I may not need the Helium 2 Fuel Belt or custom Oakley’s Terenzo Bozzone (cover) wore on his record-breaking assault on the Clearwater 70.3 Ironman in early November, but I certainly want them. Marketing gurus have long since realized that celebrity status sells products. So, reading about the 23-year-old Bozzone smashing Andy Potts’ record at Clearwater record by more than two minutes with an amazing 3:40:10 finish, it’s no doubt that a triathlete like me would want the same products Bozzone uses. Of course, I realize I will never be as fast as Bozzone, but the same cool gear that is available to him, is also available to me and you.
To find out the scoop on the latest and best gear, we talked to our local connections this past month to help compile a “Gear Guide” for our readers and “gear geeks” like me. They joined in to give us a list of smokin’ bikes, the latest running shoes, and just about everything else that’s cool in gear, which we duly present to you as genuine five-star holiday wish list items.
So, as your race seasons come to an end this winter and you look to re-stock and re-vamp your gear for 2009, check out our “Gear Guide”. You’ll also want to check out our tips for eating whatever you want this holiday without fear of gaining weight. But don’t worry, if you fail to heed our advice and decide to enjoy a few holiday treats, we’ve got you covered with our winter cycling maintenance plan to keep you primed for a spectacular summer season on your bike – a bike you just might pick from our list inside!
Yet, while much of this issue reflects the abundance of wealth we experience here in the United States, another story rings true to the holiday spirit of giving. Before you drift off to sleep with visions of Cervelo P4’s dancing in your head, please take the time to read a story of true human endurance and compassion. In “If You Build It”, our summer intern Caroline McMillan recounts Michael Tladi’s amazing story of endurance and survival after being abandoned by his parents at an early age. With a safe haven for children made possible by the incredible gift of time and money from a woman from Chapel Hill, Tladi was enabled to not just endure, but to live and grow to inspire other children abandoned by their poverty-stricken families in South Africa.
As endurance athletes we rely on gear to help us compete, but we also rely on the compassion of our fellow athletes as they cheer for us (and vice versa as they rely on us to cheer for them!) in races that prove difficult. It’s these words of encouragement, “energy words” as I like to call them that are the most enabling “piece” of gear we have. Stories like Michael Tladi’s show that “energy words” aren’t just for endurance sports, but the stories of human endurance. Whether you are in search of a tangible piece of gear or a story of human spirit to inspire you, the December issue of Endurance Magazine has got you covered.
