Want to be a PUMA-sponsored athlete?
Enter for a chance to get a 1 year running contract with PUMA. For the second straight year, PUMA is calling all unsponsored milers to the prestigious Mt. San Antonio College Relays (Los Angeles) for the PUMA Mile on Friday, April 16 at 7:45pm PST. The event will be aired LIVE on Flotrack.org. All entries must be received by April 9, 2010 via email. Submit entries to pumamile@puma.com.
For more rules/entry info check this page on Flotrack.
Ross Martinson from Philadelphia Runner discusses all the key items one needs as the weather gets warmer and runners start to head outside. He showcases PUMA’s Spectana alongside Brooks and Asics, and talks accessories. You need to watch this to get ready for the Spring.
The Spectana is PUMA’s most stable trainer, and also offers one of the most comfortable rides on the market. Maximum stability comes from the patented M2D+ medial support technology. It’s a lightweight, unrestricted, and self-tuning material design that works like corrugated cardboard – the inner waves combine structural rigidity with superior cushioning when and where you need it. For maximum cushioning, PUMA has lined the Spectana with full-length IdCELL and a dual layer OrthoLite X40 sockliner. Plus there‘s a few millimeters more blown rubber in the forefoot to guarantee a comfortable ride. Built on the widest platform PUMA offers, with some of the best cushioning available, the Spectana is a perfect match for runners seeking a comfortable everyday stability trainer.
Bored with the same old trainer?
Looking for reliable performance, but a little more excitement?
Then look no further - the Ventis has arrived.
Our latest entry to the neutral category, the Ventis comes packed with everything you’d expect from a high-performing everyday trainer. Sandwich mesh for better breathability. Best-in-class comfort with an Ortholite sockliner and EverFoam in the heel. Our patented duoCELL cushioning unit in the heel for maximum shock absorption. And our Fast Forward design allows for the most effortless toe-off in the industry.*
*says us.
Want to buy a pair of your own? US and Canadian fans at this link. EU fans here.
Today Usain Bolt was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for the second successive time at a star-studded ceremony in Abu Dhabi.
Bolt maintained his complete dominance of men’s sprint events in 2009, winning the 100 and 200 meters world titles in Berlin — both in stunning new world record times — as well as helping his nation claim gold in the 4×100m relay.
His performances last August mirrored those of 2008, when Bolt announced himself to the world when shattering world records when winning both sprints at the Beijing Olympic Games.
The 23-year-old is now the first man in history to hold the world and Olympic 100 and 200 m titles at the same time — as well as also securing both world record.
PUMA’s Delilah DiCrescenzo won the individual open women’s title Saturday at the sixth annual North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Cross Country Championships at the Mt. Irvine Resort in Tobago.
The NACAC Championships contested races for the open men’s 8 km, open women’s 6 km, junior men’s 6 km and junior women’s 4 km.
In the open women’s 6 km DiCrescenzo (New York, NY) and Emily Brown (Minneapolis, Minn.), took control early and ran together until DiCrescenzo moved into the lead at 5 km, cruising to the win in 20:50. Emily Harrison (Flagstaff, Ariz.) moved up to take the runner-up position in 21:02 and Alissa McKaig (Blowing Rock, N.C.) took fourth in 21:35 and Erin Nehus (Indianapolis, Ind.) completed the score for the U.S. in 21:51. The U.S. women scored 12 points to take the team title, 14 points ahead of team Mexico.
Congratulations to Delilah!
Tennis great, Boris Becker, vice chairperson of the Laureus World Sports Academy, has hailed the line-up for this year’s annual awards. “When we founded this 11 years back we never thought we would have a field like this one that includes Roger Federer, Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi and Serena Williams.” Full story here.
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With Usain Bolt significantly faster than any man who has ever lived, I am surprised he is not tempted to make one brief foray on to the boards to claim the world indoor records. As we see in this week’s issue (News, page 6), he has broken up his winter’s training with some races. But if he just made one journey to an indoor arena, he could potentially etch his name into the indoor record books for many years to come. Continue reading here.
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Why Usain Bolt Was Not Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2009. Phil Butler of Everything PR posts an interesting commentary including this line: “Con: Track and field is still essentially a fringe sport.” Continue reading here.
Wilson Kipketer is one of PUMA’s older athletes and is still the world record holder in the 800m. Kipketer, who was in Jamaica for last weekend’s Gibson Relays at the National Stadium, is a consultant with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) High Performance Training Centre. He warns that while it’s important for athletes to get an early start, putting pressure on young athletes could cause burn-out. “If we start when they’re still young, training them very hard will kill them before they grow up. They never get the maturity to understand the hardship of training, so we need to protect them from that and build them up slowly.” Read the full story here.
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I mentioned in an earlier post about PUMA’s Jamaica Project. We are very proud of this endeavor where we donate support and equipment to give assistance at the developmental level of the sport. Trackalerts wrote a nice article about the project and it’s manager Juliet Campbell, a former St. Jago athlete, who handed out the materials which included training and competition gear and camping equipment. You can read the full article here.
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The Jamaica Observer has an interesting article titled ‘the 400m dilemma.’ A 43.58-second clocking/split by Bolt on the anchor leg of the Racers Lions 4×400 meter team at Saturday’s 34th Gibson Relays, has reignited appeals for the Jamaican sprint king to contest the 400m. Continue reading here.
Posting a blistering relay split time in the 4X400-meter relay at Saturday’s Gibson Relays at the National Stadium, Usain Bolt also propelled his Racers Track Club to a record sprint relay victory in the 4X100.
Bolt ran the final leg in the 4X100 meters for the Racers, who stopped the clock at 38.08 seconds, erasing their own meet mark of 38.10 set last year.
Rising young Jamaican Yohan Blake, Marvin Anderson and Kenroy Anderson linked up with Bolt for the record Racers TC run. The Racers B team that included Antiguan Daniel Bailey, placed second in 38.84 seconds and MVP placed third in 39.37 seconds.
Bolt also contested the 1600-metre relay and delivered a smashing last-leg run that was clocked at a rapid 43.58 seconds. The double world sprint record holder had up to 20 meters to make up on the final leg after receiving the baton behind in fourth position.
Several Jamaican high schools have received additional equipment support from the internationally acclaimed brand, PUMA through their Jamaica Project.
The project is a planned partnership to assist Jamaica’s track and field athletes to produce more of the outstanding achievements which were evident at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the World Championships in Berlin the following year.
PUMA has been sponsoring with cash and kind Jamaica’s world level athletes in several sports for a number of years and this latest initiative was aimed at giving support at the developmental level.
PUMA’s Jamaica Project Manager, former athlete, Juliet Campbell traveled to the schools for the presentations and was very impressed by the response, “It was indeed pleasing to see the different teams assemble for the presentation and hear the athletes and their coaches express their enthusiasm and appreciation for the Puma support. There was clear evidence of a high degree of motivation, it tells me that the future of the country’s track and field is secure.”
Have athletes done all they can? An article from the LA Times thinks so. “But to many sports scientists, the news was evidence of a broader trend. They believe that human athletic performance has peaked, and only cheating or technological advances will result in a rash of new world records.” Continue reading here.
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Along with six others, Usain Bolt is being honored by Queen’s University, Belfast, this year with an honorary doctorate. The only athlete on the list, his doctorate is for distinction in sport. Source.
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Although the often discussed 600-meter clash between world record holders Kenenisa Bekele and Usain Bolt isn’t likely to happen any time soon, the two world record holders raced against each other virtually on Saturday, February 20th in the Virtual Run/Walk for Haiti sponsored by the New York Road Runners. Bolt will cover 400 meters while Bekele will do four miles. “I am delighted to take part in the NYRR virtual Run for Haiti and would encourage everyone to sign up and run for this worthy cause,” Bolt said in a statement provided by his agent, Ricky Simms. Source.
HarperSport has acquired two books by Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Jonathan Taylor, publishing director of Harper NonFiction, bought world rights in a deal for an undisclosed sum. Taylor said: “Usain is the most iconic sports star on the planet and our global publishing plans for him are exciting and extensive.”
The first book will be an illustrated title, due to be published in October 2010. The second book will be a full-length autobiography, which will be published in autumn 2012, shortly after the Olympic Games in London.
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Bolt may have been the person to save track and field in the face of a number of doping scandals, as well as to highlight the merits of the junior school system. That’s according to International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president, Lamine Diack.
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Usain Bolt scored a goal and assisted his training partner and Commonwealth Games 400m bronze medalist, Jermaine Gonzales on Wednesday. However, in the end, Bolt was on the losing side. His team lost 4-3 in the Bob Marley One Love charity football match played at the National Stadium.
Source: trackalerts.
The Puma Phone (by Sagem) is getting ready to pounce. The phone is a touchscreen handset with an innovative user interface and a solar charger on the back.
Puma has taken some risks with the phone’s user interface, chucking the boring little icons and menus that we’ve come to expect on everything from smart phones to watch phones. The Puma Phone has a bright red UI that uses huge, bold icons to connect you with features such as the Web browser and Google maps. (A choice of less-red themes are also on board.)
The Puma Phone also has a host of Puma-centric features, such as links to Puma’s news feed, which focuses on the company’s sponsored athletes, such as Olympic sprinting god Usain Bolt.
If you’re tempted by the Puma, look for it in the first week of April, launching unlocked and SIM-free from Puma stores and on contract from UK networks.
The Complete RoadRacer III has been selected as the Best Runners Buy in the March issue of Runner’s World SA.
We’ve updated our Roadracer to bridge the gap between a pure racer and a lightweight trainer. The TFX Roadracer 3 is for runners looking to shed every excess ounce of foot-related baggage for a near-weightless shoe to smash PR’s in any race from 5K to marathon. The upper wears like a sock, but it’s supportive enough to be worn barefoot. The shoe offers minimal stability in the heel – perfect for lighter runners who can do without it.
Here’s what Runner’s World had to say:
PUMA’s Complete Racer 3 looks like a track shoe with the spikes swapped for road treads. The ArchTec support for the arch of the instep is for increasing the firmness for what Puma believes is anatomically relevant when moving at pace. Puma’s lightest shoe, and they back it all the way to marathon distance.
Watch and listen to some of the best athletes on the planet talk about the Complete Ventis. Usain Bolt, Elana Myer, Sean Quigley, and Delilah DiCrescenzo have been testing this shoe and share their thoughts on why this is PUMA’s best shoe in years.
The Ventis is a sleek high-performer built for neutral, biomechanically efficient runners with a need for everyday speed. The Ventis comes with enough cushioning to handle a daily training beat-down, while delivering plenty of flex and direct feel for the ground. We fine-tuned the ArchTech support to allow for a natural, flexible heel-to-toe transition. We packed a large Id-CELL crash pad onboard to ensure a soft landing. And we gave it our Fast Forward design to deliver a fast, effortless toe-off. The Ventis is a trainer designed to take whatever you dish out.
Check our online store for more info and to purchase the Men’s Complete Ventis.