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Outstanding Products and Exceptional Service: How Blueseventy's CEO Built an Iconic Triathlon Brand
Blueseventy CEO John Duquette, is FTP dead? And the benefits of morning exercise!
Matthew Sharpe
March 18, 2025
TOGETHER WITH BLUESEVENTY
Good morning everyone,
“Swimming and triathlon aren’t just a part of what we do; they’re everything that we do.”
I loved this quote from today’s interview with Blueseventy CEO John Duquette. John has been a triathlete since the late 90’s and in today’s edition, he takes us along his fascinating multisport journey from Kona-aspirant to head of one of the sport’s most recognized and durable brands.
I think you’ll also enjoy his thoughts on why Blueseventy continues to thrive, the current state of the sport (good!), and his crazy three-week Hawaiian World Championships odyssey!
In today’s edition:
🏊 How Blueseventy’s CEO built an iconic brand.
🚴♀️ Is FTP dead? Why this new metric could be the future!
☀️ And the benefits of morning exercise!
Thanks for being here.
-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor
Have a triathlete in your life who can't stop swimming, biking, or running? Fire this off to them. Forwarded from a friend? Sign-up for free.
TOGETHER WITH BLUESEVENTY
Outstanding Products and Exceptional Service: How Blueseventy's CEO Built an Iconic Triathlon Brand
John Duquette is the CEO of Blueseventy. In our interview he details his triathlon journey from beginner to industry CEO, his thoughts on the state of the sport and more! This is part one.
How did you first get involved in triathlon? Could you tell us about your journey in the sport since then?
Honestly, my story was a common one 20-30 years ago. In high school, I was a football player, wrestler, and baseball player (ran track also), but saw the Hawaiian Ironman on TV and was completely intrigued. It seemed like the hardest event anyone could think of and I made a note in my head that someday I'd like to do that.
I played a few years of club rugby in college and then the team disbanded and I started running more and more. That led to a half marathon and then a sprint triathlon in 1999. At that point doing an Ironman felt possible and a year out of college I did Ironman Canada in 2001. It was a hard day but I learned a lot and I came back in 2002, won my age group, and got a Kona slot.
I also raced Kona in 2004 and 2005. In 2005 I was one of a handful of people to race ITU Short Course Age Group Worlds in Honolulu on Sunday, the Hawaiian Ironman in Kona 6 days later on Saturday, and then Xterra Maui the next Sunday. Three world championship triathlons in three weekends on three different islands. Twenty years later that feels like a dream.
By 2006 I'd ceased improving and I was feeling pretty burnt out on the triathlon thing. I’d recently met my wife who's a very accomplished cyclocross racer and I realized cyclocross was exactly what a burned-out triathlete needed. The short, muddy events and carefree people were the exact opposite of Ironman racing and I was all in. That led to mountain bike racing which to this day is my favorite endurance activity.
These days I don't put the time into formal training like I used to but I'm in the pool with a master's group three days a week, get a few quality runs in when my body allows it and I'm regular at the Wednesday night mountain bike races and Thursday night criteriums in the summer. At 47 I no longer have the drive to win races but I'll always enjoy getting outside and feeling fit.
How did you become involved with Blueseventy?
When I was racing tri from 2000-2007 I was working at a running store in Seattle. In early 2007 I was going through some changes in that I realized I no longer had the desire to commit my life to triathlon and that I wanted to marry my girlfriend. I'd always known the guys at Blueseventy as they were a Seattle-based company and right as I was feeling the need for change they offered me a job so everything fell into place at the same time.
Being a small company everyone is expected to wear many hats but I was made CEO in 2015 and my wife and I were able to purchase the company in 2017. I'll never forget that when I told Dan Empfield that I'd bought the company he said "That's the best and the worst thing you've ever done," and I can't imagine anyone summing it up better.
I can't overstate how lucky I feel to be in this situation. When I started selling running shoes in November of 2000 I was scheduled for 30 hours a week at $8 an hour. I quickly realized that it was an industry I wanted to be part of but if I wanted to make any kind of a living I was going to have to outwork everyone around me.
I'd take every extra shift that I could and I made it a point to show up early or stay late and find a way to make myself useful for every one of those shifts. Over the years I rose through the ranks of the industry and have already had what feels like a lifetime of great experiences.
I've flown in or out of 74 different airports and been to 13 countries. I've met too many great people to count, and I share with all of them a passion for physical challenge and adventure. There's a cliché about making your career something that you love, but the truth is that very few people get to make that a reality. I'm one of the lucky ones who's managed to pull it off.
Many triathlon brands fade quickly—why has Blueseventy continued to thrive?
Swimming and triathlon aren’t just a part of what we do; they’re everything that we do. We really focus on creating exceptional swimming products and providing outstanding service. When triathlon is popular, we'll be there, and when triathlon is much less popular, we'll still be there.
I also take great pride in having an authentic company. Everyone in our office has completed at least a few triathlons, and my product guy and I both swim with a masters group regularly. We use our products, attend events, and engage with athletes. We have one phone number for the office, and when you call, I might answer. I may have even met you at a demo in California just a few days earlier. I believe that's a level of authenticity that larger brands simply don't possess.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the sport?
This is such a difficult question. Going into the pandemic I thought the sport was in real trouble because the grassroots events were going away and it felt like Ironman was the be-all and end-all of triathlon. They kept buying up independent races and rebranding them or simply putting up competing events.
Coming out of the pandemic obviously everyone had to find their footing again but I’m really excited to hear from local level race directors all over the country who report that their sprint and Olympic distance races are filling up. I feel strongly the sport needs to be relatively affordable and accessible and it's the local level races that allow this.
At the pointy end, the Ironman/Super Tri/T100 thing is interesting and it's certainly an exciting time for professional athletes but it's the local level races I'll always be most fond of.
Stay tuned for part two of our interview and learn…
John’s take on the Kona/Nice split.
What a successful 2025 looks like for Blueseventy.
And how Blueseventy’s new product lineup is built for you!
FAVORITES
🚴♀️ New cycling metric: FTP, or functional threshold power is the traditional metric used to measure and evaluate cycling performance and progress. But does it really reflect your ability to perform on race day? This video says no, and offers an intriguing alternative! [Dylan Johnson/YouTube]
☀️ Early training benefits: “The early birds get the worm.” But what about a triathlete version? “The early triathlete gets the empty lane?!” We’ll work on that one…In the meantime, read this article and learn how exercising in the morning can help regulate your appetite, improve your focus, and so much more! [The Manual]
🥵 Sensational saunas: Saunas…they’re so hot right now. Read why athletes are using them to help improve their performance by increasing blood plasma volume and helping reduce stubborn inflammation. [Canadian Cycling Magazine]
🌱 Beginner advice: For many, race season is making its way along the horizon. So if this year sees your first race, or fifteenth, this video documenting what essential gear you’ll need for race day is a great reminder of what you’ll need before the gun goes off! [Phil Mosely/YouTube]
🏋️♂️ Bodyweight strength training: Not everyone has access or time to train in a proper gym, so does that mean you should just skip it entirely? Absolutely not! This article explains why bodyweight strength training is a great option to help you build functional strength and stay injury-free! [Strength Running]
TEMPO TALKS PODCAST
Can Hill Repeats Take Your Performance to New Heights!
What do IRONMAN sellouts mean for the sport?
And how you can avoid debilitating health issues plaguing an IRONMAN World Champion?
All this and more in the latest episode of the Tempo Talks podcast.
Together with The TriDoc, we’ll bring you the biggest stories in Triathlon,
Training tips to make you faster,
And breakdowns of the latest in sports science and performance!
REEL TIME
The race can only get better from here! 👀😂
QUICK NEWS
Leeds revealed: After unforseen issues with road closures, the course for the very first edition of IRONMAN Leeds has been revealed. The multi-loop course will be spectator friendly and a test of athletes’ strength! [TRI247]
Our condolences: Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Brazilian triathlete Aninha Zuleica Xavier who tragically passed away during a race in Beira-Mar de Fortaleza.
Trailblazing athlete: Mary Borman is putting in some serious training ahead of her middle distance debut. And if she completes the course she’ll make history as the first female triathlete with Down Syndrome to accomplish the feat! [Fox]
Future investment: Zimbabwe-born Olympic triathlete Rachel Klamer recently returned to compete in the Troutbeck African Cup. Now, she plans on using her experience to invest in local athletes! [Newsday]
YOU SAID
Are triathlon organizations doing enough to grow the sport? Here’s what Tempo subscribers think!
Reader: Ironman is copying Live Nation (Ticketmaster) trying to race prices as the races fill up. The entry prices are already too high beyond inflation and if they wish to grow the sport, they need to lower entry prices to a more mass audience and cap the number of entrants at a reasonable number, and grow the number of races. Their incremental cost for additional entrants is very minimal.
Reader: The strategic plan reads like the typical corporate (save the world, cure cancer) plan. Agree with the goals & hope USAT is successful in growing the sport. I've been a member from the beginning (Tri-Fed).
Reader: Something that triathlon as a whole suffers from is the thought that it's more popular or mainstream than it really is. It’s not the first sport to suffer this, just ask CrossFit. Triathlon is not an inclusive sport, its got a high barrier to entry due to cost and access to equipment. This isn't a sport that's big in inner cities or in rural areas that aren't as economically viable as say a wealthy suburb.
If triathlon organizations want to grow the sport, then they have to stop talking to the same group of people. The message they send is not reaching new audiences. Attracting youth is great, but it’s still in the same communities that are more affluent and are aware of triathlon. I fully admit that I don't know the cost of reaching new communities, like inner city kids and adults. to triathlon. But tapping into those communities and offering programs or opportunities to try the sport may pave the way for local corporations to get involved in growing something that promotes health and wellness to an area otherwise largely ignored when it comes to creating positive change, particularly in terms of health.
Reader: It would seem the focus on Youth sports is a fool's errand. The top two youth sports in terms of cost would be hockey and skiing. Hockey has a pathway to a lucrative pro career. Skiing is likely something that the family and the athlete participate in, and it is already established in regional school systems, with a set location for participation. The youth are the future, but the hurdle to bringing triathlon to the masses is large. It would seem that race development and promotion would be a betters strategy. Their promotion of coaches is lacking as well.
Reader: It’s getting very expensive to race. That means less races per year, which then makes it harder to justify the yearly USAT membership.
Reader: The sport is too expensive entry fees to races are a joke. I live in New Zealand if you qualify for the worlds champs it costs $3000 NZ this is just bloody stupid.
TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE
Why you should be training faster (not harder!) Vol. 1
An athlete’s harrowing account of the IRONMAN Ireland tragedy.
Strength training for your next breakthrough race!
LATEST EDITIONS
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Will superstar signing lead to T100 deals? And strength as we age.
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