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Ben Kanute wins Escape from Alcatraz 2021

Rewire Athlete Ben Kanute finished as the first athlete home at the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon yesterday, leading a field containing more than 1500 athletes.

Returning to the San Francisco-based event after a pandemic-enforced hiatus in 2020, Kanute came to California searching for his fourth consecutive title, having improved on a 3rd place in his first appearance in 2016 to win each edition from 2017 onwards.

Contesting the win and $25,000 prize pot with seven other pros, the American fought for the win over a course featuring a 1.5 mile swim in the San Francisco Bay, and waterfront bike and run legs lasting 18 miles and 8 miles respectively.

Starting with an iconic leap from the San Francisco Belle, the swim leg saw Kanute enter the first transition 46 seconds back of fellow pro Greg Harper, sitting in second with a time of 33:16.

Showing strong leg speed out of the water, the Rio Olympian pushed through a half mile long swim-to-bike transition to halve the gap to Harper, and pull further away from the chasing pack behind ahead of the bike leg.

On a hilly and technical route that took athletes along the leafy San Francisco coastline, Kanute took the lead from Harper and never relinquished it, completing the 18 mile loop in 46:50 to lead by 49 seconds going into the bike-to-run transition.

Eventual third-place finisher Bradley Weiss had made up 11 seconds on Kanute through the bike leg, but the gap stretched to over a minute after T2, where the Arizona-based athlete again was the best performer of the professional field.

Despite the benefit of a buffer of 1:07 from second place, and over two minutes’ gap to the remainder of the pro field, Kanute needed no such advantage on the run leg, as he put together the fastest run leg of the pro field in 45:44.

The result was a convincing one, and Kanute was rewarded with a finish time of 2:10:11 (and a top prize of $10,000) for his efforts, more than two minutes ahead of second place.

That second place was taken by Jason West, who also performed well on the run leg. The world #95 put together an 8 mile time just two seconds slower than Kanute’s to finish second (2:12:16) ahead of a fading Bradley Weiss in third (2:12:41).

Next up for the US international is the Collins Cup later this month, where fellow he and fellow Rewire Athlete Matt Hanson will take the best the rest of the world has to offer, in the form of combined European and International teams, over a course that consists of a 2 kilometre swim, 80 kilometre bike, and 18 kilometre run.

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Gertrude Ederle – Rewire Hero of the Week

“When somebody tells me I cannot do something, that’s when I do it.”

Gertrude Ederle

In 1926, Gertrude Ederle braved the rough conditions of the Atlantic Ocean to become the first woman to cross the English Channel. If not impressive enough, despite incredibly harsh conditions, Ederle also broke the all-time record by over two hours – beating all five previous men. Upon arriving back in New York, she was greeted with a ticker-tape parade attended by more than two million people. 

Aside from the her incredible English Channel crossing, Ederle had many other achievements. As an amateur athlete she held 29 US and World Records from 1921 to 1925, as well as winning a gold medal in the 1924 Paris Olympics. She also broke the record from Battery Park to Sandy Hook with a time that wouldn’t be beaten for 81 years; an annual swim, the Ederle Swim, is held at this location every year in her memory.

As someone with poor hearing herself, Ederle also gave back to the community by teaching deaf children to swim. She lived a long life to the age of 98, passing in 2003.

Gertrude’s achievements came at an incredibly important time, where female athletes were unfortunately not taken very seriously. Ederle is an inspiration to us all, showing us that you are capable of achieving your dreams regardless of who you are. Gertrude Ederle is our Rewire Hero of the week.

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Rewire Beta Athlete: Rebeccah Wassner

“As triathletes, we often focus on just swimming, biking and running and don’t think about the mental aspect of things” says Rebeccah Wassner, a professional triathlete and Rewire Athlete. “Having this app has really helped me focus on that and sharpen my mind while I’m doing my training.”

Rebeccah, who is a three time winner of the New York City Triathlon, finds benefit from using the app during easier workouts as a more productive distraction: “During easy workouts on the trainer when I would just usually tune out and watch a movie, I’ve been queuing up the app and really enjoying just getting that mental focus, it passes the time and at the end I just feel more refreshed.

Rewire also helps Rebeccah prepare for inevitable setbacks that occur on race day: “As a triathlete so much of our races come down to mental toughness. Your training can go perfectly, but on race day there are endless variables – weather, mechanicals, nutrition issues, etc. Using Rewire is the best way to prepare for the mental toughness it takes to get through these issues.”

To find out more about how Rewire helps athletes like Rebeccah develop their mental focus by following us on Instagram

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Rewire Beta Athlete: Joe Holmes

“Most of us are looking for distractions while riding indoors, whereas Rewire provides something that commands absolute focus.” says Joe Holmes, who was an Elite Road Racer for 20 years and is now a cycling coach.

Joe uses Rewire to provide more engagement to his indoor workouts: “I think the main benefit of the app is turning mindless pedalling into a more immersive experience.”

As an elite coach who has trained state and series title winners in MTB, ultra and road categories, Joe thinks using Rewire with his athletes that he coaches will be especially helpful during the winter training season: “With the athletes that I coach I’m always looking for things to not only increase their focus but also to pass the time while they are getting in those trainer miles. Rewire is perfect for that.”  Joe’s scientific approach to coaching is clearly working, demonstrated by all of the athletes he coaches moving up at least a category or more under his guidance.

Want to learn more about how Rewire is helping athletes like Joe develop their mental endurance and focus? Follow us on Instagram!

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Rewire Beta Athlete: Laura Kline

“One of my big things is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable says Laura Kline, a former World Duathlon Champion and Elite Ultra Runner/Triathlete/Duathlete.

Laura uses Rewire to help her mind stay focused on the task at hand and keep pushing. “It’s not letting your mind wander and your legs slow down as it keeps you focused the entire time. What I like and find useful about the app is that your legs have to go and then your mind has to keep up.”

“It gives you a controlled environment and structure so that you can choose when you want to add mental training to your workouts and you can do it as often as you’d like.”

Want to learn more about how Rewire is helping athletes develop their mental endurance? Follow us on Instagram!   

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