The First Annual RIVER RUMBLE!!
Flathead River, Montana ~ USA SUP NorthWest Region
by Linda McCoy- USA SUP VP and SouthCentral Regional Rep
What a great inaugural race! This was a totally grassroots effort to fill the gap left by the Windermere SUP CUP and it turned out so great! Big thanks to Jess Bouchee, Dan Miller, and Tricia Lyons for banding together and pulling off such a fun, challenging, and community focused event! I was so excited to have my Texas SUP Sista, Kiri Mevin, join me in Montana for the race! She has family in Montana and I really enjoyed introducing her to the awesome Montana SUP crew!
The race was held on Saturday, July 21 with a start time of 9:00am. We gathered at Riverside Park in Polson, Montana for the morning race. It was held on the Flathead River, just as it flows into Polson Bay and Flathead Lake. The sky was nice and clear, but the wind kicked up and gave us some challenging conditions! Mother Nature was putting some RUMBLE in the RIVER for sure!
We had a great group of racers from all skill levels and a good mix of board types. Brooke and Ed were doing their first race! Dan was the Master of the Megaphone and gave everyone a great description of the racecourse and what to expect for the day. He made sure that everyone knew that safety was the priority and to stop and help any racer in distress. Kiri’s husband, Josh, took start line duty until Dan could take over (on the megaphone, of course).
We lined up at the pier and Josh hit the siren – we were off! The wind was blowing at our backs and the chop got into my head a little, so I didn’t have the most confident start. I had jelly fish legs - BAD! But I gave myself a stern talking to (out loud!) and I dug deep. The whole field was out in front of me. I had some work to do! A few paddlers opted to take a bit of the course on their knees due to the conditions. I was determined to stay upright even though I was struggling! Once I passed a newer paddler on an inflatable, I had my work cut out for me! I caught up to Kiri about a quarter of the way through the course and set my sights on halfway island. I was able to catch up to two amazing women paddlers from Montana just past the island. They both cheered me on in true SUP love spirit! I could see Kat Shaw's bright-pink shirt in the distance - she was almost at the finish line already! I set my sights on Tricia Lyons, who was currently in second, but she was way too far ahead to make that a possibility. Tricia, Arnold Lucero and Mike Bouchee were battling it out to the finish line with Travis Prewitt between us. I wasn’t out of the woods just yet! I could hear Jess behind me when the waves would catch her board! I tried to catch Travis, to no avail. We were paddling straight into the gusting wind ! It would have been easy to let up, but it was my 58th birthday and I was going for the podium!
I was out in the middle of the lake pondering whether to go straight (and hope they could see my finish) or paddle the longer route closer to the pier. I stuck it out in the middle. I could hear Dan on the Megaphone calling out names – I could hear mine - and Jess’s, too - she was close! I didn't dare look behind me and risk falling. I kept my resolve and kept paddling as hard as I could. The voice in my head was going a mile a minute! Am I past the pier? Should I keep paddling? Yes! Keep paddling! Then, I heard Dan call my name for third place!! Jess was a close fourth with Sue Miks taking fifth for the women’s field! Kiri had a strong finish with sixth place. Onno and Ed had great races, too!
We weren’t all in, yet. Brooke was out on the lake battling the wind! We could see her off rounding the halfway point. She wasn’t giving up. In true SUP Ohana fashion, Kat grabbed her board and paddle and went out to support Brooke to the finish line. We all gathered on the shore to give a giant cheer as she crossed the finish line of her first race!
Dan was the MC for the awards ceremony on his trusty megaphone! As he called the placements, Tricia gave us all a Flathead Lake tote with goodies from local businesses! The awards were wonderful painted rocks – each one unique!
After the race we all gathered and enjoyed the food the organizers provided. We dug into the wonderfully delicious huckleberry pie that my sweet friend, Arnold, brought for my birthday! What a perfect way to celebrate – in a beautiful place, with beautiful friends, doing the thing I love most! Thanks again to the truly phenomenal Montana SUP family for a race I’ll never forget!
~Put THE RIVER RUMBLE on your summer plans for 2025 – this race is not to be missed! ~
