Introducing Neuff Red...

I am sure you know that Neuff Athletic was founded on a passion for athletics – a genuine desire to help athletes fulfil their potential.  My father, Dr Alan Neuff, ran the company in that spirit for over 50 years and refused to retire as it was a hobby as much as a business.  Now my husband Matt and I have taken over the reins and all the developments we have made are aimed at bringing that ethos, that desire to support athletes, to ever greater numbers of athletes. 

• We have partnerships with England Throws Camps, Valhalla Throws Academy, John Shepherd Jumps Coach and Joe Beer endurance coach.
• We are developing a library of ‘How to…’ videos based on the 20 years’ experience of Sally Mills, our wonderful general manager, sharing equipment information and maintenance to help you get the best out of your kit. 
• We are launching a UK sponsorship programme in partnership with Nelco, Polanik and other major athletics brands and are running or supporting various competitions.  We also have a number of really exciting developments and partnerships in the pipeline for athletics…..

….and now also triathlon!

Why Triathlon?

Matt’s passion at school was athletics, but now it is triathlon.  However, his journey has been far from smooth.  A county-level runner at school, Matt was told he would never run again when he smashed his knees in a parachute accident in his twenties.  Fast forward a few years, and whilst he had regained the strength in his legs, he now weighed 20-stone, smoked, drank, and suffered from bouts of depression.  Inspired by his brother-in-law Richard Iles (former pro-triathlete and Race New Forest founder), he chose triathlon as the route to turn his life around.  He soon caught the Ironman bug and after a few years of initial training he entered his first ever triathlon, the New Forest Middle Distance, achieving a very respectable 5hrs 20mins.

Since that first race Matt’s training journey has had many ups and downs trying every trick in the book.  Matt has tried self-training, group training, working with a coach, dietary changes and has used most products and gadgets on the market to get a picture of what works. 10 years on from that first triathlon and Matt has completed multiple Ironman races across Europe, consistently achieving Ironman All-World-Athlete status, as well as podium finishes at 70.3 distance races. However, there was a sudden and dramatic twist to the story…………….

Due to self coaching and incorrect coaching advice Matt began to massively over-train. In spring 2019 a long-standing stomach virus combined with overtraining caused a mutation that led to Matt’s hospitalisation with meningitis, destroying all hopes of a race season (and almost costing him his life).  I was so exasperated by his determination to keep training during his recovery that I hooked him up with a new coach (Joe Beer).  The resulting train-slow-race-fast training approach, correct use of heart rate zones, power meters and nutrition has guided Matt through physical recovery and he is now on the way to racing stronger and faster than ever (well, he will be once the races are back on!).  Most importantly though, his health is improving and his stomach is no longer suffering.

Matt’s personal experience of making mistakes and his concern about the amount of misinformation available around triathlon and endurance training, inspired the realisation there was space for a triathlon and endurance company that supports triathletes in a similar way to Neuff Athletic.   

Introducing Neuff Red

Launching on 15th June 2020, Neuff Red’s aim is to become a source of dependable information, as well as bringing fantastic products under one roof for both beginners and masters alike.  

It’s not all about selling.  We want to be able through Neuff Red to help athletes become better without a financial cost to them – without actually buying anything.  If even one athlete achieves their dreams without injury, over-training or cupboards full of not-quite-right kit, we will have achieved our goal!  And from my point of view, it was tough watching the convoluted twists and turns of the journey, so maybe we’ll be able to help a few husbands, wives and partners too!

Neuff Red has bought together a top team of partners to offer information and advice to athletes on topics such as zone 1 training, nutrition, product reviews, physiotherapy and more.  There will be regular content from:

• Joe Beer (top UK triathlon coach),
• Dan Plews (Sports Scientist and Ironman Age-group world record holder),
• Steve Crowley (Team GB Olympic-distance para-athlete),
• Helen Jewell (Team GB weightlifter and sports physio),
• as well as guest content from Dave Scott (6x Ironman world champion) and a host of others.

And then there are the products.  Based on our collective experience of trying numerous brands over the years, we have selected a range of products to suit athletes from beginners to masters.  These include:

Revolutionary wetsuits that need to be seen to be believed.  With fingernail-tear-proof incredibly flexible shoulders and arms, innovative Whaleskin neoprene for increased buoyancy and incredible comfort, these top-range wetsuits reduce shoulder strain and chest compression.  These are proven to reduce time per 100m in open water swim conditions, and help beginners feel confident and safe.  We also stock a range of entry-level wetsuits by Dare2Tri, including the world's only breast-stroke suit.

Introducing the Ironman bike partners to the UK with our exclusive partnership.  Take a closer look at our Ventum bikes as they tour events.  We will be offering customer pre- and post-sale support, with an option for custom bike fits and virtual aero-optimisation sessions, as well as additional bike products and accessories

From NDR sunglasses to tri-suits, Stryd power meters to trainers, our range includes kit that has improved our own performance. 

Low-Carb-High-Fat nutrition is growing as an alternative for athletes who have issues ingesting carbohydrates, which may cause gut-distress, weight gain and a reduction in performance.  The full SFuels Life, Train and Race range is now available in the UK, with EndureIQ courses to optimise your LCHF fuelling.

To find out more, sign up to the Neuff Red mailing list at www.neuff-red.co.uk