(Article originally published on our sister site endurance.biz in January 2024.) Garmin has released its 2023 Garmin Fitness Report, which highlights fitness trends and exercise habits of Garmin users around the world – tracking activities logged via Garmin Connect in 2023. ‘From tried-and-true activities like running, cycling and walking to increasingly popular hobbies such as Pilates, HIIT and tennis, users logged more of nearly every activity in Garmin Connect in 2023 compared to the previous year.’ Key takeaways from the 2023 report include: The top five activities were: running, wa ..read more

(Article originally published on our sister site endurance.biz in December 2023.) Strava has unveiled its new Messaging feature. This enables direct messaging between Strava users, as well as group messaging, and provides an option for route sharing and general conversations. It may also entice athletes away from other messaging apps, such as WhatsApp or Signal. Citing research which found that ‘athletes perform better together’, Strava added that it is introducing Messaging as… ‘an efficient avenue for athletes to coordinate adventures, connect for inspiration or tips, share their journ ..read more

(Article originally published on our sister site endurance.biz in November 2023.) The organising team at DATEV Challenge Roth powered by hep has released a media report of this year’s event, which took place on June 25, 2023. Having previously reported 300,000 spectators in Roth, southern Germany, TEAMCHALLENGE noted that the appeal of ‘the world’s largest long-distance triathlon’ remains strong and reached a new peak in 2023. The popularity of Challenge Roth was underlined by the fact that entries for the 2024 event, set for July 7, 2024, were reportedly sold out in 40 seconds. The reco ..read more

(Article originally published on our sister site endurance.biz in November 2023.) Entries are now open for next summer’s Threshold Trail Series, which features two popular ultra trail races in the UK – Race to the King and Race to The Stones. More than 4,500 athletes are expected to take part, and Threshold Sports has set an ambition to achieve at least 50% female participation at its ultra marathons in 2024, and beyond. Since 2013, the Threshold Trail Series has consistently welcomed a higher proportion of women than the industry standard. However, citing data from LetsDoThis, Threshold ..read more

(Article originally published on our sister site endurance.biz in November 2023.) Y11 Sport & Media (Y11), a sport and media investment firm, has completed the acquisition of seven mass participation events from UK-based LimeLight Sports Club. The acquisition means that LimeLight Sports Club’s mass participation events will now be managed under Y11’s Motiv Sports operation. The events now managed by Y11 / Motiv Sports are: Wizz Air Hackney Half, ASICS London 10K, Oxford Half, Blenheim Palace Triathlon, Etape Caledonia, Challenge London and London Duathlon. Y11 notes that all partic ..read more

(Article originally published on our sister site endurance.biz in November 2023.) Zwift is looking to ‘redefine and amplify cycling esports’ with the launch of the new Zwift Games. According to the global online cycling platform… ‘Set to become the largest cycling esports event ever held, the Zwift Games are designed to give any cyclist the chance to enjoy fun and challenging virtual competition and to compete alongside thousands of other Zwifters.’ The Zwift Games are open to all, providing an open qualification pathway to the Zwift Games Elite Finals and the chance to be crowned overal ..read more

(Article originally published on our sister site endurance.biz in August 2023.) Swimrun AG, the Swiss-based owner of ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship, and the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series, has acquired a majority stake in Swimrun USA, a leading organizer of swimrun races in the US and the company behind the Ödyssey Swimrun Series. All Ödyssey Swimrun races will become part of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series in 2024, offering full world series ranking points to qualifiy for ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship. Ödyssey owners, Lars Finanger, Aaron Palaian and Brent Molsberry, will conti ..read more

(Article originally published on our sister site endurance.biz in August 2023.) Following a tender by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), MyWhoosh has been selected as the exclusive platform and the organiser of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships in 2024, 2025, and 2026. Originally unveiled in 2019, the UCI Esports World Championships had previously been run on the Zwift virtual cycling platform – with the first virtual cycling championships held on December 9, 2020. Zwift had appeared to be the UCI’s preferred virtual cycling provider. It was also the platform used in the recen ..read more

(Article originally published on our sister site endurance.biz in May 2023.) Billed as ‘the world’s biggest city centre triathlon’, the London Triathlon has become part of Challenge Family. The event, which takes place in the UK capital on August 6, 2023, will now have a new look as it becomes Challenge London. The partnership between the London event’s organiser LimeLight Sports Club and Challenge Family will see the rebranded event become the first ever Challenge Family event to take place in London and will include a new distance. Challenge London will now host a middle distance race ..read more

(Article originally published on our sister site endurance.biz in March 2023.) As virtual cycling platform MyWhoosh gears up for its US$1 million MyWhoosh Championship, virtual cycling writer Chris Schwenker goes behind the scenes to explore how esports racing and identifying talent have become core components of the MyWhoosh offering. For the new breed of cyclist with dreams of finding a pathway to pro racing, the free virtual cycling platform MyWhoosh’s value is more than its lavish cash prizes. Ask any esports racer in the know, and they’ll tell you, “The first rule of MyWhoosh is: You do ..read more