about zone3
Zone3 designs performance swim and triathlon equipment: wetsuits, goggles, triwear, swimwear and open water safety kit. For 20 years, every product has been built to the same standard, developed with athletes and proven in the water.
Who is zone3
Our 20th year felt like the right time to tell the story properly. This short film covers where we started, how we test and design what we make now, and the athletes who push it hardest.
Performance at Our Core
We swim, we ride, we run. For some of us it's the headspace and the joy of moving. For others it's an identity, shaped by every session, race and personal best. Either way, we understand the drive because we share it.
That's why performance sits at the centre of everything we make. Every product starts with a challenge athletes have in the water, and goes through real-world testing and athlete feedback before it reaches you. If you're chasing marginal gains, you'll find them in our kit, and if you simply want something that fits well, lasts and helps you get more from every swim, it'll do that too.
For 20 years, we've been learning, refining and evolving alongside swimmers, triathletes and endurance athletes across the world. From first-toe-in-the-water to world championship titles, wherever you are on your path, we're with you, because we're just like you.
Our Founder
Zone3 was founded in 2006 by James Lock, World Aquathlon and World Biathle Champion in 2006. A national-level swimmer and runner, James came through a triathlon scholarship at Loughborough University, graduated with a first class engineering degree and raced professionally at the highest level for over five years, regularly first out of the water on the European circuit.
He started Zone3 on a hot desk in the university business centre with one specific problem to solve: getting out of a wetsuit quickly when it's wet, you're tired and full of adrenaline, and the clock is running. It affected everyone racing, and nobody had done anything about it.
The first product, in 2007, was a pair of neoprene buoyancy shorts, a category nobody was making at the time. The first wetsuits followed in 2009, the Aspire with the Speed Cuff and the Vanquish alongside it. Highly evolved versions of both still sit at the top of our range, and James still works on product development today, with athletes at every level.
How We Test and Design
Testing happens wherever our kit is used. Our athletes test new kit in training and racing and tell us what needs to change, real-world testing with swimmers and triathletes shows us how it performs outside a race, and our trisuits go through wind tunnel testing.
Our wetsuits have also been independently tested by Loughborough University Sport, and we're building more testing into every range over the coming seasons.
The Athletes Behind The Kit
Zone3 works with athletes at every level, from ambassadors racing at clubs and events around the country to our professional triathletes. What they tell us after training and racing goes into the next version of what we make.
At the top of the sport, the team includes 2025 IRONMAN World Champion Casper Stornes, British IRONMAN-distance record holder Kieran Lindars and Marta Sánchez, Marta Sánchez, who regularly secures top-three finishes against world-class fields.
Awards & Milestones
Zone3 started as one athlete's mission to make better kit, and along the way we've been recognised at the highest level.
King's Award for Enterprise in International Trade (2024), recognising our global growth and the work that goes into every product we make.
Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade (2018).
Employee ownership (2024). Zone3 became employee-owned, so the company's future is guided by the people who work in it every day.
Product recognition. The Aspire scored 10/10 in 220 Triathlon in 2010 and 98% in 2025, and Triathlete magazine named the Vision its Wetsuit of the Year 2024.
The Foundation
1998 - 2003
Zone3 is Born
2006
The first product
2007
The first wetsuits
2009
Recognition Begins
2010
Olympic Presence
2012
Partnerships and growth
2013 - 2015
Queen’s Award for Enterprise
2018
Adapting to Change
2020
New partnerships
2021
B-Prene
2023
King’s Award for Enterprise
2024
Twenty years
2026
James Lock, a national-level swimmer and runner, earns a triathlon scholarship at Loughborough University and graduates with a first class engineering degree.
James wins a hot desk in the Loughborough University business centre and founds Zone3, the same year he becomes World Aquathlon and World Biathle Champion.
Zone3 launches neoprene buoyancy shorts, a category nobody was making at the time. The Originals still carry that name today and have been redeveloped over the years.
The Aspire launches with the Speed Cuff, a Zone3-first design that makes wetsuit removal faster in transition and is later adopted across the sport. The Vanquish arrives alongside it.
The Aspire scores 10/10 in 220 Triathlon.
Zone3 sponsors The Gambia's Olympic team and launches a Harrods-exclusive wetsuit.
Zone3 partners with the London Triathlon and grows overseas, particularly in Scandinavia and the US, with warehouses in the UK, Europe and USA.
Zone3 receives the Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade.
As open water swimming surges during the pandemic, Zone3 meets the demand and creates a breaststroke-specific wetsuit built around the natural movement of the stroke.
Zone3 partners with USA Triathlon.
Zone3 develops B-Prene with Yamamoto, the world's first biodegradable neoprene used in a triathlon wetsuit.
Zone3 receives the prestigious King's Award for Enterprise in International Trade, reflecting its unwavering commitment to performance, innovation, and global community support. The B-Prene Vision Wetsuit wins Triathlete Magazine's 'Wetsuit of the Year 2024'
Zone3 turns 20. Our wetsuits are independently tested by Loughborough University Sport, and our athletes include 2025 IRONMAN World Champion Casper Stornes and British IRONMAN-distance record holder Kieran Lindars
Questions about Zone3
When was Zone3 founded?
Zone3 was founded in 2006 by James Lock, World Aquathlon and World Biathle Champion in 2006. The company started on a hot desk in the Loughborough University business centre, and its first product followed in 2007.
Who founded Zone3?
James Lock founded Zone3. A national-level swimmer and runner, he came through a triathlon scholarship at Loughborough University, graduated with a first class engineering degree and raced professionally for over five years. He still works on Zone3 product development today.
What did Zone3 invent?
Zone3 invented neoprene buoyancy shorts in 2007, a category now made across the sport, and introduced the Speed Cuff on its first wetsuit, the Aspire, in 2009 to make wetsuit removal faster in transition. Zone3 was also the first triathlon brand to use Yulex plant-based natural rubber, and in 2023 developed B-Prene with Yamamoto, the world's first biodegradable neoprene used in a triathlon wetsuit.
How does Zone3 test its kit?
Zone3 tests kit with its athletes in training and racing, through real-world testing with swimmers and triathletes, and in the wind tunnel for trisuits. Zone3 wetsuits have also been independently tested by Loughborough University Sport, and the results by suit are on our testing page.
Which athletes use Zone3?
Zone3 works with athletes at every level, from club ambassadors to the Nebula Pro Team and professional triathletes including 2025 IRONMAN World Champion Casper Stornes, British IRONMAN-distance record holder Kieran Lindars and Marta Sánchez.
Where does the name Zone3 come from?
The name comes from heart-rate zone three, the sweet spot for building aerobic fitness: the ideal mix of volume and intensity when training for endurance sport.
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