XEndurance Athlete Timo Bracht and Michaela Kummer will try to set a new World Record time at the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon.

Michaela Kummer and Timo Bracht will try to set a new World Record time at the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon

At the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon on October 31st, the blind Michaela Kummer is going to break her World Record time of last year. She will be supported by the Double Ironman European Champion Timo Bracht who will run side by side with her on the last kilometers of the marathon. Her husband Oliver will go the first part with her. The escort runner leads the blind runner by being connected with each other.

Michaela Kummer: “Oliver, Timo and myself were a brilliant team last year. This year we want to go even faster. Our target is to beat my own record time of 3:18:12 hours. It will be a highlight again to pass the finish line with Timo a few weeks after his excellent sixth place on Hawaii.”

Timo Bracht adds: “Michaela is an absolutely impressive personality. She is determined and enthusiastic about the sport. Despite only two percent eyesight she is running so fast that I have to hit the gas to keep up with her.”

Last year Michaela passed the finish line of the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon after 3:20:43 hours.

She was almost 29 minutes faster than the old record in her category but she did not beat her own record of 3:18:12 hours. This year she wants to go even faster than that. Michaela suffers from an illness of the retina and her eyesight is at 2 percent. That means that she belongs to the blinds category “T12”. The 45-year-old mother of two children lives in Calw in Southern Germany and works as a masseuse.

Vonach takes Xterra Worlds silver in Cat M35

Thomas J. Vonach (Tri Team Lustenau/Endurance Team Austria) wins the Amateur´s “Hawaiian Double“ (*) for the 2nd time after 2006, takes Xterra Worlds silver-medal in Cat M35.

(*) combined results of Ironman Worlds Hawaii and Xterra Worlds Maui

550 starters from 35 nations lined up to take on the worldwide hardest off-road triathlon at the Xterra World Championship. A very exciting race for the amateur´s „Hawaiian Double“ unfolded. The American Slater Fletcher, after the Ironman two weeks ago with 1:46min leading in the amateur combi-race just ahead of Vonach, attacked on the bike, after he had lost 1:06min on the swim. Thomas Vonach could follow him until km 15 on the MTBcourse, with 1000m vertical climb a selective one. In the second part of the bike-leg

Vonach lost ground and the young talented Californian could build his lead to 3:30min until T2. With this big handicap (and with the remains from the Ironman it were more than 5min.) Thomas Vonach approached the run-distance. With second-quickest run within the amateurs he could catch Fletcher at Km 4.5. Up to the Finish-Line the American fell further back. With his quickest ever Xterra Maui time up in 2:55:39h Thomas Vonach won his 2nd Amateur´s „Hawaiian Double“ after 2006, 4 min. ahead of 2nd Slater Fletcher.

With this time the 38-year-old from Schwarzach/ Austria also took the Xterra-Worlds silver-medal in his category M35 behind Italian Davide Ballabio. South African Conrad Stoltz won his 4th Xterra-World Title. The American Shonny Vanlandingham succeeded over last year’s champion Julie Dibens/UK. Dibens won the Pro Women´s Double. Eneko Llanos won his 5th consecutive Pro-Double-title. Austrian Michi Weiss became 3. and took 2nd in the Pro-Double.

Quote Thomas J. Vonach: “It was a very hard race. Slater Fletcher is an excellent athlete and put unbelievable pressure on me on the bike. After the bike my courage almost had left me having such a big gap on him, but I thought the race is over at the finish-line. When he lost 3 min in the first 3 km, it became realistic again to win it. When I hit the finish-line I had to wait if he would come within the 1:46min. After that I finally knew it was mine. It is the nicest success of my sports career, especially after the health problems of the last two years and the successful implantation of an artificial intervertebral disc in January.“

Pics credits: Run © Stefan Tesar/Xtesar.com

Bike © SightZ

Finish © Endurance Team/enduranceteam.at

After a month it's amazing…

I have been using Extreme Endurance since I met them at Interbike. I had no idea what to think, after a month it’s amazing and really works and gives me zero tummy issues. Go get some.

Andrew Gillman

Is beta-alanine in Extreme Endurance?

No, Extreme Endurance contains no beta-alanine.

Beta-alanine, in itself, is not a buffer. It is a non-essential amino acid. It first must be synthesized to carnosie. Carnosie is the dipeptide that functions as a buffer, not beta-alanine.

We call beta-alanine the “snail’s pace” to buffering acid.

Extreme Endurance, also known as Xendurance in Europe, is targeted to buffering the hydrogen ions (+H). It’s the “Ferrari” to buffering acid.

It is not one ingredient that targets  the +H but it is the combination of ingredients and the delivery system that makes this so effective in buffering and also repairing microscopic muscle tears to quicken recovery. And it’s proven in the clinical study – and the testing didn’t stop there. Athletes are continually tested on Extreme Endurance at Corpus Diagnostik in Hilpoltstein, Germany.

Jordan McNamara sponsored by Extreme Endurance

We are happy to announce the sponsorship of former University of Oregon Duck athlete and sub 4minute miler Jordan Mcnamara.

Endurance athlete overcomes injury and is back on track to London 2012

Being one of the best endurance athletes in the country has got to put a smile on your face every morning.

Jordan McNamara is tagged as one of the United States “Olympic Hopefuls” for London 2012.

This NCAA All-American’s journey has not been unlike other dedicated endurance athletes, but after reading and listening to his blog or “vlog”, he stands out in his pursuit to make his dreams come true for the 2012 Summer Games.

While running at the University of Oregon and breaking the 4-minute mile, he saw his upcoming Senior year as one for the record books. He won the Oregon Preview 3000 meter race in a meet-record time of 7:53.63, covering the last mile in a blistering 4:04. All of the sacrifice, the endless physical and mental workouts he had filled his weekly journals with, was coming to fruition. He could taste a season of victory.

Little did Jordan know, those record-breaking visions were about to take an unexpected turn.

He had begun to experience mild foot discomfort and as he sat in his doctor’s office he was presented with an endurance athlete’s worst nightmare….located in his navicular bone was a stress fracture that only surgery could repair. As he choked back the tears and took hold of his situation, he realized that only he was in charge of his emotions. Jordan knew he had done everything he could have to succeed.

Now he made another decision. He could run with the one thing we all have – and that is attitude. Despair would not over take this elite athlete.

Jordan focused on his studies and his upcoming graduation as the track & field season slowly went by without him.

As time passed, his fortitude did not, and one quiet evening while contemplating life’s winding roads, he came to the simple conclusion, he was destined to try. Why not? He knew he had a stress fracture in his foot. His trainers and doctors would have preferred tying this endurance athlete to his desk chair if they could but his teammates and coaches knew what to expect from Jordan when he stepped back onto the track.

On the first training run since his diagnosis, Jordan was fully aware of the possible consequences. He also knew his collegiate track & field career was coming to an end without him. The risks involved were undeniable. Jordan had one broken foot and six short weeks but his dream of wearing the fabled Green and Yellow colors of his soon to be alma mater was not going away.

Jordan made the decision he was not ready to call it quits and as he crossed the finish line in the endurance race that qualified him for the 5,000 meters in the NCAA Championships, he knew he had made the best of the cards he was dealt with.

When asked after his finish if his foot was sore, he replied, “I made it. Thats all that counts. I would be lying if I said I couldn’t feel it”.

Jordan McNamara gave it all he could – and then some. He exemplifies the love of running and endurance sports. This fine-tuned, precision athlete had made a career of sacrifice. He had trained twice daily, through freezing rain, driving wind, bitter cold and solitary nights. He had given up his social life as his college peers racked up the wild stories and blurred memories. To achieve his dream of becoming the best in his sport, he had gone the distance in his workouts and body preparation, not missing one detail that would allude him a chance at victory.

Jordan’s perseverance and perfection to detail in sport is what has drawn Extreme Endurance to showcase and sponsor him as exemplary athlete and role model.
(Extreme Endurance is also known as Xendurance in the EU.)

Extreme Endurance is very proud to announce the sponsorship of Jordan McNamara, and will be by his side as he competes to qualify for the London Olympics, 2012.

Heleen bij de Vaate, 4 days after Hawaii Ironman

Heleen bij de Vaate finishes ninth in Hawaii!

Congrats to Extreme Endurance athlete Heleen bij de Vaate on her ninth place finish at Hawaii. She noted “I am very happy to let you know about reaching my goals in the Ironman Hawaii”: Finished top-10 in a good race resulting in a 9th place. Hope to post an update on my website soon, please check www.heleenbijdevaate.n…

7th place for Yvonne van Vlerken (Tri Team Lustenau/Endurance Team Austria) at the heat race of the Ironman World Championship on Hawaii.

Thomas J. Vonach (Tri Team Lustenau/Endurance Team Austria) places 4th Austrian in the field at his 9th consecutive start.
In the morning and only 1 hour before the start the highly favorited Brit Chrissie Wellington had announced her withdraw from the race due to „flu-like symptoms“ So the women’s race was wide open. In the end the Top 20 women´s results did show nearly only names of female´s that had won an Ironman race along her career. Of course Yvonne van Vlerken counted to the favorites on a top-ranking.

With a solid swim performance in the pretty rough ocean in 1:01:58 h she positioned herself in striking distance for the bikeleg. In relatively windy conditions Yvonne could show once more her class on two wheels and entered the Female Top 10 after
90km. With one of the quickest female bike-times in 4:59:41h and on 5th position she entered T2. Already after few kilometres she had taken over 4th place from Ironman Canada-winner Amy Marsh and made ground on Caroline Steffen and Julie Dibens.
But behind her two top-contenders with Virginia Berasategui and Rachel Joyce were also running well. With km 25 Yvonne van Vlerken faced problems with the stomach partly because of the extreme heat out on the highway (measured were more than 40°C, the tarmac had even 48°C due to sources at ironman.com). Berasategui and Joyce used this moment of weakness for an attack. Finally Yvonne van Vlerken could secure the excellent 7th overall rank and is back after her bad luck last year. At the finish only 11 minutes (!) separated place 4 to 10 in the women´s race.

In the men´s race Chris McCormack could secure his second title. Thomas J. Vonach delivered another good result at his 9th participation on Hawaii only 8 months after a surgery where an artificial intervertebral disc had been implanted. After 59:15min out of the water he closed in on the bike in 5:01:14 hours and could once more prove his consistancy with a respectable marathon on the Pacific island. In 9:28:56 he took 152nd overall and the 22nd in his category. With this he secured himself an excellent starting-position for the Xterra World Championship on Maui where the „Hawaiian Double“ takes place, the combined results of Ironman World Championship Hawaii and Xterra World Championship Maui. There Vonach will start from 2nd position only 1:46 min behind the American Slater Fletcher. In the Austrian’s results-list he ranked 4th among 37 starters.

Quote Yvonne van Vlerken: „I was very pleased with my swim-performance and even more about my strong bike-time. Also the first 25 km on the run I was flying. Though it is a pity that I fell back in the final part because of the problems with my stomach, however, I am also glad that I could show, after my bad luck last year, that I belong right there. Yesterday the race was of course something special because we all could race for victory even though it is very sad what happened to Chrissie.
This made the race after the last two years specially exciting for everybody.“
Quote Thomas J. Vonach: „The race felt subjectively pretty tough, although the times were quick. I did suffer on the run, however I managed to pull myself together to get a solid time for the Hawaiian Double at Xterra Worlds Maui.“

Extreme Endurance Athlete Timo Bracht Gets Ready For Hawaii