us a bit of an update on the team and see how they are preparing for the event:
"So here we are again.
I can't believe it's been almost 12 months since the last Kokoda Challenge, but time flies when you're having fun... So Ive been told... ;)
Last year saw a southerner recruited, as I was out with a stress fracture. Wayne Heath took the challenge in his stride and the team shaved another 5 minutes off the race record which now stands at 11hrs 54mins.
This year sees a record number of teams taking part in this great event. Some fresh meat, and a lot of familiar faces, back for more punishment. While no-one is quite sure who will be there on the day, last years runners up, Team Ironman has signed up for more punishment.George Takis, is a veteran of the challenge and the team boasts the likes of Nigel Waddington, who has competed in many ultra running races such as the Glass House 100 (100mile trail run).
Not to be outdone, last years winning all-womens team will be back, with veterans such as Christine McDougall and some new faces. These girls were quick, coming in only 23mins behind Team Ironman.
The build up this year, as usual, has had it's fair share of ups and downs. With our team members Donnie and Nicky in BrisVegas, and Pete and myself on the Coast, we generally train in pairs and only catch up on the odd occasion before the big event. One such occasion was the Mini-Kokoda which takes in a short 30km section of the trail to give teams a taste of what they'll be in for come July.
600 people took to the trail for up to 8 and a half hours to test their mettle against a double crossing of Springbrook Mountain, one of the larger climbs in the challenge. No surprise that Donnie took the event out in 2hrs 45mins. His preparation this year has been better than average with a great result in the 6 Foot Track Marathon earlier this year, finishing 4th. Being Donnie's training partner, Nicky is never off the pace either, and Pete and I were shown how to run up big hills when we went for a bit of a run with her during the mini-Kokoda event. I've never seen anyone make running up hills look as easy as she does.
Pete and myself have had a mixed preparation this year. Pete is generally the most consistent person in training you'd ever meet. Rain, hail, or shine, it'd be a cold day in hell before he'd miss a training session. However, a trip to Tassie in February to trek the Overland Trail, saw him return with a niggling back injury which has plagued him up until a month ago. Since then, he seems to have bounced back ok, and with a few weeks of solid k's, he should be ready come July. And that leaves me. Last year was one I'd rather forget. Two bouts of stress fractures, followed up by an ITB niggle saw 2008 go by without a race, and the first couple of month of 2009 as well. Since then a few months of consistent training, and a couple of 50k races, have seen some form return, and by July, I should be up to speed.
So there you have it. This year will hopefully see the team be as consistent as in the past, but with the race becoming more popular, with more great teams being formed, it's going to be a tough day at the office."
Mike also gave us a history of the team;
Peter Hall has run a total of 30 marathons during his time with a
PB of 2:34:28.
Donnie Wallace has finished the prestigious Comrades Marathon 5 times. Twice in the top 10 and three times in the top 15.
He has also gone under
7 hours for 100km numerous times as well has a host of other results.
Nicki Carrol is a
Sydney 2000 Olympian, having run a PB of 2:25:51 in the 1999 London Marathon. She is one of only 5 Australian females to go under the 2:30 mark.
Me (Mike Page) - I've competed in Ironman and other ultra distance events. Currently living in the shadow of my other team members!
I hold the Course Record holder for 62km Tambourine Trek and have achieved good results at several local races. PB of 9:48 hrs for Port Macquarie IM."
Also what nutrition plans they had;
Obviously nutrition is crucial to this event - what is the team plan for this year?
We have used
Hammer products each time we have competed in this event and they have never let us down.
Our nutrition plan this year will be virtually the same as last year.
The key of course to any good nutrition plan is being able to change it at any point during the race to respond to your bodies needs. Knowing what your body is trying to tell you is the key.
We will be using all of the Hammer products during the event, but probably the 2 that are of most importance are
Perpetuem and
Heed.
Perpetuem provides the protein required to prevent muscle breakdown during the event, while
Heed helps provide the required electrolyte."
Good luck for all the teams in this years event and hopefully they will compete and finish safely and raise their target of $500,000 !
Last year we used a combination of 1 serve of
Perpetuem and 2 serves of
Heed in 2 litres of water. This provided us with a good base.
Shortfalls in carbs were made up using
Hammer Gels and extra electrolyte through
Endurolytes.
"
New Recoverite Flavour
It's been a while coming but now we have a new flavour Recoverite ! Strawberry flavour !
Of course keeping with the Hammer philosophy this flavour is mild for easy consumption.
Please enjoy !
Cheers
David
Sean Bekkers - wins Merida 24 hour Solo MTB
Sean Bekkers has been busy racing and winning the solo section of the
Merida 24 hour MTB solo race only 3 weeks after the
National 24 hour Solo MTB Championships.What a great achievement to back up 2 huge races and do expectational well.
Sean used
Perpetuem throughout the race and puts this down to his ability to consistently clock similar laps times throughout the race.
Sean will use these races as lead up to the World 24 hr Championships.
Customer Comments
We thought we'd post a couple of comments from our Customers. ( they are unsolicited)
Cheers
David
Brisbane to Noosa Century Bike Ride
The Century is a great ride for every Level of Cyclist. In the European tradition of Century rides (100 mile / 160km)
Cyclist will be faced with the tough physical challenge of the undulating Glass House Mountains National Park. This stretch of the ride to
Nambour is by far the toughest, however, rest assured it’s made all the easier by way of the spectacular views of the Sunshine Coast coastline. From
Nambour riders head east to
Bli Bli and continue the final leg of their journey along the David Low Way to magnificent
Noosa. This spectacular coastline cycle is one of the most scenic finishes that a ride such as this has to offer.
Hammer will be providing riders with it's
H.E.E.D (High Energy Electrolyte Drink) throughout the ride. HEED with it's all Complex Carbohydrate Energy Source is a great way to fuel during such a long ride. We recommend that riders try HEED prior to race day.
Any riders who like information on how to fuel for such an event can email us at hammernutrition@bigpond.com or we can recommend you read Steve Born's great booklet "
The Endurance Athletes Guide to Success"Good luck on such a great ride.
Karen Foat - Joins the Hammer Team
Karen is a 24 hour solo MTB - who recently qualified for the World 24 hour Solo Championships in Canada this July.
Karen has been using
Perpetuem in her races and hopes to set a PB int he Worlds.
It's along time to stay awake riding a MTB going around a bush track. Lots of things can go wrong !
We will keep you posted on how she goes.
Hammer will provide nutritional support to Karen and encourages as many athletes as we can to compete to the best of their abilities.
Qld Supermoto Champion joins the Hammer Team
Joe Car is a 22 year old currently racing an
Aprilia SXV 550 in
Supermoto, a
form of motorcycle racing which is a hybrid of road racing with some off
road sections.
Joe has joined the Hammer Team Sponsored Athletes.
Joe wrote:
"Like most motorcycle racing it is very physically demanding
and I think that it may be a possible new area for other racers like myself
to use your products.
I originally found your products through cycle training in my racing off
season and found them to be very good, especially the
Endurolytes that
stopped me cramping which was a big problem for me whilst I was undergoing
chemotherapy in 07/08 ( I am going better than ever now though !) and that
would cause me to cramp quite badly in my motorcycle races and longer
training rides on my cycle, the
Endurolytes stopped that and I have not had
a cramp since."
We look forward to working with Joe and seeing how far he can progress in his chosen sport !
Cheers
David
Port Macquarie Ironman - we will be there !
9 days to the 1500 + Athletes biggest day of the year at the
Port Ironman.
It will also prove to be the undoing of many athletes races through bad nutritional planning.
After being at the last 5 races and watching athletes unnecessarily go through numerous cramping and stomach issues usually on the run, I am continually amazed at how they plug onto finish no matter what !
Most of these problems are totally unnecessary. They usually come about by lack of planning and poor choice of nutrition.
Steve Born has written the most comprehensive
guide for nutrition, which we strongly advise all athletes to read and understand.
Some of the biggest mistakes made are :
1. Too much nutrition - your system can only digest somewhere between 250-350 calories / hour. Think of it as a "traffic jam", the nutrition can't get go anywhere until the rest is digested.
Athletes get caught up in the race and forget how much they have taken or when.
Our solution is to separate your nutrition from your hydration, have 1 bottle for each on the bike.
Use
Perpetuem on the bike mixing the strength to a 5-6 hour bottle. Then mark on the bottle a line to drink down to each hour.
Set your watch to beep every 30 minutes, so you have a reminder of when to drink.
On the run switch to
gels for easy consumption, one every 30-40mins.
2. Avoid simple sugars until the last 3-5 km of the run !
3. Be prepared for the Heat ! and think of taking some
Electrolyte tablets to ensure against cramps.
Hammer Nutrition will be at the Ironman camped outside Graham Seers Cyclery, Shop 2 Port Marina. Directly opposite the Expo. We will be there Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Drop in and say hello.
We will be giving away 25 Caps and Bottles to the 1st 25 who turn up.
Customer feedback
Every now and again a customer writes to us to thank Hammer for their products. All sounds like a bit of self promotion but "it it what the customer said"
Quote
"Thank you so much for your quality products. I first tried HEED and Hammer Gels 4 years ago and really liked the taste and how they reacted with my body. I have since tried others but I have always gone back to HEED and Hammer Gel (Love the jugs for value). Around 18 months ago I started researching your other products, and as I'm competing mostly in 6, 12 and 24 hour events I have discovered Recoverite and Perpetuem - two more fantastic products. Now that I have had enough experience with using these products, I have found my personal mixing ratios/combinations for a wide range of conditions. Energy and recovery wise they are fantastic, but until recently I have still suffered from cramping. This problem has been with me for over 20 years, even as far back as when I competed in triathlon in the late 80s. Mostly I have put it down to insufficient preparation. Having read about your Endurolytes (and hundreds of pages of nutritional information from other sources)
I thought I'd give them a go - unbelievable the difference. So much so that in Feb this year I competed in the 40+ solo category in the Dusk til Dawn 12 hour at Canungra, finishing first in the category and running as high as 5th solo overall. I only started using them after around 2 hours into the race, taking two every hour after that - and not a single issue with cramps. My recovery was so good that I could continue with my training program straight away. In the past I have had such muscle soreness that I have not been able to look at a bike for at least a week. "
Wayne
PS - he is not a sponsored athlete
Mt Cotton Kermese Cycling Event
The
Wynnum Redlands (
WRCC) Cycling Club is putting on a great days cycle racing for all levels of Cyclist in South East Queensland. Taking place at the Mount Cotton driving centre it's a great location with over $6,000 worth of prizes to be spread across the field. Racing on a closed circuit is great for safety and encourages riders to ride aggressively. If you want to join in
click here for the full details and enjoy a great day out. Hammer Nutrition is proud to sponsoring this event and promoting the great sport of cycling.
Nowra to host great new MTB 101 km Enduro
One of the best sporting event organisers,
Emo from Elite Energy has put together a great new Event for the
Enduro MTB riders, called "
MTB 101". Race distances range from 101km, to 50 & 25km.
The event will live up to
Emo's usual standard of catering for all at a great venue, with heaps of entertainment for all.
Hammer will be providing the Race nutrition of
HEED and
Hammer GelHammer has 5 FREE entries for any customers who purchase
products online and mention this. Closes 15
th.
Cheers
David
