Sports news / 09.08.2012
ECCO ATHLETES ARE THE ONLY TWO SCANDINAVIANS TO QUALIFY FOR IRONMAN’S FLAGSHIP EVENT
Kona, Hawaii, July 2012: Professional tri-athletes and ECCO ambassadors, Rasmus Henning and Michelle Vesterby have earned themselves a place at the World Championships in Kona, and secured a place in Scandinavia’s triathlon history as the only professional athletes from the region to qualify this year.
Rasmus qualified following an exceptional run at the half Ironman in Calgary, Canada last weekend, finishing with a 40 second lead on his nearest rival, Chris Legh, who placed second. 2012 has been a strong season for Rasmus who topped the podium at the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon in March, Challenge Fuerteventura in April and now the half Ironman in Canada.
"The transfer time from bike to run is always a crucial point for me, as a few seconds either way can make a real difference to a close race – especially in one like Kona where you’re competing against world-class elite athletes. Since I don’t have to wear socks with my ECCO BIOM’s as the sole is sewn into the uppers, it helped shave seconds off my time going into the run in Calgary and I’ll definitely be using this to my advantage in Kona.”
Michelle Vesterby qualified for Kona with very strong performances in her last two triathlons; finishing first and second at the famously grueling Ironman Lanzarote and Ironman 70.3 Haugesund respectively. It’s a fantastic achievement for the athlete who only completed her first Ironman distance in November 2011. She has now set her sights on placing in the top 10 at the world-renowned Hawaii event:
“It’s a great feeling to have qualified in the first cut. It gives me a chance to focus in on training for Hawaii. Taking into account my performance so far this season I think I stand a real chance of a top 10 finish and I’ll be going to Boulder, Colorado in August to focus all my efforts on training for the event. Being the only Scandinavian women competing at Hawaii is an amazing honour and it’s a personal achievement for me to stand on the starting line alongside the top triathletes in the world.
ECCO’s Marketing Manager Performance Matthias Schwarte added:
"We are proud that two of our athletes qualified for Kona, whilst wearing BIOM, and it is even better that they are the only Scandinavians. We are happy that our shoes could make a difference and we’ll be supporting Rasmus and Michelle all the way on their road to Kona."
Sports news / 06.08.2012
Although the new BIOM Hike boot may not be purchased in the stores until autumn this year, it is already drawing a great deal of attention after the Scandinavian Outdoor Group named the product their overall winner at their show in Friedrichshafen.
As a result, BIOM HIKE will be mentioned in the finest outdoor consumer magazines all over the world.
An international jury, of some of the most outstanding outdoor and industry journalists made their decision, after three days of testing and discussions in Åre, Jämtland, based on design, innovation, functionality and sustainability. Jury President Frank Wacker, Outdoor Magazine Germany, said:
“The BIOM Hike, a sturdy Hiking Boot made by ECCO, offers great fit and comfort right out of the box not so typical for this class of footwear – especially since the boot delivers enough support for hikes through rough terrain. The grip of the strong profiled sole on rock, wet grass and snow is very good. Thanks to its solid construction and the use of high quality materials like yak leather, the BIOM Hike will last for many, many years. The Jury was also impressed by the moderate price tag of this outstanding boot.”
Scandinavian Outdoor Group has hosted the competition since 2006, in order to support product and design innovations and to promote new member products. Products from all outdoor segments were nominated, but it was the BIOM HIKE which was awarded the overall winner.
"It is a great honor for us and we are really excited to receive the SOG award 2013 for our BIOM Hike boot. In developing our BIOM technology, over the last couple of seasons, we have focused very much on offering products with a natural fit & feel, combined with specific functionality for different sports activities. We are very happy to see that the jury liked and valued our new hiking boot and believe that the consumers will experience it in the same way.
“The BIOM HIKE is yet another example of the great work that Ejnar Truelsen and Frank Jensen are doing in Futura for performance. They are continually coming up with new product innovations to lift the credibility and brand recognition of ECCO sport," says head of ECCO Sport, Alexander Nicolai.
The Jury:
- Frank Wacker / Germany / Outdoor (Jury President SS 2013)
- Chris Townsend / Great Britain / TGO
- Gijs Loning / The Netherlands / Op Pad
- Katja Lehmann / Germany / NORR
- Piotr Drożdż / Poland / Gory
- Mikko Hieta / Finland / Retki
- Erlend Sande / Norway / Friflyt
- Erika Willners / Sweden / Utemagasinet
For more information about the Scandinavian Outdoor Group please visit their website, http://www.scandinavianoutdoorgroup.com
See the movie to get more information about the BIOM HIKE: