Meet Bluefin’s 2012 Sponsored Athletes

One of the best parts of being in the fitness business is that you’re constantly getting to work with some of the most impressive, inspirational people you’ll ever meet. Through Bluefin, we’ve had the opportunity to see folks start out running only a few minutes at a time and build up to triathlons, marathons, and beyond.

We’re privileged to be able to support some of these tremendous athletes and help them raise their game to the next level. Read on to learn a little more about Ashley Clifford and Matthew Murphy, Bluefin’s 2012 Sponsored Athletes.

Ashley Clifford has her sights set on the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas and plans to get there in the next two years. 2012 marks Ashley’s first year running as a professional, making us that much prouder to be among her sponsors. Since running is definitely one of her strengths as a competitor, she’s a great fit for Bluefin; and as she prepares for racing season she’s focused on improving her performance on the bike. In addition to qualifying for the Ironman, she’s also looking to find her way to the podium this year and to generally establish herself as a professional racer. Ashley is currently on her way to cycling camp in North Carolina, where she will prepare herself for the first races of the season. We couldn’t be more excited to be sponsors and wish her all the best in 2012. For more information about Ashley, be sure to check out www.ashleyclifford.com.

Matthew Murphy has been featured on the blog before, contributing an inspiring guest post that shared his experience becoming “Shawn’s Ironman.” Shawn is Matthew’s son, who although born with unforeseen health complications was lucky to be greeted by a remarkable dad who wasn’t going to take those challenges lying down. Matthew used our program to build up to his first 5k and hasn’t stopped since, completing an impressive array of races including multiple marathons and triathlons, all while raising a tremendous amount of money to support research for his son and kids like him. We’ve always been impressed with Shawn and moved by his journey: both his evolution from self-described couch potato to serious athlete and his remarkable commitment and dedication to Shawn. Matthew is again proving that his heart is in the right place as he prepares for an event in Houston, working with us to deliver 500 free Ease into 5k apps to interested spectators and participants. To get the whole story or make a contribution, visit www.shawnsironman.com.

Congratulations to Matthew and Ashley for all of their accomplishments to date.  We couldn’t be more proud to be sponsoring each of them and wish them the best of luck in 2012 and beyond!