The endless hours Charley Hoffman spent working in his sand game paid off in a huge way Monday, leading to an impressive five shot victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship. After finishing last season ranked near the bottom in sand-save percentage, Hoffman began working with short-game specialist James Sieckmann and noticed immediate improvements. Every one […]
well, here we are. or at least, here i am. and if you are here, then welcome. to the inaugural edition of surly saturdays. as i sit to write this, i am struck at how today is really anything but surly. like my friend ice cube once said, “today was a good day”. so it [...] […]
PRESS RELEASE: Snowboard Magazine awards Jones Snowboards, The Flagship, a Platinum Pick for excellence in design. “If you were going to trust anybody to design snowboarding’s premier big mountain snowboard, Jeremy Jones would be the wise pick. The Flagship is snowboarding’s response to the most critical riding on the planet. Using Magna-Traction, direc […]
Many ultramarathoners comment that if they wanted a sure thing, they’d run a road 10K. Many of them learn to appreciate the uncertainty that comes with tackling distances of 30, 50 or even 100 miles. Whether it’s Mother Nature, injury, or stomach problems, an entire day’s worth of challenges can present itself in such a long race. And, at the August 22 Leadville Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run, two Boa employees experienced all of the above.
The Leadville Trail 100 is widely held as one of the most difficult foot races in the world. The race takes place entirely above altitudes of 9,200 feet, in the Central Rockies of Colorado. It also crosses over two mountain passes twice each (the course is an out-and-back).
Still running strong, Jason Deugan arrives at the Mile 40 Twin Lakes Aid Station
Over the years, Leadville has consistently held the lowest finishing rate of any 100-mile runs. Roughly 44% of starters endure to cross the finish line under the 30-hour cut-off.
This year, Boa Inventory Coordinator Jason Deugan and Boa Marketing Manager Garett Graubins toed the starting line in downtown Leadville. With the blast of a shotgun (starter’s pistols are left for the Olympics), they bolted into the pre-dawn darkness with over 500 other wildly enthusiastic runners.
Graubins, who had completed three previous Leadville Trail 100s, had decided to push his pace as much as he comfortably could during the morning hours. And, by 12:45 in the afternoon, he hit the turnaround point more than 20 minutes ahead of his target pace, which would get him to the finish in under 20 hours.
Graubins arrives at the Mile 50 Turnaround, the dusty ghost town of Winfield. PHOTO COURTESY OF SANDRA HALVERSTADT PHOTOGRAPHY
“Even though I hit the turnaround pretty quick, I was running on eggshells,” he says. “It was hot – near-record heat, in fact. And the sun was blasting. I was going through water like nothing and my stomach couldn’t hold much beside energy gels, blocks, and the occasional banana.” Graubins turned around and began the long trip back to Leadville with his pacer, Rich Rodgers of Cultivator Design, one of Boa’s creative partners.
On the way back up 12,600-foot Hope Pass, Graubins bumped into Jason Deugan, who was also dealing with his share of troubles, but of a different variety. Knee pain. IT bands, to be more specific. “I assumed that while attempting my first 100 mile foot race I would be happy, tired, hungry, thirsty, wanting to quit, etc.,” he says. “But I never expected to have such severe knee pain that would eventually take me out of the race.”
Deugan hobbled down the Pass and dropped at the 50-mile turnaround. Just 36 hours later, he was already talking of redemption, however. The mountains will still be there.
Meanwhile, Graubins battled his touchy stomach and the heat. At Mile 60, he was still moving strong, despite the fact that he could not eat. “I knew I had to get some calories or I’d pay dearly for it later.” He picked up a fresh pacer who fed him Clif Blox every 10 minutes all the way to Mile 71, where he arrived still ahead of his sub-20-hour splits … but losing ground fast.
With his pacer providing some much-needed levity, Graubins covers the river plains outside the Mile 60 Aid Station. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLIFFORD PHOTOGRAPHY
As the sun sank in the Rocky Mountain sky, it became a race to beat both the approaching night and his quickly fading energy. After pushing the pace on a five-mile paved stretch, Graubins and his pacer arrived at Mile 76, the Leadville Fish Hatchery. Two pieces of watermelon and two cups of Sprite went down, and the duo continued moving forward.
The crux of the final quarter of the Leadville Trail 100 is Sugarloaf Pass. It consists of five false summits on its way to an altitude of 11,200 feet. Graubins’ pace slowed to a crawl here and his stomach turned to a churning bubble, ready to erupt at any time. “At that point, the finish line seemed impossibly far away,” he says. “More than once I wondered if my race was over … if I would end up walking back to the previous aid station rather than continuing upward and onward.”
As the sun sank behind the mountains to the west, Graubins reached the top of Sugarloaf Pass. From here, it was matter of shuffling the feet and trying to make good time on the downhill before switching on the headlamps. “Soon enough, the legs seemed to loosen up and I began to make pretty good time again.”
Graubins cross the finisher’s tape in 19:38. Good for 7th place. PHOTO COURTESY OF SANDRA HALVERSTADT PHOTOGRAPHY
At Mile 87, Mayqueen Campground, Graubins realized he had a chance to crack the 20-hour mark if he could make good time over the remaining sections of trail and road. “It took a long, hard push – especially to climb the last three miles into Leadville – but I had a good pacer and was able to hold my stomach together one last time.”
Finally, at 11:38 at night, Graubins’ feet hit the red carpet signifying the finish line of the Leadville Trail 100. A crowd of family and friends stood nearby and camera flashes lit up the finisher’s tape. “It was a blur – the last couple hundred feet – but in the same way that many of life’s most memorable moments are.” After a medal was placed around his neck, Graubins hunched over with his hands on his knees, exhausted and elated. His final time of 19:38:57 placed him seventh out of approximately 270 finishers.
GEAR NOTES: Both Deugan and Graubins wore Boa Lacing System prototypes throughout the Leadville Trail 100. A very special thanks goes to the Boa Technology Product Development Team, which worked with them throughout the spring and summer to find just the right configuration to complement the footwear that suited their gaits, footshapes, and race terrain. Deugan wore the Pearl Izumi Seek III. Graubins wore the Pearl Izumi Peak XC and later the New Balance 904 Road. Says Deugan: “My trail shoes with Boa were great. Once I got the fit at the start, I stopped only one time to adjust them: at mile 41 after a river crossing.”
Tuesday August 25th 2009, 3:32 pm
Filed under: Medical News
The Exos Short Arm Fracture Brace featuring the Boa Lacing System is turning heads on BoingBoing.net, (a Time Magazine top 50 website for 2009). Check out the quick blurb and image Lisa Katayama posted yesterday introducing Exos to the BoingBoing world.
When people using the Boa Lacing System have a question and call Boa, they invariably end up hearing an energetic, encouraging woman’s voice on the other end of the line. Little would they guess that that woman, Debbie Hunt, is an avid photographer, passionate outdoors woman, mother of three, and … a Cancer survivor.
Last February (2009) Debbie received the diagnosis that over 1.5 millions Americans will hear in 2009: she had Cancer. Following surgery, and a humbling-yet-determined journey to recovery, she received a clean bill of health in July. “Nobody in my family had ever suffered from cancer,” says Debbie, who has returned to the picture of health recognized by so many of her friends, family members, and co-workers.
Before 2009, Debbie had never taken part in the annual Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, but her recent battle – and the fact that her 32-year-old nephew (“So far, he’s OK.”) had just been diagnosed with the disease – led her to take an active role in the event.
So, at 6:30 in the evening on Friday, August 7th, Debbie joined over 500 other people in the Relay for Life event held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. For over 14 hours, Cancer survivors, those battling Cancer, and friends of those who had succumbed to Cancer, joined spirits and walked around a high school track.
Debbie Hunt joins in the Relay for Life
“It was more than I could have ever imagined,” says Debbie, who experienced the entire spectrum of emotions during the all-night event, “from tears to laughter.” For her part, Debbie put one foot in front of the other for 4.5 hours—a herculean accomplishment for somebody only six months removed from her diagnosis.
Says Debbie, “Some people were walking alone looking at all the luminaries with names of people who were taken by Cancer and some walked with friends who were still battling Cancer in hopes of their own survival.”
“I was overwhelmed by the number of friends who had suffered Cancer and survived,” she adds, “and I was overwhelmed by the number of luminaries placed around the track in memory of those who had not survived.”
“I walked with a thankful heart that I am a survivor.”
The Relay for Life event raised $165,000 for the American Cancer Society. Donations are still being accepted through the end of August at Relayforlife.com
Thursday August 20th 2009, 4:30 am
Filed under: Climbing News
“My Specialized S-Works mountain bike shoes with the Boa Lacing System were key as I went with slightly thicker Smartwool socks than normal but I was able to adjust the shoes during the race as my feet swelled a bit from the cold and constant pedaling” – Len Zanni Team Honey Stinger
Len Zanni - Photo Curtsey of Mountain Flyer Magazine
In his own words, Team Honeystinger captain Len Zanni gave us the low down on the feelings and hazards of competing in his first Leadville 100 MTB Race…by the way…he placed 5th overall:
“As a rookie Leadville 100 mountain bike entrant, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I had pre-ridden certain sections of the course but didn’t have time to ride it all. With that in mind, knowing what pace I could keep up was hard to judge. After the race went from neutral to full throttle as we hit the first stretches of dirt I realized that any thoughts of ‘holding back’ were out the window if I wanted to try and stay near the lead group. I had no idea if I would blow up later or be able to grind it out after those opening miles.
Len Zanni rides the red carpet - Photo courtsey of Mountain Flyer Magazine
Cold temperatures and rain made the first third of the race somewhat miserable but I had listened to sage advice and went with warmer gloves than normal and a thin skull cup under the helmet. I wouldn’t take these off until mile 60 or so. I was especially glad I kept this gear on to the turn-around point at Columbine Mine at 12,600’ as the long descent from there was frigid as it was. With nearly 1500 folks riding uphill and cheering as I bombed downhill the cold was a serious factor. My Specialized S-Works mountain bike shoes with Boa Lacing System were key as I went with slightly thicker Smartwool socks than normal but I was able to adjust the shoes during the race as my feet swelled a bit from the cold and constant pedaling. I was lucky to hold onto 5th place at the end. That is one hard race!”
Boa Developer Kim Polak speaks softly but carries a big stick … or, in this case, she speaks softly but carries a big bike pump. Over the last two months, she has clicked off two of the toughest endurance-cycling routes in the Rockies … with more to come.
First, on July 4, Polak traveled to Breckenridge, Colorado, to join 749 other mountain bikers for the Firecracker 50. Running up, down, and around the local trails, she and her friend Nehalem Breiter (they went by the team name “Curly Girls”), completed the course, which held over 10,000 feet in elevation gain, in 7:11:11. The dusty, thin air tour served as a fun warm-up for what was to come a few weeks later. “We had a great time,” says Kim, smiling ear-to-ear. “And it pushed me to a level where the next big ride wasn’t too bad.”
The next big challenge came August 1, when Polak left the fat tires at home and turned to her road bike for the Colorado Cyclist Copper Triangle ride. “The Triangle” has become one of the most renowned, must-ride loops in the state, if not the country. Beginning at the verdant ski resort of Copper Mountain, it covers a loop that summits three lung-busting alpine climbs – Fremont Pass (elev. 11,318 ft), Tennessee Pass (10,500), and Vail Pass (10,600).
Kim Polak tackles the arduous Battle Mountain climb near Minturn, Colorado.
In contrast to the Firecracker 50, where Polak admits she had a hard time (“I couldn’t have gone a second lap,” she surrenders) the Copper Triangle went as smoothly as she could have hoped. “We did a lot of things right,” says Polak. “We ate a ton and prepared well. There weren’t any rough patches.” She estimates that the 78-mile loop, which climbs a total of almost 6000 vertical feet, took her just under five hours of riding time. But she adds, “That’s over seven hours total, because of the aid stops and one out-of-control bathroom stop.”
Next up for Polak is an eight-day ride in the rugged San Juan Mountains in the southwest part of the state. Then, in October, she’ll be riding as part of Team Boa at the legendary 24 Hours of Moab mountain bike race.
DENVER – It began with a simple frustration from a snowboarder who didn’t like the laces in his bindings but now the resulting invention is being used by more than 5 million athletes.
In 2001, Gary Hammerslag founded Boa Technology with a mission: to replace shoe laces. The entrepreneur was frustrated with the poor fit of his snowboarding boots and formed a team to find a replacement.
“When we started the project, we decided that we had to have a system that was better than shoe laces in all ways or else we weren’t going to go forward with the business,” Hammerslag said.
Eventually they determined that a three part system consisting of slim stainless steel cables, lace guides and a circular reel were the answer, because of the suspension system they could create together.
“The way it works is you tighten the reel and it winds in the lace,” explained Gary Hammerslag, the founder and CEO.
He says their product is better than shoe laces, because the slick steel cable easily tightens.
“You get a glove-like fit,” Hammerslag said. “Because of the low friction, it tightens really easily and evenly. You actually wear your shoes tighter, but you eliminate the pressure points.”
Hammerslag says replacing the shoe lace altogether is their ultimate goal. He estimates that about 5 million pairs of shoes have been sold around the world using the technology. They range from snowboarding boots to rock climbing shoes; just about anywhere athletes wear shoes.
“This year we had 35 riders in the Tour de France,” Hammerslag said.
The system has even been used on a shoe designed for horses.
The EasyCare Boa Horse Boot
“It’s an example of how durable our system is. It can be worn by a horse that weighs 1,200 pounds and that doesn’t care about taking care of its shoes. We’ve yet to find a person that can beat it up better,” Hammerslag said.
Friday August 07th 2009, 5:49 pm
Filed under: Cycling News
In the August issue of Outside Magazine, the man, the myth, the legend…Bike Snob NYC was recruited to attend the wildest mountain bike race on earth, the Single Speed World Championships and report on his findings. Well, what he found was a drunken, costumed-infused extravaganza, with more personality and lactic acid leg burn than one could imagine….and if you win…you get a tattoo! By the way, during his journey he found the Boa Lacing System! The 2009 SSWC will be held in Durango, CO., September 16 – 20. Get your costume ready!
Man in drag pictured in Specialized BG S-Works MTB shoe featuring the Boa Lacing System - Photo By Brian Vernor for Outside Magazine
Thursday August 06th 2009, 3:40 pm
Filed under: Product News
New Warranty Guarantees the Boa® Lacing System reel and laces
Boa® Technology, makers of the award-winning patented Boa® Lacing System, announces that the company has launched a new Dialed In for Life Guarantee covering the Boa® Lacing System reel and laces for the lifetime of the product. Honoring the company’s commitment to building products that outlive the footwear on which they’re used, the new Dialed In for Life program warranties the lifetime of Boa reels and laces on all current and future products.
The Dialed In for Life Guarantee covers replacement fees for Boa Lacing System reels and laces of the Boa Lacing System. The warranty does not cover footwear lace guides. Also, since all Boa Lacing Systems are designed to be easily user-maintainable and replaceable, the customer or retail shop that places the warranty order with Boa Technology will perform all repairs independently. Replacement parts can be expedited for additional shipping fees and instructional materials, including videos, are available on the Boa Technology website.
“Our Dialed In for Life guarantee demonstrates our commitment to customers and the confidence we have in our ability to produce high-quality, reliable and durable closure systems,” says Mark Soderberg, President of Boa Technology. “In reality, we have very few reports of breakage out there. But, if a customer happens to break a reel or lace, we want to make it as easy as possible for them to replace the components.”
Soderberg notes that retail customers often look at a new footwear feature such as the Boa Lacing System and ask the “What if …” question. “They want to be reassured that they can trust the Lacing System unconditionally before they give it a shot,” he says. “The Dialed In for Life Guarantee carries with it the message that, yes, the Boa Lacing System is as ironclad as it appears … and we stand behind that claim.”
Customers can visit www.boatechnology.com for a complete description of warranty coverage and submission details.
![Boa_Dialforlife_whitestroke[2]-1](http://theboablog.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/boa_dialforlife_whitestroke2-1.jpg?w=300 "Boa_Dialforlife_whitestroke[2]-1")