NEW YORK: October 18, 2016 - Polar, the pioneer of wearable sports and fitness technology and the leader of heart rate monitoring for more than 35 years, welcomes two world-renowned runners to their team: Molly Huddle and Kate Grace. Both U.S. Olympic Trials Champions, Huddle holds the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter American records on the track while Grace won the 800-meter final. As both athletes continue to strive for excellence, Polar’s Smart Coaching and reliable metrics-based guidance provides 360-degree tracking for a well-rounded training experience.
A nine-time All-American at the University of Notre Dame, Molly Huddle has won 21 U.S. titles and most recently, she shattered the American record in the 10,000-meter race at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with 30:13 in finishing 6th. In winning the 2013 U.S.12K championship, Molly set a world best time over that distance in 37:50.
"Setting a record at the Olympics was an incredibly proud moment for me," says Huddle. "I knew a medal was no guarantee, but of course it’s the dream of any athlete. Having seen it first-hand many times, I know that only a few seconds set top runners apart from each other, which is why I place a lot of value in reliable metrics. Polar gives me those metrics, guides me during trainings and helps me determine if I’m over-exerting myself or if I need time to recover. I’m excited to be training with Polar, and think it will be a key tool in bringing home a medal in Tokyo."
Kate Grace was the lone American to advance to the women’s 800-meter final in Rio. A few weeks later she posted a season’s best 1:58.28 at the highly competitive Weltklasse Zürich Diamond League 800. She is only the second female Yale graduate in history to represent the school in Track and Field at the Olympic Games. During her time at Yale, Grace set four school records, made it to the NCAA championships in the 800 and 1,500-meter races and earned NCAA All-American honors four times. Her mother, fitness icon Kathy Smith, instilled a love of athletics in Kate from an early age and has always been a positive influence and source of advice.
"At an early age, my mom taught me the value of a full-body strength, flexibility and mobility workout as well as certain mental and breathing techniques that I use to prepare for races," says Grace. "Those pieces have helped me develop a well-rounded training regimen. What I appreciate about Polar is that in addition to providing reliable running metrics like cadence, speed, training load and recovery, they offer multiple other features for a really well-rounded training product. As I look to improve on this year, and continue making my mark on the world scene, having accurate insight on performance and recovery is key. It can help turn a good performance, into a great one.
"Polar has an extensive audience of athletes that spans beginners to professionals, and we’re excited to add Molly and Kate to the growing roster of Polar runners" says Stan Brajer, Senior Vice President of U.S. Sales and Marketing. "Our products are vital to understanding key training opportunities and areas for improvement. It’s not just about the time you finish the race; it’s about all the metrics and guidance that help you get there, and how you apply them to training. Pace, heart rate, cadence, training load and recovery are performance metrics that Molly and Kate rely on to improve, but what sets Polar apart is that we offer guidance in addition to metrics, so a beginner can use our products and understand how to use the same metrics as an Olympic runner."
Polar’s GPS running watches such as the Polar M400 and Polar M200 offer Polar’s unique Smart Coaching features and adaptive training plans in Polar Flow for web on iOS and Android. Polar’s personalized and adaptive Running Program helps runners train for everything from a 5k to a marathon, with a plan tailored to the user and their specific goals. Other Smart Coaching features such as Training Load offers athletes valuable insight into how particular training sessions impact their body, so users can recognize personal limits and adjust training intensity and duration accordingly. Recovery Status allows users to view how much recovery time is needed after a particularly strenuous session, and Training Benefit provides motivating feedback immediately after training sessions and describes the effect of the session.
For more information on Polar, visit Polar.com.
About Polar:
Polar is the leading pioneer in heart rate monitoring, activity trackers and training computers. With nearly 40 years of experience and a proud heritage in innovative physiological and sports medical research, we cater to all levels of fitness by offering a comprehensive product range including cycling computers, wearable sports devices and activity trackers, training apps and online services. Our award-winning training computers are the number one choice among consumers worldwide, being sold through over 35,000 retailers globally. Headquartered near Oulu in Finland, Polar is a privately held company that operates in more than 80 countries including U.S. headquarters in Lake Success, NY. For more information, please visit Polar.com.
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