Speight’s Coast to Coast is an iconic multisport race across New Zealand's South Island. Every year, more than 800 competitors line up to run, cycle and paddle the 243km width of the island. No one knows more about the event than 5-time winner and current race director, Richard Ussher. He explains its enduring appeal. Why is the race so iconic?What really sets it apart is the concept of crossing a country in a day (or two). New Zealand’s South Island is the perfect distance – long enough to be a real challenge, yet short enough to be achievable by more than just the truly insane. Is it more adventure-race or triathlon?I’d say it falls between the two. Top competitors certainly treat it more like a triathlon, where further down the field you probably get more into the adventure-racing realm. Richard also created a Suunto Movie of the Coast to Coast Mountain Run course with his Suunto Ambit3, which you can see here. Post by Richard Ussher. Which discipline decides who wins?You really have to be an all-rounder to win. The two sections that tend to decide the race are the Mountain Run and the Kayak. But then there’s still 70km of cycling to finish it off – normally into a stiff headwind. Did you record the Running Stage time yourself?Yes. It’s probably close to what the bulk of the better two-day runners will set. The top one-day and team competitors are closer to the 3-hour mark though. Last year’s winner Braden Currie clocked 2:49 for the run. How did you become race director?The event was sold to a company called Trojan Holdings in 2013. They contacted many former participants and asked them where they thought the race needed to go. I was a little vocal in my opinions, and after talking with them, ended up in the role. It certainly wasn’t something I thought about before, but it’s a great opportunity. So you’re retired?No, I’m not retired. I had a very tough 2014 because of injury, but I can finally see light at the end of that tunnel. My focus is obviously on the management side of Coast to Coast now, but I still love getting out and competing. Nowadays, I’m more focused on competing in races that I’ve always wanted to do. How do you like the Suunto Movie Tell us about Suunto Movie on the Ambit?I really like this feature, especially where you get to see the whole course in the revolving view. I can see it being really useful for multisport athletes, as it gives you an idea of what the course might be like, and to a certain degree helps create a picture of the gradients involved. Have you used Suunto products before?Yes, I’ve been using Suunto products from early on in my adventure-racing career – starting with the Suunto Advizor, which I still have. I also use the global compass range and orienteering compasses as well as Suunto’s Ambit and Core watches. Suunto products have always been fantastic. Follow the race here: www.coasttocoast.co.nz All pics ©sportzhub.com

Do you have a favorite Ambit feature that you wish you could access quicker? No worries, in time mode you can access any menu item with a single push of a button after you have taught your Ambit2 or Ambit3 what you wish the shortcut button will do. The shortcut button comes in handy in many ways. For example, it is a quick way to set the wake-up alarm and travellers can use the shortcut to easily set the dual time to match the destination’s time zone. And for your most frequent activity the shortcut button can lead straight to the right sport mode setting you ready to go with a single push of a button. Here's how to use your Ambit's shortcut. DEFINE A SHORTCUT By default, when you keep [View] pressed in TIME mode, you toggle the display between light and dark. This shortcut can be changed to a different menu item. To define a shortcut: 1. Keep [Next] pressed to enter the options menu or press [Start Stop] to enter the start menu.2. Browse to the menu item to which you want to create a shortcut. 3. Keep [View] pressed to create the shortcut. Your own shortcut works when the watch is in time mode. In other modes, keeping [View] pressed accesses predefined shortcuts. For example, when the compass is active, you can access the compass settings by keeping [View] pressed. NOTE: Shortcuts cannot be created to all possible menu items, such as individual logs. You can get support for your Suunto product at support

A few weeks ago the first three Suunto Guiding Stars were sent on a journey, passing from one adventure-minded woman to the next. Suunto ambassador Emelie Forsberg, Scuba Diver Girl Margo Sanchez and cross country skier Aino-Kaisa Saarinen all kept one of the Guiding Star pendants for a while and passed them on to a person they admire for her attitude, her achievements, her adventurous mindset and her energy. Emelie was the first one to pass on her Guiding Star. She gave it to Norwegian musher Sigrid Ekran.   Time to pass this #SuuntoJewel along to another star! Sigrid Ekran it will arrive soon! A photo posted by Emelie Forsberg (@tinaemelie) on Jan 15, 2015 at 11:17pm PST   Thank you Emelie Forsberg for this beautiful jewelry #suuntojewel It will follow me and my dogs for a while, then I will pas it on to the next adventurous women. Proud to be part of this! #suunto #emelieforsberg #adventurouswomen A photo posted by Sigrid Ekran (@teamsigridekran) on Jan 25, 2015 at 7:34am PST   Margo soon followed. She gave her Guiding Star to Becky Kagan Schott, an Emmy Award winning underwater videographer, photographer and tech instructor. Passing this #SuuntoJewel along to @beckykagan ... a strong, beautiful, adventurous woman!!! #scubadivergirls #SuuntoDive #SuuntoGuidingStar A photo posted by Scuba Diver Girls (@scubadivergirls) on Jan 27, 2015 at 12:15pm PST   Also Aino-Kaisa's silver compass pendant has started travelling. It is now in the hands of American skier Liz Stephen: http://bit.ly/1F79LQ5 Follow the journey of these functional pieces of jewelry with #SuuntoJewel   Learn more about Suunto Guiding Star

Suunto is proud to announce winning an award from Good Design for the Suunto Ambit3 Sport GPS watch. Good Design is the world’s longest-running, most prestigious and recognized design program. It is organized annually by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design in cooperation with the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies.        Good Design covers new consumer products and each year accepts several thousand submissions from manufacturers and industrial and graphic design firms from more than 48 countries. All award-winning products and graphic designs are published in Good Design’s yearbook for 2014-2015 and are listed on The Chicago Athenaeum Museum’s website. “The Suunto Ambit3 Sport simplifies the appearance of our multisport watches. A sleeker and cleaner appearance makes no compromises on the demands of multisporters and triathletes. The new top ring opens up possibilities for bold color design, and the new silicone straps fit all wrists comfortably and improve ergonomics”, says Björn Bornemann, the Designer of the Ambit3 Sport. “This watch looks great on the track and confident in the office as well.” Good Design chose the Suunto Ambit3 Sport GPS watch for its sleek design, advanced run, cycle and swim functions and its mobile connectivity. The Ambit3 Sport is fully designed and manufactured in Finland. For more product details and specs, visit ambit3.

He's a week into his epic bid to run across America. Patrick Sweeney has so far clocked up 7 marathons – there's only another 113 to go! Below he gives us a little update on progress so far: “The race is going great! The weather has been sunny and relatively warm. I am enjoying the company of my teammates. 3,000 miles (approx 5,000km) is quite a long race! The brain wants to do it but the body after the first 130 miles in five days has yet to find a groove. “It's interesting trying to figure out how hard I can push without injuring myself. So far I have been taking it a little slower than I want to but I think it is smart to ease into this.” Patrick's marathon times have so far ranged from 4h 22m to 5h 15m. He adds: “The vibe of the event is much more of an adventure than a race. I look forward to each day's run and all the experiences ahead of me. My Ambit3 has already kept me from getting lost more than once and I am very thankful to have it!” We'll be giving regular updates on Patrick's progress. Stay tuned to find out more.

There are ultra runs and then there's the Race Across America. Kicking off on January 16, the race will see dozens of athletes attempt to run across the US, a total distance of 5,000km. Among them will be the 36-year-old Suunto supported runner Patrick Sweeney. We asked him why. So? A few years ago I wanted to run across the country by myself but had an injury. Then this opportunity came up. I'm excited to see the country and I've always been up for an adventure.I'm also raising money for a non-profit that's getting kids to run 100 miles in a school year, so that's a big motivating factor. I've seen it change lives. The details? It's 120 marathons over 140 days, mostly on the road.Ouch! Is it do-able? I'll find out! My best marathon time is 2:37 – on a hilly course – but we'll have eight hours to do the daily stages. Race strategy? My plan is to try and run in four hours and just find my groove. I don't know what my comfort level will be. The course is unmarked so having the Ambit will be very helpful. DietI'm vegan so that's going to be even more difficult but I'll eat lots of oils and high protein meals and plenty of veggie tacos. I'll also be eating 2-3 avocados a day. Biggest challenge? It's winter! We cross the Colorado Plateau which is 7,500 ft (2,286 m) and we could encounter blizzards. I'm more of a hot weather person. You ready? You can wait your whole life to be healthy but I'm in good shape. I've done a lot of ultras in California, including Leadville the last couple of years. You run in barefoot sandals, why? It's really all I need and works best with the running form of my body. I don't get blisters. But I'm also packing a pair of shoes with max cushioning just in case something goes wrong.