With the European and North American Ironman race season in full swing, Zone3 has announced the launch of a new swim skin for 2014.
Known for its award-winning wetsuits and tri clothing, Zone3 has developed the swim skin following a number of requests from Ironman athletes globally; all looking for an extra edge over the longer distance swim leg.
The Zone3 swim skin is built with pure speed in mind. It is positioned as being ideal for those looking for that extra core support and reduced drag during non-wetsuit swims, typically designed to be worn over the athlete’s race uniform.
Specifically over longer distance swims, Zone3 notes that the swim skin has huge benefits with its ‘hydrophobic and feather light material’ (X2R) for minimal water absorption and added comfort. The fabric on the legs (Energy D) is designed to give superior compression in comparison to the average tri suit and is designed to effectively channel water.
With speed in mind, there is no stitching and instead all seams are glued and heat bonded for comfort and to minimise drag resistance.
Commenting on a design process that took two years, James Lock, Zone3 CEO, said “The swim skin has taken a few years to develop and we have looked at every possible fabric available to us. Ironman distance racing is becoming more and more competitive and we wanted to give Zone3 athletes the optimum chance of success over the longer distances. The feedback so far has been fantastic from all of our athletes.”
The swim skin will be seen on some world leading athletes this year, including current long course Abu Dhabi Triathlon Champion Tyler Butterfield who will be seen competing in the Zone3 swim skin at the Ironman World Championships in Kona later this year.
With qualification already secured for Kona and a host of strong results this year, Tyler said “At the top of such a competitive sport you are looking for every advantage possible to put you one step ahead of the competition. Zone3 put a lot of attention into the performance of all of their products and the swim skin is no different. It just feels so quick to swim in!”
