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Hey! The top of Åreskutan is now covered in snow. We hope you’ve powered up your headlamp for some night-time training in November. Here comes an update on our preparations for ÅEC 2017:
Girls night out: Göteborg and Stockholm
Scott will be hitting the road in November to give a few slide shows about ÅEC … for the ladies. Over the past 6 years we’ve seen big increases the number of ÅEC participants, but only a slight increase in the number of women. We’re not entirely sure why. We’re hoping our road show will provide inspiration for both women and men. We’ll have a Q&A to allow participants to ask questions to experienced ÅEC women competitors from previous years. Everybody receives a Goodie Bag with a Specialized water bottle and other “tasty” items. Read more about the Gothenburg
event (16 November) and the Stockholm event (17 November)
ÅEC survey results
We’ve received fantastic feedback. Here comes a small sample of the suggestions we have received:
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race jerseys instead of race numbers & safety pins
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spectator maps to encourage more support from the fans
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an overnight guard to protect kayaks/bikes that are left at race start/bike transition Friday night
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tips on how to market the race in Sweden and abroad
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more toilets at the start
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better course markings (ribbons)
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better “race day tips/advice” for first-time racers
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GPS tracking of participants on race day
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More downloadable pictures on our website during and immediately following the race
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More support for Åre Pre-Race in Stockholm and similar spring training races
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A suggestion for “neutral support” i.e., support crew leaves the racer’s gear in the transition area, but cannot help him/her during the transition itself.
Henrik and I will be working hard this winter to try and deliver these (and other) requests - thanks for your feedback !
Throwback Thursday
Hopefully you enjoyed our unique “Throwback Thursday” picture and press release from the original 1997 event. If you missed this, visit our recent posts on Instagram and Facebook.
Winter training: Focus on running rather than jogging
Kayaking and cycling can be challenging in November, so why not focus on improving your run technique? The ÅEC running leg climbs 1,000 vertical meters and demands energy-saving movement. The best time for building up this type of “new muscle memory” is early winter, as you generally avoid the pressure of preparing for an upcoming race (which tends to happen in the spring). Our race preparation page provides opportunities for run coaching to help increase your cadence, improve your posture, get more bounce in your step, and avoid injury. Read more in ENGLISH or SWEDISH
These films give a good visual explanation of the difference between a “runner” and a (less efficient and potentially injury-prone) “jogger.”
Website: improving but still a work in progress
We’ve made some updates to the website in the last month, including:
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Race Preparation. This page continues to grow with more information on long-term race preparation: courses on kayak technique, mountain bike skills and even a 5 month training program for beginners offered by Team T.E.C. Sweden. Read more in English or Swedish
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Renting kayaks and bikes. Kayak rental is now “one click” away via Kajaktiv and Kajaksidan. Specialized bike rentals will soon be bookable via our website. All links are found under the Logistics page.
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Start list is now updated. There are 60 registered teams (100 competitors). View the list in English and Swedish
Price increase 1st of December
The early bird price for all categories end on the 30th of November. The following prices apply from the 1st of December:
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Solo class will increase from 1 300 kr to 1 500 kr
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Duo class will increase from 2 450 kr to 2 750 kr
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Team class will increase from 3 300 kr to 3 700 kr
Race registration is found here: English or Swedish
Scott and Henrik
PS Remember that anybody can sign up for our Newsletter (or view older Newsletters) via our website — scroll down to the bottom right corner of the page.
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