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Super League Triathlon Making U.S. Debut at Malibu Triathlon on Sept. 25
By: Brian Metzler

In the early days of triathlon, participation numbers were low, but interest was high among spectators and casual followers. That was largely due to a 1979 Sports Illustrated story by Barry McDermott who chronicled the second edition of the Hawaii Ironman. At the time, SI was riding high during the heyday of American magazine publishing. Their very large readership marveled at the “crazies” who would voluntarily torment themselves for 140.6 miles. So while only 15 souls braved the four-six foot seas off Waikiki in that second Ironman, millions more read about their efforts in the pages of SI. As Scott Tinley later wrote, McDermott had supplied “The Pen that Launched a Thousand Triathlons."

One man and his company are trying to recapture the attention of American sports fans with the Super League Triathlon. On September 25, the race series will make its debut in the U.S. market during the 34th Malibu Triathlon in Malibu, California, with the 2021 championship finale of its fast, exciting, spectator-friendly format of professional triathlon racing. The Malibu Triathlon will welcome more than 5,000 participants and 10,000 spectators during its late-September event, with an Olympic distance event (1.5 km Swim, 40 km Bike, 10 km Run) on Saturday, Sept. 25, and a Classic-distance event (½-mile Swim, 17-mile Bike, 4-mile Run) on Sunday, Sept. 26. The Super League Triathlon Pro Race will be the newest addition to the Malibu Triathlon, taking place at noon after the Olympic distance race ends on Saturday. 

Event organizers recently announced a world class field that includes the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Tokyo Olympic triathlon medalists Flora Duffy, Georgia Taylor-Brown, and Katie Zaferes who will compete in the SLT championship race. They will be joined by their male counterparts, Silver and Bronze Tokyo Olympic triathlon medalists Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde.

At the Malibu Triathlon, to-date we have confirmed a powerhouse relay team including Alexi Pappas, Mary Cain and Rich Roll and celebrity actor, Chace Crawford.

We caught up recently with Michael D'hulst, CEO and Co-Founder of Super League Triathlon, to talk about the details of the brand’s U.S. debut.
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Foot Locker reported strong Q2 numbers, causing the stock to raise as much as 10 percent in the days following. Driven by strong sales in both women's footwear, children's footwear and apparel, Foot Locker has high opes for the second half of 2021.  

Lululemon announced they'll be raising their minimum wage to $15. The announcement comes as many retail and service industry jobs struggle to keep staff. Lululemon anticipates hiring 8,000 new staff members as the holiday season approaches. LULU was up slightly after the announcement, but took a dip today as nears its Q2 earnings report. 

Another slew of bad news for Peloton last week as shares are now down almost 9% today and over 28% YTD. While losses were expected last quarter, they came in even higher than expected. On Thursday Peloton announced a major price cut in their original model as an attempt to expand their customer base. This news was quickly overshadowed by word Friday that the company has been subpoenaed by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security for documents relating to injury reports. 

Here’s your roundup of new private company deals within the health and wellness sector over the past week.

  • On Running has filed for an IPO and is expected to garner a $5 billion valuation. The company was founded in 2010 by professional triathlete Olivier Bernhard and has soared ever since. Revenue was up 85% in the first six months of 2021. Tennis legend Roger Federer is the highest profile financial backer of the company.

  • WHOOP is now the most valuable independent human performance measurement company in the world, thanks to a fresh round of $200,000,000 in capital from a round led by SoftBank. They will use this Series F cash to acquire other companies in the sector and to enhance WHOOP Live which allows users to overlay their personal data on photos and videos, among other growth initiatives. 

  • Eight Sleep just raised $86,000,000 in a Series C round. The company makes mattresses with embedded sensors to monitor sleep patterns and even adjust the temperature of the mattress in real time based on biometrics. Investors in the round included Valor Equity Partners, SoftBank, Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, and General Catalyst. Retired MLB star Alex Rodriguez is also an investor. 

  • Going in the opposite direction of new investments, Google quietly disbanded its health unit and will disperse hundreds of employees into other Google divisions. That could mean enhanced focus and resources for Fitbit which Google acquired two years ago for more than $2 billion. 

  • There is a new investor with very deep pockets now focused on new deals in sports, health and fitness. Launched by Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank,  AMBSE Ventures will make investments in early-stage sports-related businesses.

  • Valet Living acquired NFinite Pursuit to enhance its position as one of the largest providers of gym and personal fitness solutions to large apartment buildings and condos. The combined company now covers more than 1.7 million building residents across the U.S.

  • Bettera Holdings, a producer of nutritional supplements in chewable form, was sold to Catalent for $1 billion

Photo courtesy of  SlowTwitch.com
Weight: Appx. 10.5oz (Men’s)    
Appx. 9.3oz (Women’s)
Stack: 33mm/29mm
Drop: 4 mm
Category: Max Cushion/Carbon Plate
($200)
From BelieveInTheRun.com

What’s New:

  • Carbon plated midsole
  • Sharptail heel for fast transitions
  • A tad lighter than previous models

What You’ll Love:

  • Top of class midsole comfort
  • Carbon racer capabilities
  • Maintains ability to pack in long miles

HOKA’s Frankenstein shoe is alive! HOKA’s Bondi line is known for its massive stack height and superior midsole and is typically reserved for those getting in slow, long recovery runs. If you’ve been following along on these reviews for a while you’d know almost all the carbon plated racers we’ve touched on are for those looking to crush their PRs. So who is this shoe for exactly? It’s for those falling right in the middle circle of this running shoe venn diagram. You love stack and you love speed and you will love the HOKA Bondi X. If you’re a huge fan of just the traditional Bondi line, don’t worry as the X is just a shoot off of their shoe. A carbon plateless version of this model will be available. Without further delay, let’s see what the review experts are saying.

 

Doctors of Running: “The Bondi X has a lot going on, and ultimately it results in a genuinely enjoyable ride on the roads. It is very soft with a moderately rigid carbon plate that spans the length of the shoe to help stabilize the foam, and the typical HOKA geometry provides smooth transitions as well. This shoe is the best "rock catcher" I've had in a while, so only on the roads will I go with this strapped to my feet. Ultimately, this shoe has made me think about footwear design more than any other that I've seen so far this year due to the many components.”

 

Believe in the Run: “I’ve been wearing this shoe nearly non-stop since I received it, having put in close to 75 miles at this point. As I’m upping my miles for marathon training, I’ve been craving a super plush, cushy shoe for recovery days, and this one fits the bill. Not only have I enjoyed the recovery days, but I used this shoe for a long run with some marathon pace effort and it felt great. From 9-minute miles to 6-minute miles, the HOKA Bondi X is a delight. This one will be staying in my rotation without question.”

 

Road Trail Run: “Hoka joins the max cushion super premium game with a pleasing, easy going giant that combines lots of soft foam, a swallow tail broad heel design and a carbon plate. The result is a luxury cruise liner rather than a speed boat. 

 My test runs, all at moderate paces between 9:30 mile and 10 min mile (my easier day training paces) were road shock free and in a word  “all good and all comfortable” but not easily blazing fast or even moderately fast and snappy due to the softness and weight at the rear of the shoe. 

 The carbon plate clearly makes a difference in propulsion with such a soft midsole as toe offs at all paces were quick but not with that much pop contributed by the soft midsole and outsole, the plate doing the heavy lifting of propulsion. I will continue to run it as a recovery, no run agenda type shoe.  While I have not been in a Bondi since the B, Bondi fans should be pleased by the extra carbon pep here as well as the upper.”

 The HOKA ONE ONE Bondi X comes out this October.

Director, Brand Marketing
NIKE 

 Beaverton, OR
Responsible for developing, directing, and coordinating the complete marketing plan for a category that drives Nike brand strategies, develop programs that maximize brand awareness and sales. Estimated Salary: $167,000
Director, Project Management
Athleta

San Francisco, CA
Play a lead role in creating value by augmenting how Athleta brings their customers voice into design, create a clear vision for what the Athleta Brand should look like in the future, develop comprehensive project plans for efficiency. 
Director of CRM
Strava

Denver, CO
Lead the team that shapes how, when, and where Strava communicates with the millions of athletes who use our apps every day, set operational goals that quantify CRM impact and progress over time.  
Senior Global Product Line Manager
HOKA 

Goleta, CA
Manage the apparel and accessories product lines throughout the full product life cycle, act as facilitator between regional merchandising and marketing teams. 
Senior Production Planner
Leatherman

Portland, OR
Facilitate the execution of all manufacturing operations for Leatherman, identify and communicate requirements, priorities, and shortfalls in inventory with all levels of management. 
Marketing Operations Senior Manager
Converse

Boston, MA
Focus on driving the Converse operating processes and accountability throughout the organization, operationalize the go-to-market process from concept development through launch. Estimated Salary: $80,000 - $140,000 
1Estimated salary based on comparable positions and reported salaries in the industry. 
Cool Down: Top stories from the past week that you shouldn't miss.
Sneaker Consignors Grew 383% on The RealReal, and Nike Pairs Had the Highest Resale Value Overall Footwear News 

Nike closes corporate offices for a week to give employees a mental health break KGW8

Lululemon, Hiring 8,000 for Holiday, Upgrades Minimum Wage Sourcing Journal

Skechers Supports Earthquake Relief Efforts In Haiti Patch

Grandma’s Marathon Wins Top Honors in Statewide Readers’ Choice Awards Program endurancesportswire

Experience the History: Toluca City, State of Mexico Selected as New Host of Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Event endurance.biz

Peloton drops the price of its original Bike by $400 amid poor earnings results The Verge

Tokyo Paralympic Games Get Prime Time Slot, More Athletes Than Ever NPR

World’s leading endurance sports brand Spartan invests in global long-distance hiking series HIGHLANDER Outside 

Under Armour Founder To Sell Stock SGB Media

Morgan Stanley predicts gyms will recover and rates Planet Fitness at overweight CNBC
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