Yonda Sports: Swimrun Wetsuits Special
Angus Greenwood is the CEO of Yonda Sports, specialist in wetsuits for triathlon, open water swimming and swimrun. In this swimrun.com special, we catch up with him to chat all things related to the sport.
What is going on in the outdoor equipment and events sector at the moment?
Angus is a straight shooter and makes no bones about the fact it has been a tricky few years for businesses as we find ourselves in a challenging economic climate. Athletes now have a wider choice of sports available, coupled with bigger squeeze on finances. Anecdotally race entries are down across all sports which of course means few people are buying equipment. It could take until 2023/24 for the market recover.
How did you first spot swimrun as an opportunity for Yonda?
Many of Yonda’s customers who had been competing in triathlon for some years were seeking fresh challenges and swimrun came to the fore as more events started popping up. According to Angus, the great thing about swimrun is you don’t need a bike and this makes the sport a little more in reach of more people. This sport also has a broader appeal outside of triathletes, with it being popular amongst outdoor swimmers. It was obviously a market not to ignore!
What makes swimrun unique?
No bike! Cheaper, more inclusive and less ego. It is incredibly rare to find a sport where a total novice can complete it and even be competitive.
Where do you see the future growth of swimrun coming from?
I believe the hunger for swimrun will come back but will take a year or two to recover. Once more events start to restart and people see their friends having a great time the growth will come.
What should a swimrunner look for when choosing a wetsuit?
- Flexible shoulder.
- Quick easy to take off lining ( we use a unique slippy lining which falls off skin once it is wet.
- Quality build to stand the rigours of the sport.
Why Yonda?
Quality is absolutely everything to me and whilst many brands are moving away from Yamamoto to cheaper alternatives I know they just will not compete on quality and I can only make a suit I would be proud to wear myself.
Yonda have two swimrun specific suits, the Spook and Ghost 3 SR suits. Visit the website here for more information.