Suunto has welcomed Australian endurance athlete Jimmy Whelan to its international athlete roster as he transitions from professional cycling to elite road running. Based in Barcelona, Whelan will compete across Europe representing the Finnish technology company.
The addition of Whelan, alongside UK athletes Phil Sesemann and George Mills, marks a strategic move for Suunto into the road running sector during the 2026 season. Whelan will use the Suunto Race 2 for both his training and competition requirements.
Whelan established himself as a professional cyclist within World Tour teams from 2018. Following his retirement from the peloton, he returned to running, a sport he participated in during his childhood. In a notable debut, he recorded a 61-minute half marathon in Valencia less than a year after finishing his cycling career.
The athlete has set a long-term goal of selection for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games marathon. During the first half of the 2026 season, Whelan has acted as a pacer for colleagues in the Paris, Barcelona, and London marathons to gain experience ahead of his own debut over the distance later this year.
Suunto is a Finnish brand established in 1936 by inventor Tuomas Vohlonen. Originally known for navigational and field compasses, the company now produces GPS watches, dive computers, and heart rate monitors for outdoor adventurers and athletes.
Dan Southam, Head of Regional Marketing at Suunto, said “Jimmy’s progress as an elite runner is exactly the kind of bold progression we celebrate at Suunto. To transition into a relatively new sport and immediately perform at such a high level speaks volumes about his talent, discipline and mindset.”
Whelan will utilise Suunto’s technology to monitor training data, support recovery, and manage race-day execution. The partnership aims to highlight the brand’s performance tools for both trail and road running disciplines.
Jimmy Whelan said “Coming from a cycling background, I’ve always been used to having valuable data at my fingertips for training and racing. Joining Suunto gives me the tools to bring that analytic approach to my run performance too, and train with precision as I chase some big goals in the early phase of my professional running career.”
The brand adds that it continues its mission to support explorers and athletes by providing tools designed to withstand harsh conditions, a legacy dating back to its origins in Finland nearly a century ago.
