What does it take to train for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii? Follow our four-part series about Suunto athlete Åsa Lundström as she prepares and find out! For Swedish triathlete Åsa Lundström the next few weeks are everything. Over the last month, the 30-year-old medical student and professional athlete has been preparing for the approaching Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii on October 10th, 2015. It’s the legendary Ironman that every triathlete dreams of competing in. That dream is about to become a reality for Åsa. “Every sport has tales to tell of battles on the race course,” she says. “And with Ironman, we all hear stories of the legendary clashes of the triathlon titans at Kona. “The best part is that we now have the opportunity to become one of those stories.” Click here to read more about Åsa, the unlikely Swedish triathlete Like all big projects, Åsa's road to Kona begins with the most important step: careful planning. She works closely with her professional triathlete coach, Cliff English, for this. When to intensify, where to train and when to go to Hawaii have all been planned well in advance. Cliff updates Åsa’s training schedule week-by-week, always trying to find the right balance between the intensity and volume of her training and ensuring she gets enough recovery time. “I’m constantly monitoring her sessions, looking at objective measurements, such as pace and power, as well as her subjective feedback on each session and on other factors including sleep quality, muscle soreness and freshness,” Cliff says. During a normal training week, Åsa puts in between 20 and 25 hours. For Kona, that jumps to 35 hours every week. Her life becomes structured around training. In one week, she swims five or six times, cycles four or five times, runs five to six times and does strength and core training three times. “Åsa typically trains two to three times per day,” Cliff says. “Some of the sessions are separate with a morning session then a midday session and typically a lighter active recovery session later in the day. “I tend to prescribe one key session per day, however I also include combo sessions that include bike and run that are typically executed at race efforts.” All this training might sound austere, like Åsa has no life, but she enjoys the process. “When I have a big goal to work towards, it feels natural to focus on that, and to make choices adjusted to it,” Åsa says. “I don’t believe being disciplined means life cannot be fun at the same time.” To keep things fun and to plan in a short term training goal, Åsa recently competed in the Tjörn Triathlon in Sweden and won the women’s division. “It was a great boost,” she says, “and gave me proof that my training is going in the right direction.” That’s important because she says it’s not always easy to tell if her build up is going well. “When you are in a big training period, you feel tired and worn, and it’s hard to tell sometimes,” she explains. “However, when you feel tired, and you somehow manage to make the body do what you ask, then this is a good sign, especially if you were able to push yourself to a required pace or effort you didn’t think you could do.” Åsa recently travelled to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands to begin her final preparations. The warmer conditions are more similar to Hawaii than in Sweden, making it a good training ground.  Check out the second step, progress, of our four part series about Åsa as she continues on the road to the Ironman World Championship in Kona.

“For those who love adventure and exploration, the fraction of a second when you realise that you have actually rewritten the history or confirmed something that has only been speculated on before, is an unforgettable moment,” says underwater explorer Immi Wallin. Immi Wallin and her Subzone team discovered a missing German U-boat off the Estonian coast in August. Here, Wallin tells the story for the first time. “The secrets of the seas, with its hidden lost ships, do not reveal themselves easily. To find these secrets, you sometimes need perfect weather, plotting information from the archives of sea charts and then checking a mysterious marking on your chart, which you do not remember how and why you put down in the first place. On August 12th, about a month ago, I went to check a marking on my sea chart with side scan sonar together along with my colleague. The marking had bothered me for some time because I did not remember what it was and it seemed to be next to a mine row and in a patrol area of a still missing German U-boat. U679’s closed hatch and periscope U-679 gave a weather report on December 27th 1944 while in the Gulf of Finland. She had rendezvoused at sea with U-637 and U-745 in the evening of December 26th. U-745 had delivered encrypted communication. On January 9th, Soviet MO-124 detected a submarine four miles northeast of the Pakri lighthouse and dropped eight large and 20 small depth charges. The Germans assumed that MO-124 had sunk U-679, but the Soviets did not believe it because they didn't find any evidence of a destroyed submarine in the area. Nevertheless, the cause for disappearance of U-679 that was recorded in Western literature was depth charge attack by MO-124. The fact that U-679 did not reply to a message sent on January 10th, 1945 supported this theory. Depth, poor visibility, hydrogen sulphide, hypoxia and trawl nets made the dive a challenge Back to August 12th 2015. I decided to survey the whole mine row laid in January 1945 that was plotted next to the marking I had on my sea chart. When reaching the marked spot on the chart, something happened on the screen of the side scan sonar. The moment I saw a submarine image appearing on the sonar screen was exactly the fraction of a second that I will remember forever. The image showed a Type 7C German submarine – already recognizable from the image. There was only one that had not been found yet – U-679. That same night the Estonian National Heritage Board was informed about the discovery. The first dive to U-679 was conducted on September 10th. Due to the depth, 90 m, we needed a flat sea and a team of deep divers, support divers and boat handlers. The aim for the dive was to document the wreck’s condition. The video material was provided to the authorities. Conditions were good at the surface, but more challenging in the water. There were slight horizontal currents all the way from the surface to the bottom. The most challenging part was the visibility that worsened towards the depths. We passed several white cloud layers and just about 10 m above the bottom the visibility got very bad and I could smell the hydrogen sulphide typical for a sea bottom with hypoxia. The shape of the submarine’s conning tower became slightly visible in the light we carried with us. The shot line was in the middle of the conning tower, so we decided to shoot video around the conning tower having possibility to find back to the shot line. U679’s 37mm antiaircraft gun The video camera, once again, could see much more than our eyes. We could confirm what was visible already on the side scan sonar image. The conning tower was type IV, having 3.7 cm anti-aircraft gun on the lower wintergarten and two 2 cm zwilling anti-aircraft guns on the upper wintergarten. The hatches were closed. U-679 was lost with all hands, so the wreck is also a war grave for 51 men who lost their lives serving their country. The wreck will be respected as these men’s final resting place and as a historical monument of the war event. U-679 is now under state protection set by Estonian Heritage Board.”

Experience the beauty of our fragile underwater world with Tomoka Fukuda, Fernando Stalla and others. Freedom – The beauty of our underwater world

For the last two weeks he’s been adjusting to the different water conditions in Cyprus, the location of the AIDA Depth Diving World Championship happening this weekend. Is world champion freediver William Trubridge now ready to battle his great rival Alexey Molchanov? When Will Trubridge arrived in Cyprus two weeks ago to prepare for the AIDA Depth Diving World Championship, he got a surprise. He discovered he’s about 300g lighter in the water of Cyprus than in the Caribbean, his home turf.  “The waters of Cyprus are the saltiest in the Mediterranean,” Will explains. Saltier water means denser water, which is made denser again due to the water in Cyprus being cooler than the Caribbean. “This means I am more buoyant than I am in Dean's Blue Hole at the same depth,” Will says. “This makes my descents a lot longer here, 14 seconds longer for the same depth.”During one recent dive, Will was 20 seconds slower than he would have been in the Caribbean and, as a result, he had his first surface blackout since April. But, after some mathematical calculations – something Will enjoys – he worked out that diving with an extra 300g lead weight on his neck balances out his extra buoyancy – problem solved. He’s now ready to battle his great rival, Russian freediver Alexy Molchanov. Click here to read more about Will Trubridge and his love of the ocean Alexy has just arrived in Cyprus after training for some time in Croatia where the water condition is similar to Cyprus. “I’m sure Alexy is going to give me a good run for my money,” Will says. “We get on very well, but we definitely want to beat each other.”Despite wishing he had more time to train before the competition this weekend, Will’s confident he will do well in FIM and CNF, the Free Immersion and Constant Weight Without Fins disciplines of freediving.“My fundamental goal is to do three clean dives,” Will says. “If I do that, then I’m guaranteed three medals. I would like to win gold if possible.” Aside from winning, Will’s most looking forward to seeing how he responds to the extra pressure of diving in a high profile competition. “In training, my dives are discovery of my potential,” he says. “In competition it’s more about staying focused and steady in mind and stepping up to the plate to win under tough psychological conditions. “In most other sports, the adrenalin you get from performing in front of spectators and media can be used to your advantage, whereas in freediving anything that lifts your heart rate isn’t helpful. “That’s the big psychological test of competing at this level.” The AIDA Depth Diving World Championship is from September 11 to September 20. Stay tuned for the competition results!  

How do you measure up to the world's best trail runner? Why not run one of his favorite training routes and find out! Kilian has lived and trained in places considered dream destinations by trail runners everywhere. Alaska, Norway, the Rocky Mountains, the Alps, Patagonia – whereever there are impressive mountains Kilian has probably smashed the local trails there. Who better to ask about the best trail running routes in the world? Whether you want to try to match his stats or to literally follow in his footsteps, Kilian's top five training routes will be a source of inspiration. Kilian ascending Mont Blanc. © Jordi Saragossa Ersfjord Traverse, Kvaloya, Norway Distance: 18.09 kmTime: 04h49mAscent: 2758 mDecent: 2751 mHighest point: 1093 mWhy: "It’s a combination of scrambling and running. The landscapes are awesome during the entire run which follows narrow ridges above the fjord. It’s a technical run with a lot of elevation gain," Kilian says. Aiguille de l’M, Chamonix, France Distance: 17.10 kmTime: 03h39mAscent: 1782 mDecent: 1744 mHighest point: 2844 mWhy: "Great running and some climbing to Aiguille de l’M, with great views all over the Mont Blanc massif," Kilian says. Mont Blanc, Chamonix, France Distance: 24.78 kmTime: 05h57mAscent: 3808 mDecent: 2461 mHighest point: 4815 mWhy: "Up to Mont Blanc, either the direction in the map below or via Gouter Hut. It’s a long elevation run with some altitude and amazing views of the Alps from summit." Pic Carlit, Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via, French Pyrenees Distance: 21.30 kmTime: 03h12mAscent: 861 mDecent: 864 mHighest point: 2633 mWhy: "Running from Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via up to Pic Carlit and Lac de Bouillouses you can see the beauty and the wilderness of the Pyrenees." Kilian striding out in the Pyrenees. © Monica Dalmasso Grand Teton, Rocky Mountains, USA Distance: 19.27 kmTime: 02h54mAscent: 2264 mDecent: 2260 mHighest point: 4197 mWhy: "The Teton Range in the Rocky Mountains is a wonderful area for running with wild animals, and technical rocky trails," Kilian says. Relaxing in the wilds of the Teton Range. © Montaz Rosset Visuals

The GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN is not for the faint hearted. Reaching the finish line of the eight-stage race across the Alps will take every scrap of your being. Get a taste of this epic adventure with the eight images below! The 11th edition of the GORE-TEX® TRANSALPINE-RUN finished last week and Suunto was the official time sponsor. The eight-stage, 268 km race across the Alps from Germany to Italy is a gruelling test of endurance. Because it crosses exposed and sometimes isolated alpine terrain, competitors must race in two man teams for their own safety. Trail runner and ski mountaineer Philipp Reiter, along with teammate Iker Karrera, won the race in 2012. This year, due to an injury, the 24-year-old German could not compete so instead he photographed each stage of the race.“Crossing the Alps from north to south is a kind of a dream,” he says. “For eight days you’re in your own world.”  Click here to see this year's results. Stage one: Oberstdorf, Germany to Lech, Austria Distance: 34.60 kmVertical ascent: 2083 mVertical descent: 1469 m All good times and smiles on day one. © Philipp Reiter “This year the first stages were really hot, 36° C, so a lot of people became dehydrated and some collapsed,” Philipp says. “The race medical team had a lot of things to do.” Stage two: Lech, Austria to St. Anton am Arlberg Distance: 24.70 kmVertical ascent: 1899 mVertical descent: 2040 m © Philipp Reiter “People are used to running, but not everyday for that long,” Philipp says. “You have to make sure your body is able to deal with the distance and vertical gain for eight days.” Stage three: St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria to Landeck, Austria Distance: 39.60 kmVertical ascent: 2658 mVertical descent: 3133 m © Philipp Reiter “In my experience, stage three is really tough because you are feeling exhausted from the first two days, but know there’s another five days ahead of you,” Philipp says. Stage four: Landeck, Austria to Samnaun, Switzerland Distance: 45.70 kmVertical ascent: 2861 mVertical descent: 1829 m © Philipp Reiter “It’s funny, because each day when I get up in the morning I don’t know how I can complete the stage because I’m so tired and sore, but once you start, you just keep going and it works,” Philipp says. “It’s interesting to see how much the body can achieve.” Stage five: Samnaun, Switzerland – vertical sprint Distance: 06.23 kmVertical ascent: 731 mVertical descent: 60 m Landie Greyling (above) and husband Christiaan Greyling won second in the mixed category this year. © Philipp Reiter Stage five is the so-called “rest day” of the Transalpine Run. However, to keep the muscles warm, it includes a 6 km uphill sprint! “Sometimes you run in the snow and it’s freezing cold,” Philipp says. “Then the next day it might be 36° C. The weather can change quickly. Everyone has to carry mandatory safety gear.” Stage six: Samnaun, Switzerland to Scuol, Switzerland Distance: 37.10 kmVertical ascent: 2064 mVertical descent: 2698 m © Philipp Reiter “It’s crazy – competitors spend their holidays crossing the Alps,” Philipp says. “These guys pay to run over the mountains and are out for about 10 hours a day and have no real recovery time.” Stage 7: Scuol, Switzerland to St. Valentin, Austria Distance: 37.80 kmVertical ascent: 1633 mVertical descent: 1369 m © Philipp Reiter “To train for this race you have to keep training everyday for a longer period,” Philipp says. “It’s not just physical fitness but also mental preparation.” Stage eight: St. Valentin, Austria to Sulden, Italy Distance: 42.60 kmVertical ascent: 2381 mVertical descent: 1934 m © Philipp Reiter “There is a party at the end, but people are so tired and after two beers they’re drunk,” Philipp says. “What’s unique, is only finishers get a finisher’s t-shirt – the rest get destroyed.” Main image: © Philipp Reiter