Erinne Willock Wins Women's Prestige Cycling Series in US  

Erinne Willock is a pro cyclist with Team Tibco and has just secured the individual title of the Womens Prestige Cycling Series.  The series is the only the North American competition that is for women and produced by women. The series included four races: Redlands Classic, SRAM tour of the Gila, Nature Valley Grand prix and the Cascade Cycling Classic. A broken scapula caused Erinne to miss the SRAM tour of the Gila but she came back strong and took 2nd place at the Nature Valley Grand Prix and 4th at the most recent race, the Cascade Cycling Classic. Congrats Erinne in taking the title!  Erinne is now off to Europe and hopes to secure a spot with the Canadian team in London. 

Reid Coolsaet, Overall winner in Toronto 10 miler  

On August 17, 2011 Reid Coolsaet ran in the Acura Toronto 10 miler. He finished with an impressive win over some of Canada's top runners in 48.33.8. The 10 miler is part of the Canadian Running Series and Reid is first in the 2011 National open standings!  Way to go Reid!

Read more about Reid at Canadian Running Magazine.  

Adam Van Koeverden wins K1 1000m World Championships     

Adam has won gold at the ICF Canoe and Kayak Sprint World Championships in the K-1 (kayak singles) 1000m in a world record time blowing away the other finalists.  

You've got to watch the video of the race...he powers to the finish a full 3 seconds before the silver medalist, Anders Gustafsson. Adam is a Canadian sprint kayaker and a 3 time Olympic champion. This victory for Adam guarantees him a place at the Olympic Summer games in 2012 in this event. Congrats Adam!

 

Simon Whitfield wins 10th national title, Kyle Jones close second  

At the Michell Apple Triathlon in Kelowna Simon won his 10th national title. Following close behind was his close friend and rival, Kyle Jones. Kyle has had a strong year and managed to beat Simon in the two races leading up to the Apple. On Sunday, Simon pulled away in the run finishing with at time of 1:54:12, 24 seconds before Kyle. Congrats Simon and Kyle!

Annamay Pierse 8th at World Swimming Championships in 200m Breaststroke

Annamay qualifed 4th for the final of the women's 200m breaststroke at the FINA World Swimming Championships in China earlier this month with a time of 2:24:73 and finished 8th in the final.  Her time in the heats would have won her the bronze medal had she repeated it in the final.  However, her world record was not broken and she will be looking to improve on this peformance at the upcoming Pan Am Swim Championship.

Click here for more Success Stories   

Pro Team News: Paula Findlay Joins 7SYSTEMS

Paula Findlay is a young triathlete with an impressive list of accomplishments. This year she has won three World Championship Series races consecutively, one each in Sydney, Kitzbuhel and Madrid while also taking a third at the Mooloolaba World Cup.  

Paula tried 7SYSTEMS earlier this year after hearing how good it was from other top Canadian athletes.  It worked for her so she decided to sign on with the 7SYSTEMS Pro Team!

If you don't know her now, you will. She will no doubt continue to impress us as she prepares to make the Canadian team for the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games.    

Click here to read more about Paula Findlay.   

Nutrition Tip: Kate's Oatmeal Cubes

Try these quick oatmeal cubes for an easy snack! 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups steel cut oats (I used the PC steel cut oats in the blue can)
• 2 cups skim milk
• Cinnamon to taste
• 2 apples, peeled and grated
• 2 teaspoons honey (or to taste)

 Directions:

1. Mix everything together and add whatever you'd like ie. raisins, walnuts, etc.
2. Bake for 30mins in a 13" x 9" pan or slightly smaller pan for thicker more moist oatmeal
3. Cool and store in the refrig.  
4. Cut a square and reheat in the microwave. Yumm

Ironman Canada is one of the longest running Ironman events on the planet. For many Canadians it is the big race of the season. It typically takes place at the end of August making it a perfect climax to a Canadian summer of racing. For many athletes this is the race they are peaking for.

We asked Ironman Champion Jasper Blake to share FIVE tips on how to make Ironman Canada your best race of the season.

1- Don't Change

The biggest mistake I see people making when they get close to an Ironman is their sudden urge to make significant changes to their plan. It is normal to get anxious and have small panic attacks leading up to the race but it is a mistake to suddenly change your whole game plan. It's hard not to be influenced by others- race week everyone is walking around, talking about what they are going to do pace wise or nutritionally and it's hard to not be swayed by their different ideas. The best advice I can offer is to stick to your game plan. If you have practiced something in training and it has worked then stick to it. The time to make big changes is not race week.

2- Break the bike course up mentally

Ironman can always seem daunting- it is a long way and a long day- so break it up into manageable pieces. Ironman Canada is a great course to break up especially on the bike. The first leg involves a fast ride down to Osoyoos. Once you are there you are already a third of the way through the bike portion. The next piece is the climb up Richters pass and the rollers, which can be a welcome break after 60km of flat time trialing. The next piece is the out and back which can discourage people because you literally head straight back to where you came from but remember, 180km is 180km- it's just a piece of that. The next piece is the climb up Yellow Lake- again a nice break from the flat time trial efforts. And finally you get to descend down into Penticton- 20km downhill, which is a great way to finish off the bike.

3- Pace yourself up Richters Pass  

  Click here to read the THREE other tips at our Coaches Corner BLOG  

Mark Naphin conquers Death Race    

Mark Naphin became a new 7SYSTEMS user in 2011 and recently completed the North Face Canadian Death Race with stress fracture in his ankle. The race is 127 km race with 17 000 feet of elevation change. It passes over 3 mountain summits and has a major river crossing. This is no small feat and not for the faint hearted. Way to go Mark!  CLICK HERE to read Mark Naphin's review of 7SYSTEMS   

Dina Altayeb goes sub 13 hours at IM Regensburg 

Former athlete of the month and long time 7SYSTEMS user Dina Altayeb had the race of her life last weekend in Regensburg, Germany where she finally broke the 13 hour barrier after six years of trying.  Dina had a solid race from start to finish setting best times in all three disciplines to finish in 12:46.

Linnea Humprey wins Age Group at European Ironman Championship

Congrats Linnea on being first in her age group, the first master to finish and the 9th amateur women in the European Ironman Championship in Frankfurt on July 24th. To top it off, she was proposed to at the finish line when her husband-to-be came through 18 minutes later.  We are glad 7SYSTEMs is helping you DO MORE.   

Upcoming Events 

• As official sports supplement of Xterra Canada we invite you to come to the Canadian Open Championships on September 4th, 2011 in Whistler BC.  For information on the event and to register please visit:  www.xterracanada.ca 
• Watch for 7SYSTEMS at the Centurion cycling event in Collingwood, Ontario September 17th, 2011.  With almost 20 riders on the team, chances are they will be among the leaders.

The 7SYSTEMS Team