Chattajack by a "Newbie"- October 25th, 2025
by Tricia Lyons, NorthWest Regional Rep
31 miles down the Tennessee River, or as my speed coach says 32 miles.
Volunteering Friday before the race, gave an insight into the race sign up and the award ceremony. Cleaning and storing boards was a lot of fun where I found help by Michelle Feits and Adrian Angell.
Race day!
This race is a TEST, a test of your endurance abilities, preparedness, and mental game. I worked all season with Larry Cain and Paddle Monster to ensure my success in this race. Well it worked! I was stoked to have come in under 7 hours. The goal I had set for myself. My success is definitely credited to my draft partners Sue Butler and Ruth Ann Steen. These ladies are fierce! I was able to hang with them for most of the race but fell back in the end.
I found others on the water like Betsy Duke, and Adrian Angell who gave me encouragement. The last hour or 4 miles were by far the hardest. That’s when your mental abilities kick in. The water slows with weed to contend with. If you’ve made it this far, why quit? After all I knew I had a prize waiting for me when I came in, my entire family, who traveled to Tennessee with me. I cried when I came in. The emotion of it all catching up with me. I DID it! I conquered something that I never even considered when I started paddle boarding. Something truly to be proud of!
That is what this race is all about, conquering the hard things.
Team work
Triumph
Victory!
The best part? Watching the awards ceremony!
Men’s SUP winners:
1st Jake Portwood, 2nd Tim Oliver, 3rd John Batson
Women’s SUP winners:
1st Whitney Stephenson, 2nd Madeline Leblanc, 3rd Ariel Amaral
5 year Buckle Winners
Nea Lee, Michelle Higdon, Jennifer Flanigan, Pat Ballasch, Phillipe Asselin and MANY others. What an accomplishment Congratulations!
The number one question everyone asks…will I do it again? That’s a resounding YES!
If you haven’t tried Chattajack I suggest you consider adding it to your bucket list.
Tricia Lyons
