Welcome to a new feature where we ask some of the best outdoor athletes in the region what equipment they use for their favorite sports.
This issue we feature North Idaho off-road tri phenom, Brandyn ROARK Gray, who is working hard to make the jump to full-time sponsored athlete in Xterra series triathlons. She supervises a developmental disabilities program for children in addition to training 25+ hours a week and racing almost every weekend. Xterra triathlons feature mountain biking and trail running in beautiful settings all over the world. Gray is ranked 6th in the world for Xterra and recently placed 2nd in the Solstice Triathlon in La Grande, Oregon. She is sponsored by Kuota, Smith Optics, Snickers Marathon, and Xterra, among others.
Swimming
Wetsuits: Iron Man: Stealth, Xterra. “Nissan is the main Xterra sponsor. They do a whole other brand of gear [besides cars]. Everything they do is high quality-incuding the races.”
Goggles: Swedish Goggles. “They have no foam and scare people who aren’t swimmers.”
Water shoes: Keen. “Sometimes you have to run a mile after the water to get to your bike. I don’t usually wear shoes because I have really tough feet. But if I do I would recommend Keen. They have awesome shoes.”
Cycling
“Xterra was created by Mountain Bikers, so the biking is about 65% of an Xterra race. A little different from a road race.”
Bike KUP: Kuota Kup mountain bike. All carbon hardtail w/ disc brakes. “Everything on it is carbon. Weighs 20 pounds. It’s probably the most expensive thing I own. I was very blessed and got it from Kuota.”
Tires: Michelin. Light weight knobby tires, tubeless.
Wheels: Mavic Superlight.
Helmet: Bell.
Gloves: Any type of two finger bike gloves.
Clothing: Xterra bike shorts and bike jersey. “In Xterra you don’t want to just wear a swim suit under your wetsuit because there are times when you go flying off your bike. You get pretty ripped up.”
Shoes: Shimano carbon shoes.
Running
Training Computer: Garmin 4 Runner 305. “I’m addicted to it. It has both biking and running settings. I train with it and race with it. It’s the best thing ever.”
Shoes: Asics light racing flats.
Sunscreen: Xterra sunscreen. “They make everything. Its water proof, sweat proof, and 45 spf. I raced at the world championships in Hawaii and it was scorching hot. I didn’t even get a tan it was so good.”
Food: Clif Shots, Snickers Marathon Bar, Clif Shot Blocks. “These [Shot Blocks] are like giant gummi bears in the shape of square.”
Liquid: Water mixed with a little bit of Ultra Fuel.
Sunglasses: Smith Optics Fury “I’ve crashed on my face and they’ve never broken.”
