INFINIT’s CEO Michael Folan had the opportunity to chat with Olympian and pro triathlete Ben Kanute, a captain’s pick for Team USA in the 2022 Collins Cup. We talk mantras, “dad strength” and how Ben balances his growing family with the demands of training. Plus, what a typical 30 hour training week looks like, how he eats and drinks to keep “feeding the fire” throughout the race season and beyond.
Growing up in Falmouth, Maine, Clara Brown was an avid athlete enjoying everything from gymnastics to running and skiing. One of four siblings, her parents were keen on keeping the family active and involved in a variety of activities and sports. At the age of 12, Clara’s life changed forever when she sustained a serious injury at gymnastics practice, leaving her with a broken neck and a damaged spinal cord.
While 2020 brought about a pause on the races and events, INFINIT Pros Ryan Petry and Alexey Vermeulen also witnessed the pandemic-driven uptick in people starting to ride. Being lifelong lovers of cycling, they sought out a way to help really immerse these new riders into the sport. This is where the From the Ground Up Project was born. Out of thousands of submissions that came in from across the country, Ryan & Alexey had the difficult task of narrowing it down to just 3 riders to take under their wing and equip with everything needed to start training.
At 17 years old, Shangrila Rendon and her family moved from Manila, Philippines to Chino Hills, California. She entered the states as a teenager and took on the heavy responsibility of supporting her family as they worked to establish their new life in a new country.
I’m a triathlete, and like most endurance athletes, I have always predominantly relied on races to fuel my motivation and training. That changed this year when my fourth race of the season was cancelled, and I was faced with the challenge of adjusting plans last minute. It was frustrating and overwhelming but deep down I knew I would find something else to keep me moving. It wasn’t long before my coach texted me, asking if there were any challenges that I wanted to try to keep my motivation high. Funny enough, I already had a challenge mulling in the back of my mind.
About 3 months ago (April 2020), my best friend mentioned he would be taking on the Tushars Mountain Run — A 100k race with nearly 21,000 feet of vertical ascent, that covers some of the most majestic terrain in Utah on August 1st. At the time, I still had hopes of racing IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder that day, so I laughingly said “good luck with that.”
For the most part I use my custom Infinit nutrition blend. Through the years I’ve worked with Infinit to create a couple of custom blends that I use for all my training and racing. For people that don’t know about Infinit Nutrition it’s basically customizable drink mix, you can take all the ingredients that the body needs to preform athletically, carbohydrates, protein, sugar, electrolytes and control how much of everything you want in that personal mix
Since 2012 Frank and Stacey DeJulius have owned and operated Fleet Feet Cincinnati. They have three locations and a devoted following with runners, walkers and triathletes alike. When COVID-19 hit, running stores were deemed non-essential. Stores all over the country were scrambling and trying creative ways to make ends meet. Frank's passion for his community, the sport and his customers, helped him weather the storm during these extremely difficult times.
Triathletes, or really endurance athletes in general, are a particular breed. We tend to be hyper-focused on the details and enjoy living a regimented and controlled lifestyle. Often though, life shows us that it has different plans. When Professional Triathlete Matt Russell was 8 years old, his mother was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. Throughout the five years that she battled the disease, Matt learned many valuable lessons from her, including how important determination and carrying a positive attitude can be. Those lessons in determination and positivity were pulled to the ultimate test in 2017.
By now you’ve probably had a race that has either been postponed to a later date this fall or otherwise cancelled until next year's event. For me, 2020 was supposed to be an exciting year of racing as a member of the USA Paratriathlon National Team as a guide for blind triathlete Brad Snyder as we looked to qualify and race at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Just like the Olympics, the Paralympics were pushed back a year to 2021 along with most (potentially all) of the ITU races this year.
