Race recaps

by Troy Hendricks

August brought the last 3 races for points that count towards the Season Rankings in the Midwest Paddle League. The top 5 racers qualify for an award. Points are earned by racing, you need to participate in 2 races in a particular division to be ranked. There is a maximum of 5 races for scoring, which is your top 5 races. Each race is 1000 points for first and a decreasing amount of points for subsequent places in each race category. The six race divisions are 14' SUP Male and Female, Shor distance (~5k) and Long distance (~10k) divisions, also 12'6" SUP Short distance Male and Female. The final award any racer can win regardless of where they finish is the Waterman Award. Simply participate in a race in FOUR states- Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana to obtain the award.

Consistency, and lots of it, is the name of the game in the season rankings. All 10 of the top Male and female long-distance SUP winners raced in at least 5 races. The long-distance races were also dominated by two winners who obtained a perfect score. Congratulations to Danielle and Dan.  The short distance was also dominated by 6 people who participated in at least 5 races. But that means that there is plenty of room at the top of the short distance for people who participate in more races next summer!

The women's short distance 14' division came down to the wire with Elizabeth beating Ana by seconds to take first in the last race, Sky An Oar, and overall season rankings. Both women along with Jill, podiumed in the last points race to secure their spot in the season rankings. In the men's short distance, Rob Wilkinson podiumed at Sky an Oar to jump into the top 5 rankings. Interestingly Rob, Troy, and Elizabeth were ranked in both the Short and Long Distance rankings. There were 10 people who earned the Waterman Award for SUP racing.

Who will win MWPL 

Male/Female Rookie of the Year and

Male/Female Paddler of the Year? 

Come find out on Saturday, September 9 after the Rubber Ducky Regatta. There will be an after-race party and a Season Awards Celebration.

The Final Season Rankings

Long Distance Women's SUP 14'

Danielle Holdsworth (5) 5000 pts

Kattie Carpenter (5) 4400 pts

Kirsten Marina Lefeldt (5) 4280 pts

Julie Miller (5) 3920 pts

Kathy McRae (5) 3920 pts

Long Distance Men's SUP 14'

Dan Novak (5) 5000 pts

Joe Bechtold (5) 4020 pts

Karl Euster (5) 3600 pts

Alex Sandler 2760 pts

Vlad Vetrov 2380 pts

Short Distance Women's SUP 14'

Elizabeth Duke (5) 4660 pts

Ana Ebright (5) 4400 pts

Jill Bloemendaal (5) 3360 pts

Cheryl Perlis 2000 pts

Rebecca Trapp 1960 pts

Short Distance Men's SUP 14'

Patrick Reeg (5) 4200 pts

Troy Hendricks (5) 2869 pts

Rob Wilkinson 2560 pts

Ryan Bryker 2060 pts

Adam Rivera 2000 pts

Short Distance Women's SUP 12'6" & under

Laura Kinne (5) 4540 pts

Catlin Cowan 1280 pts

Amy Gowans 1040 pts

Amanda Sleeper 1000 pts

Short Distance Men's SUP 12'6" & under

Aaron Lugo 2000 pts

Waterman Award Winners 

Kirsten Marina Lefeldt

Kathy McRae
Joe Bechtold
Karl Eugster
Elizabeth Duke
Ana Ebright
Patrick Reeg

Paddle 45

by Keeth Conway

The Paddle45 race takes place in Suttons Bay Michigan a small quiet town in Northern Michigan Michigan. It is a 3 day festival of events that begins with a social paddle on Friday evening with all levels of paddlers joining in and afterwards enjoying drinks and brick oven pizzas made with fresh local ingredients. Saturday is a paddle that may be a downwinder on the big lake or a shipwreck paddle depending on weather conditions. This year with the calm conditions we wake surfed behind my boat which was a hoot.
 The race has a “Badass” category where racers can opt to do both the 5k and 10k race for a cumulative time. Many paddlers even did each race on different crafts and we use a handicap system to even the playing field. We had OC, SUP, SUrfski and prone.  The badass winners for female were Danielle Holdsworth (1st), Lauren Dorsey (2nd), Kirsten Lefeldt (3rd) all on a SUP. The men’s Badass winners were Dan Novak (OC, SUP) , Rob Hartman (2nd) (Surfski), Nick Murray (3rd) (surfski).
The race started off with some side chop for the 5k and the first mile of the 10k when the wind laid down for a flat calm race which is unusual for Suttons Bay which is part of Lake Michigan. The flat water paddlers definitely had the advantage this year. Overall winners in the SUP were Dan Novak, Jay James, and Thomas Hardin.  Full results can be found on Paddleguru, then Paddle45 is the race. 

Santa Monica Pier 360

" It was the hardest physical thing I've ever done"

by LynAnne Escatel 

( New Member from California)

This past weekend I participated in the Santa Monica Pier 360 Race. This is a two day festival celebrating decades of surf, paddleboard and lifeguard history. I entered the 5 mile distance race and the technical sprint race. I’ve been racing for about three years and wanted to push myself to do something new. This would be the first time I entered a technical race. Que the butterflies.

In the long distance race it started out gorgeous and warm. The sun arrived and it was a low tide with very little surf. This course was a triangle shape and we had to make two loops. The first loop around was nice and smooth. During the second loop I suddenly felt the wind arrive. As I felt the wind get stronger I knew that when I turned the buoy it would be a hard paddle. I looked to see how far anyone was behind me. I purposely slowed my stroke down just enough to slow my breathing down and prepare for the harder paddle. When I turned I was right. The wind was in my face. I paddled hard for a while and then again slowed it down to find a rhythm.
I started to hear another paddler so I paddled a little quicker. I repeated this a few times. After the second buoy, top of the triangle, it got even harder because now I was fighting side chop and the start of white caps. After the last buoy it got a little easier knowing the end was near, but I still had to make it all the way into the beach and run up to the finish line. I grew up in the desert and 18 years in NYC. I only started to surf this past year so any beach finish makes me both excited and nervous. As I came into the beach I remembered to look behind me and was able to catch a nice little bump to ride all the way in. Then the long run up the beach to the finish line. I absolutely do not like to run, blah!

For the technical race we had two heats. The average of the two would determine our placement. The course was M shaped, so we had to go in and out of the surf twice. A total of 4 times. Here is what I remember:

IT WAS THE HARDEST PHYSICAL THING I HAVE EVER DONE!

The first heat my adrenaline was so high that the details are very fuzzy. I do know as I came in for the ending I was exhausted and suddenly heard everyone yelling for me to paddle hard. I knew immediately I was late and I ate it on a wave as I was coming in. At this point in my surf experience I'm great at falling and getting back up. I got back on my board and took the last few strokes I needed to get in and finish the race. Did I mention the long run up the beach, ugh! The best was all the other ladies waiting to pour cold water on my head and encourage me to get ready to do it again.

The second heat I was exhausted so I took my time and had a much cleaner race. I was actually doing better than I thought but just as I got to the last turn, pop, I fell off my board. I have no idea if I bumped the buoy or just lost my balance but I was in the water before I knew it. I even lost my paddle. I collected myself back onto the board and took a deep breath. I knew this would be my last chance for a clean finish. I took some nice easy breathes and a few paddles later I felt my board starting to glide. I caught a great wave and I was able to ride it into the beach. One final run up to the finish line! Whew, I did it. I kind of wanted to die of exhaustion, but overall I was proud that I pushed myself to do something new. I woke up the

next morning feeling every day of my 44.6 years, but also like a rockstar. I pushed myself to do something so uncomfortable and with some incredible paddlers. Women I have been watching and I think are bad asses. I can’t wait to do it again.

Brattle Paddle

by Gail Kotowski

(Founding Member & Board Member from Connecticut)

This Sunday, a small SUP class joined the canoes and surf skis for a 5 or 9 mile race on the West and Connecticut Rivers. This was my first time doing this race and an experience I plan to repeat.

The Connecticut River separates Brattleboro, Vermont from Hinsdale, New Hampshire. The race is part of the New England Canoe and Kayak Racing Association ( NECKRA) series. The entry fee is a modest $20, which includes snacks,a very cool sticker and a T-Shirt. It ends and starts at a dock by the Marina restaurant . The proceeds are donated to a local charity that helps people get on their feet and towards independent living.

The course included paddling under several bridges, some current and some shallow areas where you could cool off. The weather report predicted rain and thunderstorms, which never appeared but most likely kept a few racers away. When forecast is iffy, it is still best to show up !

The awards ceremony was low key.  First placers received a paddle trophy as well as a block of Grafton cheese, which 2nd and 3rd place also received. Unfortunately it is wrapped in wax, and mine melted in the car, while eating lunch with my new friends at the Marina restaurant! An 80 year old canoe paddler celebrated his birthday cake with everyone.

The series has a championship race on July 30 starting on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River. Information can be found at www.Neckra.org for this and all races in the series.

Charles Island SUP CUP

by Kyle Ann

(founding member & Regional Rep from Rhode Island)

The stoke was STRONG on June 17th at Walnut Beach in Milford CT.

Sup Racing made its return to New England in a BIG way.

The 8th running of the Charles Island Sup Cup was back after a 2 year hiatus.

The day was forecasted to be Stormy, Windy and Rainy BUT turned out to be perfect!

Rained on the drive to Milford and again on the way home. But during the race the Sun appeared and the rain took a break.

The winds were just the just the right amount of challenging, although some described it as paddling in a “gale” LOL.

Many thanks to Jack Egan, Surfrider Foundation, Tina Pritchard and Paddle & Scoot for sponsoring this event.

Well organized with Good Vibes and Great Swag!

This race had everything you could ask for, awesome finisher metals, sweet trophies, FOOD! and a fun funky band that played all afternoon.

There was something for everyone, first timers to seasoned racers. Three races were offered, 5 mile course around Charles Island and two 2.5 mile courses, one for Race boards and one for Recreational Sups.

I think that encouraging those new to the sport and giving them their own course to shine on really sets this event apart. This type of friendly, supportive and all inclusive event will grow the sport of Sup Racing.

Awards were given out in all races, both Overall and Age Group. So everyone had a shot at some glory and bragging rights.

After the Main Event, the Sprint Race was on!  Everyone was welcomed to enter and test their speed in this Single elimination event.

It was the luck of the draw who you went up against and it was tons of fun to watch.

The Grand Prize was a CUSTOM Quickblade carbon paddle with SUPer cool Surfrider graphics generously donated by Jim Terrell.

Just a fabulous day that will be remembered by all. 

This event is always held the mid June so be on the look out for Charles Island SUP Cup 2024 and make sure to sign up

 

 

by Juerg Geser

(founding member living in California)

Great race for a good cause over Memorial Day Weekend hosted by Newport Aquatic Center (NAC) and Operation Open Water, supporting the health of every First Responder & Veteran through unique training programs, fellowship, and open water experiences.

Had to quickly change my race strategy based on who actually showed up at the race. Last minute registrations by Jake Graham and Paul Pianowski made me quickly realize that this will be a battle for 3rd place for me. These two guys are just too far out of my reach. They are leaner, younger, stronger, and just better paddlers than me, congratulations to you two for 1st and 2nd place!

The 3rd place was up for grabs for a few, especially Rich D'Souza who has had an incredible season so far, and then back from Peru we had Paul Gonzales who is faster every time I see him, then we have Dave Anderson, the fastest one off the line, Shawn Tierney  who is a wild card, he is always one to look out for, depending on how far back his last private lesson with Danny Ching was  Kenny Kwong must have had some miracle breakfast as he showed up in my draft and pushed me hard at the beginning of the race.

With this all going on, my new strategy was to go out hard and keep a mean pace. The pace was faster than my original plan for sure, and luckily, I was able to take advantage of the two buoy turns to shake the draft train behind me at the halfway point. Right after the turns, i paddled as hard as possible to create a gap to the paddlers behind me and then just kept my head down going against the wind and paddle my heart out till the finish line showed up. Really had to earn my 3rd place .

Training is now shifting from short distance events to long distance, getting ready for SUP 11 City Tour in September.

by Sam Gentsch

(Founding Member & Southest Regional Rep living in Georgia)

I have been fascinated with videos of the Graveyard race at the Carolina Cup for years. I am a river and lake paddler, and just getting off and back onto the beach looks brutal in years past. I sit in awe watching paddlers of all ages and on various craft battle the waves just to start the 13.2-mile race. This year I decided to go to the Carolina Cup, participate in the shortest race and run over to watch the graveyard (this was wildly optimistic on how quickly I could finish the Harbor Island Race, more later…). I took a couple days off work, to leisurely drive from Atlanta to Wilmington Beach, and to attend Dan Gavere's Rough Water Racing- Technique and Strategies clinic.  Dan’s clinic was fantastic. We learned a lot of skills for choppy and challenging conditions and received a lot of personal technique tuning. I heard great reviews from the other clinics also. It was very much worth a vacation day to channel with Dan and similarly skilled paddlers. 
Race day was very well organized, warm, and sunny and all the racers were smiling and chatting while we waited for the safety brief. I love our community, and it was fun meeting so many kindred spirits! The 5km Harbor Island race started off with a water start on the front/bay side of the Blockade Runner Beach Resort, we paddled the course and due to some construction along the original course did more like 8km. The course was fun and lots of boaters made it challenging for flat water paddlers like me…though Dan’s clinic helped me a lot!

The 8km took me longer than I planned for the 5km, HAH, call me Captain Obvious, so I missed the graveyard start…dang it! I took the time to chat up some other racers of the shorter races and test out one of the sponsors, Kona Brewing Company, adult beverages. It was not long before the amazingly speedy racers started surfing in and running across the finish line. I overheard many racers talking about how challenging the conditions and course were. Some very skilled racers could not make it out of one of the inlets…the conditions had them paddling as hard as they could and they just could NOT get into the ocean, they chose after fighting for a while to call it a day. I KNOW how hard it is to admit defeat to the course and really give props to those racers. Next year. Next year you will crush it! 

After the race, the free food and beer/seltzers, the paddlers, the support crews (aka family), and award ceremonies were enjoyable! I enjoyed talking to people at sponsor tents, USA SUP crew, racers from all over. SIC, 404, Allstar had boards on display, and it was informative talking to experts about all of them. Listening to Danny Ching explain the design process of the 404 Jump and new LTDX was fascinating. Jonathan Bischof shared so much knowledge about Starboard and 404 boards. The SIC crew (so sorry I do not remember the name of who I spoke to) was also awesome. Salt Life had a tent up and cornhole contests to win free stuff and there were many others.

It was outside of my normal distance to race rule, AND well worth it. I WILL race the Carolina Cup again. I hope to someday be good enough in the ocean to do the Graveyard, but if not, I will still come to NC, attend clinics and race on the inland races!  

Hanohano Ocean Challenge Recap

Written by Mike Wang (owner of Mike's Paddle)

Once a year hundres of paddlers (SUP, OC, Surfski and Prone) descend upon Mission Beach, San Diego, to attend one of the largest paddle race in the country. Hosted by the Hanohano Outrigger Club, it’s an amazing event with all the SoCal racers plus many folks traveling as far as NorCal, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada and even Candana & Mexico! It has become a truly Pan West Coast Race over the years. And since many of the top manufacturer teams are based in SoCal, you have some high caliber paddlers from Starboard, SIC Maui, Quickblade, Infinity, and 404 as well as many very competitive amateur paddlers who have been training hard during the pandemic. I felt like it’s THE race to go during winter when it’s too cold everywhere else.

Surprisingly a very local race drew 700 paddlers! The short course was for SUP only (~5 miles) with some very wide turns, currents, around Disney Vacation Island and a very exciting finish. There were 165 stand up paddlers (the rest were OC & Surfski), 124 boards were 14’, 27 were 12’6 and only 13 under 12’6. Clearly 14’ boards have progressed to the dominant race length these days. Kudos for the organizers to still recognize the other classifications but it’s clear that 14’ are here to stay and going to the standard lengths in the future.

With so many great paddlers and local favorites I did some analyzing of the top ten mens and womens and wanted to show you how wonderful these folks are!

Top 5 Womens:

Candice Appleby – the Queen of SUP continue to surprise us with so many years of racing history and is still on top. How does she does she do it? Her Ocean Academy continues to train and develop young and adult athletes and we wish her and the Infinity SUP Team the best in 2023.

April Zilg – Many of us remember April’s early careers up and downs and she really persevered through hardship and have finally peaked in her paddling career (and more to come). April has also stared her own coaching business and she's an amazing one! She was less than 2 minutes behind Candice and I’m sure she’s going to make it up at another race this season. We whish her and the 404 team the best in 2023.

Lindsay Weidner – Lindsay is not a full time profession paddler. A RN by day and also pro by night! She’s not only a charger in race and surf, she also teaches yoga! Here’s what I mean by “amateur” paddlers being on the heels of pros – she was only 4 minutes behind April Zilg. 

Soryn Preston – Under 14 being 5^th in such a competitive race is definitely not an under achievement! Soryn, sponsored by SIC Maui,  paddles race, surf and outrigger. She’s an all around athlete to watch for. Plus she has a dedicated dad who takes her to every race and training as well as having Canidce Appleby as a mentor and friend, so her future is bright!

Madeline Leblanc – A ray of sunshine usually accompany this bright and funny Canadian paddler from Toronto. She’s staying SoCal for the winter to train and escape the Canadian Winter. You can find her on a sail boat in San Clemente ready to paddle anytime. Maddi (how she calls herself) is one of the top Canadian Starboard SUP paddlers and have amazing background for teaching, racing and surfing. Look for her in the international competitions!

Honorable Mentions Top 10 Womens:

Samantha Eastburn (founder of SUP Pups) – if you have haven’t met this fireball of a person, go take one of her classes. She’s an amazing teacher, funny, exciting and patient on top of being an all around athlete in all board sports.

Kristin Thomas (OG racer/surfer and USA SUP board member) – What can I say that no one else know about Kristin? She’s THE most vocal advocate for our sport. Sponsored by Infinity SUP - she's still one of the best racers in the US!

Anik Wild (owner of Tahoe Waterman’s Landing): along with her amazing husband Jay Wild, they run a great paddle shop, OC club, and a café! Tahoe is a tough place to operate and train but they’ve managed to make it their passion and career. We wish them the best!

Katie Kasprzyk and Terri Plunkett (top ten with a 12’6) are all regular paddlers in the race scene, and we would love to hear more about them as we do more member related interviews!

Top 5 Men’s

Danny Ching – If Canidce is “Queen”, Danny certainly deserve the “King”s title (at least in SoCal). Adept in many watercrafts, Danny still brought it home sprinting past Bodie at the end and won the race by 7 seconds. Another paddler over 40 and with kids is peaking at his performance give us all inspiration and motivation to do better as we age. SUP is certainly sustainable as a life time sport. We wish Danny and his 404 brand the best in 2023!

Bodie Von Allmen – Bodie, from Oregon, has taken the SUP world by storm in the last couple of years, racking up various medals in different races. It’s amazing to see that Bodie still just 17 years old and is competing in open levels and winning them. As a SIC Maui rider, he’s certainly brought a lot of attention to the SIC RS!

Thomas Nielsen – Another young paddler coached under the umbrella of the Paddle Academy has made several debuts in local races. Coming a few seconds after Bodie is no small feat!

Riley Jaggi – Riley, another under 19 paddler, has risen to the 4^th place in such a competitive race. Sponsored by 404, Riley races, surfs, OC, and is still attending college. We wish him the best in his future endeavors!

Dan Miller – Dan Miller is no stranger to the race scene with tons of race, foiling, prone and whitewater racing experience. In addition, he's a Doctor! Sponsored by NSP, he came all the way from Canada to this race.

Honorable Mentions Top 10 Mens

Pete Gauvin: always my local favorite in the SF Bay Area, was only 45 seconds behind Dan Miller. Paddling an old school 404 and over 50, he’s still at the top of his shape and we love him for it. 

Rafael Apodaca: Rafa is one of the best paddlers from Mexico. Living in Sayulita, he regularly comes to SoCal and NorCal to compete and support his Sayulita Junior SUP Team. We are so inspired that he trains not only those who can afford it but also local kids who can’t and getting them into the sport early. Kudos Rafa!

Paul Pianowski: You can always find Paul paddling in SoCal with all the regulars. He’s intro on Facebook: One day I went Stand-Up Pddle Boarding THE END. ‘Nuff said. We love you Paul.

Ian Connor: Being an all around amazing athelete (Colorado waterman), Ian does it with grace in sup race, wing, surf, whitwater sup and many other disciplines. He’s also so generous that he brought a starboard for Maddi Leblanc from Canada to use for the race so she that she can get to the top 5!

Sean Pangelinan: We don’t always see Asian Americans being front and center represented in paddling sports, but Sean represented Guam in two Olympics at flatwater canoe sprinters. Sean is also an amazing personal trainer (owner and trainer at the Fit Lab) and still paddling at top shape! Coming in the top ten is a great accomplishment. We wish him the best in 2023!

If you haven't seen Jay Ruffo's creative, thoughtful and occasionally goofy videos, you're missing out. He does some great race videos, big and small, and here he captures a weekly "pick up" race that takes place on Seattle's fresh water ship canal.

by John Knippers

***** RACE RECAP: "Last Paddler Standing" *****

First of ALL, MAHALO everyone involved in this crazy race. Whether it be the directors, volunteers, the elite endurance racers from across the globe, to the thousands of people who were following it through the 48hrs of livestream via SUP Racer, FB live, and on YouTube Live! *MAHALO NUI LOA!!!

**************** BONUS! ****************

The FINAL 12 hours are still on YouTube if anyone wonders what it was like & would like to watch it!

(*I'll attach a link in the picture of the livestream!)

The EVENT was truly something extraordinary, and I am SO grateful to have been a player who made it until the end (2nd to "LAST PADDLER STANDING").

*This meant i had made 47 laps around the course, a 3.33 mile loop an hour, & eventually surrendering to an extraordinary pro paddleboarder from Italy, Paolo Marconi... AND what an honor it was to share the last few hours of this thing together! He is a STRONG, inspirational, SOLID athlete & Father!

(NOW A LITTLE BIT OF MY TAKE ON THE EVENT)

Sleep deprivation, fatigue, paddling alongside an accomplished group of ultra distance racers ALL set on winning... IT was MENTAL beyond MENTAL!

AND on that 44th hour, when it was down to just me and Paolo on our second exhausting night out there... well wouldnt ya know an approximately 5 ft gator surfaces about 40ft in front of me right on my course under the moonlight. (*AND I'm on an inflatable LOL). Talk about mental. Needless to say though I paddled another three laps around the course until it was the "proper" time to surrender.

****** Some might ask why did i surrender? ******

Well, let me explain... it had been 47 hours and 45 minutes, 150+ miles no current w/ headwinds, and at that point i was exhausted. Plus, had the event gone one more lap, the loop would be increased to 4.9 miles, a distance that after 48hrs pretty much no sleep, seemed inconceivable to do more than once. In addition, i really just didn't have enough gas in the tank to give Paolo a run for his money & why add more time to my recovery?! So here I am today approximately 10 days later, thankful I made that decision, because although i'm pretty much recovered, I do still have numbness in my toes which will probably take some time to get normal.

That being said, I'm SO grateful to be the "ASSIST"!

* (Now for the LONG LIST of MAHALO's.) *

First of ALL, Greg Wingo, race director, organizer and brainchild of this AWESOME event that will be no doubt filling up quick come January for 2023.

QuickBlade Paddles, the paddle i used for almost 48hrs, had the perfect flex, & i didnt get one blister! Yster SUP, the official board sponsor of the 2022 LPS, who allowed me to fly there for a proper 48 hours testing the new incredible linear 17'3 x 26 touring ISUP... *(Swedish designer Per, if you see this post, I'd be honored to do some more testing, wink wink lol). Mason Gravley of Athletic Brewing Company, who not only helped w/ the commentary provided TOP shelf non-alcoholic brew for the guests & even athletes all throughout the event...

*(Note: As someone who doesnt drink alcohol anymore, but did however in the past enjoy IPA... they actually had a delicious non alcoholic option)

ALSO, thank you to the AMAZING Volunteers who helped pull this all off together, as well as the BRAVE racers & friends from around the globe who participated in this never been done before crazy ordeal. To my RAD brother, Mark Knippers, who continually backs me up in these wild paddle ultras. The LPS racers & friends who paddled 12 hours like Tracy Cullinane & Patrick B. then hung around for the rest of the event showered me w/ ALOHA & then treated me like a KING afterwords. Josette Lata (who also paddled 12 hours) and hubby Eddy Okinsky, who 2/3rds into the race announced VIA the livestream they were giving me a new 14' raceboard for being inspiring. THATS JUST CRAZY AWESOME, AND i'M SO GRATEFUL!

Göran Gustavsson, one of my fierce competitors from Sweden who not only did I enjoy paddling 40 hours & laps with, was also blessed to hang out with for 2 following days there. Then there was Bobby Johnson, 2 time winner and LEGEND of one of the toughest races in the world, "The Great Alabama 650"... This guy, is possibly the fastest ultra distance surfski guys on the planet, had only been SUP'ing a few weeks before the race, & "What an honor it was to paddle with ya Bobby"! Alexis Somoano, you as well my friend... And lookout if your thinking of doing it next year... he WILL be a contender i know in 2023 something fierce. Huge thanks to my next door neighbor and friend, Chad Blackman... who looked after my first mate paddle dog Jericho here at the house while & i was out of town. THAT WAS HUGE! Krystal @ Country Pets Bed & Breakfast who runs a TOP notch kennel on a ranch outside of town and always takes good care of the rest of my furballs (Zeus, Zoe, Sup, & Koa).

Then, the BIGGEST Thank you of ALL AWARD has gotta go to Mike Dodd an old friend rom Hawaii, and Efrat Almog, who really came through there in Sarasota! Besides just being in my camp hollering encouragement, or as I would paddle under the bridge on the loop, the many vulnerable times too when I really felt like quitting! They periodically would bring me coffee, a taco, burger, or tasty treat that could break the monotony of my normal routine of vacuum sealed spinach, sweet potato, sprouted quinoa, dark choc, Blueberry, banana, beet powder, "nutrition bar stuff" I typically make for these ultras, just get tired of it after 24 hrs LOL.

And last but not least Chris Parker, Kelly Margetts, & Kristin Thomas for encouragement throughout the 48 hour, never been done before LIVESTREAM!

Y'all knocked it out of the park keeping thousands of friends, family, and people entertained across the globe & in the "LOOP", (so to speak LOL). ALL DAY ALL NIGHT on this WILD CRAZY SUP EVENT!

*BIG MAHALO's to ALL the friends too who sent kind messages and congratulated me ALL week!

*Almsot forgot to mention USA SUP & TotalSUP...

(Thank you both for hyping up the event & sharing)

******* MAHALO NUI LOA EVERYONE!!! *********