BURNABY B.C. - Industry leader of high performance technical apparel and accessories STORMTECH Performance Apparel announces the opening of its refurbished showroom and office facility at 2560 Boundary Road in Burnaby B.C. In an effort to increase exposure in the lower mainland and to better serve their distributors, STORMTECH Performance Apparel has acquired an addition 40,000 sq. ft. and undergone a substantial renovation. "Our new showroom features a lending library, presentation centre and the entire STORMTECH collection in all sizes with ample parking and knowledgeable staff to serve. We have incorporated our imagery from our retail stores, and in doing so, we will make our customers feel more comfortable in this revamped environment", says Steve Dewar, VP of Sales & Marketing. STORMTECH Performance Apparel is a Canadian owned and operated company that is distributed in over 30 countries. www.stormtech.ca

The folks at Louis Garneau have been busy with new product launches for the upcoming triathlon and biking seasons. Cool offerings include ventilated Flintstone Shorts, the Vorttice and X-Lite helmets, the Elite Lazer Tech triathlon suit and the CFS-300 shoes, heat moldable to any foot. www.louisgarneau.com

Is your workout routine getting stale? Pep it up with one of these incredible fitness stories in the new book from Ripley's Believe It or Not! called Enter If You Dare! The book is an annual collection of unusual, unbelievable and amazing stories from around the world. Here are a couple of the book's unusual fitness stories:

Knuckle Buster: Mick Gooch must have the strongest finger in the world. The martial arts expert from Kent, England, is capable of 17 one-armed, single-fingered push-ups on the head of a nail.

Human Weights: In January 2009, a gym in London set up weight-lifting machines using people as weights. The five people - ranging from a 66-pound man to one weighing 340 pounds - not only helped gym goers visualize the weight they were lifting, but also shouted words of encouragement.

Mountain Bike: Extreme yoga artist Khiv Raj Gurjar from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India, balances in extraordinary positions on his bicycle just inches from the edge of rocky outcrops 300 feet high.

Stiletto Sprint: At a race in Nanning, Guangxi Province, China, all the runners wear high heels - both men and women! Male runners must wear shoes with heels at least 3-in high, while women have to run in 4-in (10-cm) stilettos because they are more used to wearing high heels.

Plane Crazy: In perhaps the greatest feat of strength ever, Rev. Kevin Fast from Cobourg, Ont., pulled a giant Globemaster airplane weighing 416,000 pounds - the weight of more than 50 African elephants - for 29 feet across the runway at an airbase in Trenton in 2009.

Snow, beautiful snow. Nowhere in Canada celebrates winter like la belle province and the Quebec City Snow Pentathlon has become its ultimate sport showcase, combining fun and adventure with a winter wonderland setting. The snow pentathlon has grown into Canada's largest outdoor winter event since 2005 and it's expecting 3,000 participants to descend on historic Quebec City in February. The event welcomes athletes of all abilities, says event general manager Francois Calletta. Participants compete on a continuous basis in five events: ski, snowshoe, skate, bike and run on groomed paths overlooking the St. Lawrence River. The number of laps for each discipline varies. Multiple levels allow everyone to participate, from family and corporate challenges to elite level competition. There are three formulas:
· Solo: compete in all events.

· Tandem-relay: two-person teams share competition, with one person handling three events.

Men, woman or combined categories.

· Team relay: three to five members share the five events. Men, women or combined.

To learn more about the unique Pentathlon des neiges - La Vie Sportive visit www.snowpentathlon.com or call 418.907.5734.

The 4,000 kilometre Calgary to Los Angeles Ride for Red came to a rousing conclusion with beauty queen Shannon Lynn and Olympic bobsledder Christina Smith dipping their toes and bicycles in the Pacific Ocean of the Santa Monica Pier.

Lynn and Smith left Calgary on Sept. 26 and arrived on schedule in L.A. on Nov. 4 to a red carpet Hollywood welcome at the end of their journey to raise money and awareness for the Red Cross. "It was an epic adventure," says Smith. "I call it pedalling with purpose, passion and determi-nation for an amazing organization like the Red Cross.Smith says the goal is to build on this year's Ride For Red and circle the continent to continue raising awareness for the Red Cross.

40 years of the James Cunningham Seawall Race

By Chris Welner

There’s no doubt participants in the James Cunningham Seawall Race run to the beat of their own drummer. Named after the stonemason who oversaw construction of the Stanley Park landmark, the race has been a runaway success since that last stone was laid 40 years ago in Vancouver. Held annually on the last Sunday in October, the race starts and ends at Second Beach. It’s 500 metres short of a 10K, the only 9.5 kilometre race on the Vancouver calendar, and it’s filled with dressed up characters embracing the Halloween spirit.

Race director Linda Wong says the Seawall race might not be the most competitive, but it’s about the most fun a runner can have for $20 on a Sunday morning. There’s music throughout the course, a couple of water stations and a trick or treat table at the finish line to entice racers all the way through to the end. Organized by the Lions Gate Road Runners, more than 1,200 participants are expected this Oct. 31 for one of the oldest road races in the Pacific Northwest. Proceeds go to KidSport British Columbia.

www.seawall.lgrr.com