We’re pretty sure this isn’t the typical path to competing at the world championship level, which makes this triathlete’s story nothing short of amazing. About two years ago, Lauren Olson, a Garmin software engineer based in Arizona, took up the sport of triathlon. This young lady has laid down some impressive performances in distances ranging from Olympic to half and full Ironman triathlons, with every stroke, second and step of her swim, bike and run recorded by the Forerunner 910XT multisport watch.

We caught up with Lauren after she returned from Belfort, France for the ITU Long Course World Championship. That’s Lauren centered behind the American flag — third athlete from the left — in the team photo. Lauren reported that this year, the swim portion was cancelled due to extremely cold conditions. Here’s Lauren’s race recap: This year’s competition went better for me than last year, mostly because it was so cold and wet, the swim was canceled and it was run as a duathlon. My first duathlon was a world championship…no pressure! I love swimming, but I am not great at it so I was pretty happy. Everything about this race was epic. The runs were on a trail system, which basically turned to a giant mud pit. And the bike course was on part of the route for the Tour de France, which included 2,000 ft of climbing in less than 6 miles. On the descent, we were getting sleeted on, and having to navigate these sharp switchbacks…just epic! Unfortunately, on the second run, my back really started hurting, probably from the monster climb on the bike. I was the first American female, and within reach of medaling up until the last 8 km or so, when I really fell apart. I ended up placing 6^th in my age group, 39^th female overall, and the 2^nd American female.

I’m thinking any instance of “epic” in Lauren’s race report would be the equivalent of “grueling,” “hairy,” or “I may not make it out alive” in my vernacular. And if you think this Garmin athlete is slowing down or taking some time off anytime soon, think again. Lauren is gearing up to compete in Ironman Coeur d’Alene on June 23 and she’s racing in honor of her best friend Kristen. “My friend did this race last year, and then less than a week later was diagnosed with MS. I’ll be raising money for the National MS Society.”

Please visit Lauren’s fundraising page and consider a donation to help find a cure for MS so that triathletes like Kristen won’t have to abandon their passion. Best of luck to Lauren and my favorite blogger, Dimity McDowell from Another Mother Runner and all other athletes competing at Ironman Coeur d’Alene next weekend.

Here’s a look at Lauren’s Garmin Connect data from the World Championships.

This past weekend, Vail Village was taken over by the Go Pro Mountain Games, and Garmin was right in the middle of the action. Not only did Garmin sponsor the 10k Race, but we also had a booth in Vail Village where people could stop by, ask questions, pick up some free swag, and try out some of the devices.

We were also able to hang out with the GoPro folks and check out some of the crazy competitions such as freestyle kayaking, the IFSC Bouldering World Cup, Slackline World Championship, Dock Dogs Big Air and Extreme Vertical, and the Mud Run, were people got dressed up in crazy costumes and ran 3 miles...through a mud pit. There wasn't an award for the most creative costume, but Team Miss Piggy definitely would have won if there was!

The crazy activities were fun for the whole family. Even the dogs were able to get in on the action! The Dock Dog competitions were cool to watch, some dogs jumped more than 20 feet in the Big Air competition, and more than 11 feet in the extreme vertical competition. 

It was an awesome weekend in beautiful Vail, Colorado and Garmin was happy to be a part of it! Check out the video below for the official GoPro Games commercial.

To make the decision even easier, through June 30th, Garmin will ship your purchase via ground to anywhere in the lower 48 states for free!  Just go online at buy.garmin.com and pick a gift for Dad (or yourself... or both).  Use the code ShipFREE for free shipping on all orders over $100.  Or, if you'd rather speak with a Garmin product expert, call our Garmin Store in Chicago at 312-787-3221 or email chiphoneorder@garmin.com for that personal touch.

That'll beat a paisley necktie any day.

For a limited time, trade-in any Garmin automotive device for a $50 credit towards a new unit.  We’ll even give you $25 when you trade-in your non-Garmin automotive unit (you know, the other guys). 

You can still trade-in any Garmin Forerunner for a $40 credit towards a new unit, but we’ve added the Edge to the list with a $50 trade-in value.  Non-GPS and non-Garmin watches are still worth $25. 

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading, there’s no better time to do so.  Stop by the corner of 663 N Michigan Ave today or call (312) 787-3221 and place your order.  Now through June 30, the Garmin Store will give you FREE GROUND SHIPPING on PHONE ORDERS OVER $100*.  Visit garmin.com/retail to learn more about the Garmin Store Experience. 

 *Restrictions apply.  Order must be $100 before tax.  

Team Garmin-Sharp today announced it has signed American Phil Gaimon for 2014.

Gaimon started racing in 2005 and said he has always had an eye on riding for Team Garmin-Sharp: “I started racing, then got my Cat 2 upgrade just in time to compete against guys like Ian McGregor at U23 nationals (Tyler Farrar was second). He was riding for the team when it was Team TIAA-CREF, and I remember thinking that looked like a cool team to ride for.”

Gaimon, who is now coming off a strong showing at the 2013 US National Championships, continued: “I've watched the team grow over the years from the U23 development squad to the team that saved pro cycling with a real emphasis on clean racing and it's always been a moving target for me. I'm proud to join Garmin-Sharp and be a small part of that, and there's no one I'd rather ride for.”

Gaimon’s palmares include 1st Overall at the 2012 Redlands Cycling Classic, Time Trial wins in the San Dimas Stage Race in both 2012 and 2013, 1st Overall and 1st on Stage 1 in the Merco Cycling Classic and 2nd Overall at the 2013 Tour of the Gila. He also won the Mt. Washington Hillclimb in 2008 and 2009.

Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports and Team Garmin-Sharp, sees both a strong rider and a good cultural fit for the team: “We’re excited to bring Phil on next year. Having watched Phil race over the past few years we know he is agreat, versatile rider with a huge amount of talent and beyond that, he is also funny, smart and unique addition to the team. We think he’ll be a great fit both on the road and off and we look forward to helping him take the next step in his career.”

“I have way too many people to thank as I look forward to this opportunity with Garmin-Sharp, from Vaughters to BISSELL Pro Cycling and all my teammates over the years, family, and the friends and supporters who've helped me enjoy the lean years and hard times,” said Gaimon. “I know I'm ready now, I'm excited to set new goals and see what I can learn in the big leagues."

As a national sponsor of the Girls on the Run SoleMates charity running program, Garmin is partnering with this great organization to further their mission and share the stories of the women and men who are “running for a reason.” Runners can sign up for any event — runs, walks, bike rides or triathlons — and raise funds that will support their chosen council of Girls on the Run. Want your next race to help change lives? Find out more here. Today’s inspiring SoleMates fundraiser is Stephanie, who got hooked on running after pushing herself to run her first marathon in memory of her father. Here's Stephanie after rocking a race right here in our backyard at the Rock the Parkway half marathon in Kansas City.

I started running just a few years ago as a way to raise money in memory of my father, who died of a heart attack at age 28. I’d planned to run a marathon in his honor, and then quietly pack away the running shoes in the dark recesses of my closet and return to my life of relative physical ease (read: laziness).

Along the way, of course, I became hooked. Running has had a profound impact on who I am, and what I believe about myself. It is certainly an outlet for exercise, but also a stress reliever, an opportunity to think, and one of my favorite ways to explore a new setting. Crossing the finish line of a grueling race reminds me of the importance of setting goals and working to achieve them – and that even this very slow runner can accomplish something great if I put my mind to it.

When I heard about Girls on the Run, I was immediately smitten. As someone who grew up in a working class neighborhood, running was never something I was exposed to (same goes for girls sports in general), and I love that Girls on the Run is working to combat that – all while teaching valuable lessons on self-esteem, team building, discipline and endurance. Being a SoleMates fundraiser allows me to use a hobby that has become an integral part of my days to help change lives across our community in a real and meaningful way. Though my job prevents me from coaching a team, raising funds to help support the program lets me play a role in helping inspire girls to be their most confident, healthy selves – and there’s nothing better than watching an excited group of young women cross their very first finish line!

Equipment in SUP racing is extremely important. From the paddle to the board and the fin, what you use on race day can make or break your day. Using a GPS watch to track your speed/pace, you can test equipment to determine what your best options are. On race day, if you find yourself in tricky conditions, keep an eye on your speed/pace and see if finding a new line makes a difference. Sometimes moving a couple feet one way or another can make a big difference and having real-time data can make that decision easier. When it comes to paddling techniques, there are a lot of variations and even after 7 years of paddling, I’m still making changes to find what works best for me. Over the last year, I’ve been using my Garmin to test different paddling techniques & strokes and I’ve been amazed to learn that even though, one paddle stroke may feel faster, the data shows it’s not. Being able to test those different techniques and analyze them after have made me a better, more efficient paddler!

Whether I’m heading out on a sprint training session or an upwind/downwind paddle, I use my watch to keep track of everything I do on the water.When the workouts are over, I upload the data to Garmin Connect to analyze my workout. It’s a great way of keeping track of my workouts and watching my progress through the training and racing season.

My Pick: The Garmin Forerunner 910XT. Swim, bike, run, paddle this watch does it all. I love the customized workout options and use it for all my SUP training sessions!

--Jenny

One month ago, we saw world renowned mountain biker, friend and one of Garmin's extreme ambassadors Rebecca Rusch take on yet another challenge-- break the women's course record on the Kokopelli Trail winding through Colorado and Utah. With the support of her sponsors and the vision and creativity of RedBull, this was sure to be an amazing event!

Starting at 12:08 A.M. on April 27th, 2013 under the star covered moonlit sky, with temps just above freezing, Rusch pushed start on her Edge 810 and headed out on the 142 mile Kokopelli trail with over 17,000 ft of elevation gain!! She had never ridden this technical trail and was relying heavily on the Edge 810's ability to navigate her on the course we had programmed for her just days before. The Edge even had the potential water stops loaded into it, as this was an un-supported ride and any additional fluids or mechanicals would have to be taken care of by Rusch herself. Her Edge was paired with Heart Rate, Cadence and Power and she was armed with our external battery power pack just inacase she needed extra juice along the way.

During the ride, and before the sun rose, she crashed and dislocated her finger badly, and broke her headlamp— having to ride more than 2hrs with only the moon as her guide. She continued on and crushed the record by almost one and a half hours!! This trail takes most experienced riders a couple to a few days to complete, and Rusch did it in 13 hours 32 minutes 46 seconds. Checkout the sweet info-graphic put together by RedBull, using the data from Rusch's Edge 810:

I chatted with Rusch right after the record setting feat, and what impressed me the most about the woman known to many as "The Queen of Pain" was that though she was absolutely stoked about the ride and record, she said it was more about the journey than the result and getting more and more people onto bikes. Rusch is the ULTIMATE spokeswoman for cycling and for living life to the fullest. Not afraid to try something new or different, always promoting the idea of healthy and active lifestyles and letting young women know it is ok to sweat and get dirty, Rusch is the kind of athlete I am thankful my six year old daughter can look up to.

Our friends over at the popular blog, FatCyclist, will be live-streaming an interview with Rusch tomorrow,Wednesday 5/29/13 at 3 P.M. CST where you can learn more about this record breaking ride.

With the holiday weekend in the rearview mirror, it's time to focus on the road ahead. Or the trails...or the lakes...or the fairways. Wherever you enjoy your favorite summer activities, you can enjoy a few weeks of free shipping when ordering from the Garmin Store OR through Garmin.com.

Place an order over $100 with the Garmin Chicago Store or garmin.com from Monday, May 27 through Sunday, June 30th and we’ll ship it via ground anywhere in the lower 48 states for FREE!

Just call (312) 787-3221 and talk to a Garmin product expert, email chiphoneorder@garmin.com or start shopping at buy.garmin.com. Use the code SHIPFREE for free shipping on all orders over $100.

And as always, enjoy the adventure ahead!!

At this year’s Giro d’Italia, Ketchell said he uses Garmin Connect every day to “Look at all the analytics for the stage. We look at different riders, how much energy they are spending per stage, the total amount of calories that they expend, how efficient they are, and how it compares to other riders on the team.” That information in turn affects what sort of directions the riders get off the bike: “If somebody is doing a lot of work one day, they need to eat more, or they may also need more recovery in upcoming days.”

Ketchell said Garmin Connect also provides insights on how much work riders are doing inside the peloton—something that is difficult for a team director to assess from the perspective of a car driving far behind the race action. It reveals “how efficient somebody really is being in the peloton when they are supposed to be recovering or sitting in,” Ketchell noted. In other words, the Garmin invention opens a window on how well a rider is doing their job of not racing hard on days when they are supposed to be recovering from earlier efforts.

Ketchell also said having access to data from the riders’ Garmin Edge bike computers in real time allows the team to modify a riders’ plan of attack on the fly. “Some guys that look good in longer stages with climbs later in the stage, you may want to redirect how you use certain riders based on the data that you get back. We use the Garmin Connect as the means to visualize all that.”