October 22, 2015 • mike orton

First Out Of The Water in Kona

blueseventy athlete Dylan McNeice was first out of the water in the PZ4TX swimskin at the 2015 IRONMAN World Championships emerging from Kailua Bay in a swift 50:45 followed closely by eventual overall winner Jan Frodeno. New Zealander McNeice kicked off the 2015 season by winning his third Challenge Wanaka title and just two weeks later, set a new Ironman New Zealand swim course record with a 44:25 split in our Helix wetsuit. Dylan finished on the podium behind greats Cam Brown and Terenzo Bozzone. Another top three result at IRONMAN Cairns secured his slot for his first IRONMAN World Championships. Dylan competed in Kona in a custom version of our popular TX2000 tri suit.

McNeice on the bike in our TX2000 tri suit

Heather Jackson turned pro at the end of 2009 and began a steady climb toward the top of the 70.3 World Championships podium (5th in 2010, 4th in 2011, 3rd in 2012 and 2nd in 2013). She kicked off this season by winning 70.3 Oceanside, but after a disappointing IRONMAN Texas she rebounded a month later to dominate a crazy hot IRONMAN Coeur d'Alene. Heather last competed in Kona as an amateur in 2008 when she won the 18-24 age group. Heather's 3:07 marathon brought her home 5th for the pro women.

Heather Jackson

Brit Tim Don secured his Kona slot with first place finishes at 70.3 Monterrey, 70.3 Latin America Championships and 70.3 USA Championships. A top three result at the 2014 70.3 World Championships and a win at IRONMAN Mallorca, his first iron-distance race, confirmed he was ready for the full distance. This year was his first Kona appearance. He hung tough after an early penalty on the bike and ran 3:01 to finish 15th in the highly competitive men's field.

Tim Don

Leanda Cave has won a World Championship at every distance starting with the 2002 ITU short course and then the 2007 ITU long course. In 2012 she won both the 70.3 and IRONMAN World Championships, the only female in triathlon history up until this year to accomplish both feats in a single year. Leanda arrived in Kona this year rested and ready, after a solid string of results - 2nd at IRONMAN North America Championships, 1st at Cannes International Triathlon and 8th at a competitive early season Challenge Dubai. Her 2015 race started with a great swim, but a crash on the bike derailed her 2015 goals and she failed to finish the race.

Leanda Cave

Kona plays center stage in celebrating all that is triathlon and every day leading up to the race you could find us on the iconic Coffee Boat in Kailua Bay. We're honored to be part of the Coffee Boat tradition and could not have done it this year without great partners Clif Bar and Starbucks.

Serving up caffeine infused swimming

We also partnered with good friends Endurance Conspiracy and Nuun Hydration for the ultimate trifecta shopping area at the legendary Mokuaikaua Church. Here you could shop for a sweet tee, fuel up on electrolytes and pick up gear to swim faster.

Stoked customers in the new PZ4TX

Lastly, we celebrated the fine age group athletes from around the globe who compete in blueseventy. Teams like Timex, Freespeed, QT2 Systems, E3 Training and Wattie Ink. A highlight was Timex Multisport Team's underpants run in our Lotus 2 piece swim wear.

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