We Noticed: End of an Era as Vasa Shuts Down, IRONMAN Race Fields and More

To say that Rob Sleamaker and I go way back is the king of understatements. I first met Sleamaker in the mid 80s as a university runner – he was working at an exercise physiology lab in Vermont and did some testing on me. We stayed in touch ever since, and I applauded his work with former triathlon pro Ray Browning on the book Serious Training for Endurance Athletes.

Sleamaker came up with the concept of an indoor swim trainer in 1986, and the first Vasa Trainer swim bench was introduced in 1989. Once available, the Vasa Trainer quickly became a mainstay on college swim decks.

“The Vasa Trainer is a dry-land exercise machine that strengthens the most vital swimming muscles – and then some,” Alex Kostich reported when he reviewed the trainer in 2013. In fact, the Vasa Trainer can simulate swim training so well that we reported on how age-group champ Sam Gyde did all his training on one heading into IRONMAN Texas in 2018.

Sleamaker’s endless imagination allowed for lots of adaptations to the Vasa Trainer so it could be used for lots of other activities. Thanks to a platform and strategically placed surgical tubing, the Vasa Ergometer in my basement quickly converts to a “pilates-like” trainer that allows me to work on my leg strength. In addition to getting swim training sessions done, it’s also a great coaching tool that I use to show athletes exactly what I mean by a “high-elbow catch” and to finish their stroke.

This week Sleamaker sent out a message letting us know that he was shutting things down at Vasa.

“After 38 incredible years of building and operating Vasa, it is time for me to retire,” he wrote. “This decision has been made with thoughtful consideration and deep gratitude. From the very beginning in 1988, our mission has been to help athletes train smarter, stay healthy, and perform at their best. Along the way, we’ve had the privilege of serving competitive, swimmers, triathletes, coaches, surfers, Nordic skiers, physical therapists, and fitness enthusiasts around the world.”

For those who own a Vasa Trainer, the website remains live for at least the next three months “so customers can continue to access important resources.”

Sleamaker is hoping that the Vasa legacy will continue under new ownership, and he’s currently seeking “the right buyer to carry Vasa forward.”

It would be a shame to see Vasa end up the same way Computrainer did. For decades that company was the undisputed leader on the electronically controlled trainer world, but never really innovated. Despite the bomb-proof hardware and excellent power accuracy, the Computrainer software and connectivity never really changed, and the company would eventually close down in 2017 as the competition surged by.

Vasa’s equipment featured the same bomb-proof durability and Sleamaker was quick to jump on the Ant+ connectivity that would allow data to be exported. That would be upgraded to Bluetooth connectivity in 2022, allowing athletes to record, store and analyze data while using applications to create specific workouts. I hope Sleamaker finds that owner, but most of all, I wish him well in retirement. (Although, knowing Rob, there’s some other patent he’s no doubt working on!)

London Marathon Events Acquires Frankfurt Marathon

I found this to be an interesting development – the company that runs the London Marathon has made its first international acquisition, taking over the company that runs the Frankfurt Marathon. In addition to the flagship marathon, London Marathon Events (LME) runs the Mini London Marathon race for kids, the Big Half (half marathon), London 10,000 (10K), the Westminster Mile, Great City Race (5K) and the Loch Ness Marathon and Etape Loch Ness.

It’s not like other major marathon organizers don’t put on a variety of different races – the New York Road Runners organizes more than 60 events every year – but those are all within the New York area. LME appears to looking to expand on a more international scale, so it will be interesting to see if this is just the first of many acquisitions coming down the line, following a similar event-based business model as IRONMAN.

Don’t Forget Us! South Africa and Valencia Pro Fields

We wrote about the “insanely competitive IRONMAN Texas field” earlier this week, but next weekend (April 19) also signals the start of the European race season with IRONMAN 70.3 Valencia, and there’s also the IRONMAN South Africa African Championship with its US$150,000 prize purse and four pro qualifying slots per gender for Kona taking place that weekend, too.

Highlighting the South Africa men’s field will be American Matthew Marquardt, fresh off competing at the 600 km Cape Epic mountain bike race, and South Africa’s Jamie Riddle, who finished fifth last year in his IRONMAN debut. Others in the field to keep an eye on include 2024 IRONMAN Pro Series champ Matthew Barnaby (ITA), Germany’s Frederic Funk, Brit Joe Skipper, South African Bradley Weiss, Belgian Pieter Heemeryck and Sweden’s Rasmus Svenningsson.

The women’s field includes Denmark’s Katrine Græsbøll Christensen, who won Challenge Sir Bani Yas earlier this year, and also won IRONMAN Sweden and finished third in Nelson Mandela Bay last year. There are a number of Germans ready to take on Christensen, though, including Merle Brunée (fourth at the Sir Bani Yas race in January), Laura Janson (fourth in the IRONMAN Pro Series last year), 2022 South Africa and Frankfurt champion, Daniela Bleymehl, and Julia Skala. (In fact, seven of the 18 athletes in the pro women’s field are German.)

Here’s the full women’s pro list.

There are over 100 pros set to compete in Valencia, including 2023 IRONMAN world champion Sam Laidlow (FRA), who has rarely competed at 70.3 races in the past. (I can only see a DNF from 70.3 Rueben in 2017 in previous results!) He’ll take on defending champ Johannes Vogel (GER), and his countrymen Fabian Kraft (runner-up last year).

Danielle Kleiser (GER) is back to defend her Valencia title. She’ll face some stiff competition in the form of France’s Marjolaine Pierre, Germany’s Lena Meissner and Switzerland’s Imogen Simmonds.

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