Canoe & Kayak Racing

U.S. Surf Ski Championship draws elite paddlers from around the world

INSIDE:

The The scoop scoop on on SUP SUP OC6 OC6 racing: racing: history history and and the the Queen Queen Lili’uokalani Lili’uokalani Preview Preview of of the the Mayor’s Mayor’s Cup Cup in in NYC NYC

Reports Reports from from the the junior junior & & senior senior World World Sprint Sprint Championships Championships

R e fr cap om o th th f th e e e pa fro M ck nt R3 . o 40 f

The The achievement achievement of of winning winning the the Triple Triple Crown Crown

CONGRATULATIONS Santo Albright (Fenton, Missouri)

2009 MR340 Men’s Solo Champion (44 hrs 54 min) and PaddleONE user!

inside World-class paddlers battle it out on San Francisco Bay in the 2009 U.S. Surf Ski Championships.

Correspondent Stephen Mahalona digs deep into the past to give us a brief history lesson about outrigger canoe racing. I bet you didn’t know you aren’t supposed to swear or argue in or near a sixman outrigger.

Before the Europeans ventured across the Atlantic, the Polynesians were crossing vast distances in outriggers.

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JULY/AUGUST

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One of the fastest growing paddling disciplines is stand up paddleboarding. Correspondent Sean Williams gives us the down low on this exploding sport.

In his article, “SUP, brah!” he describes the sports origins and benefits for those of us looking for another paddlesport or to enhance our performance in other paddling disciplines or other sports.

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More Inside Kona becomes the center of the six-man outrigger universe

The time-honored Queen Lili’uokala outrigger canoe race in Kona, Hawai’i, attracts the world’s top OC-6 teams. Featuring a weekend of festivities, it’s the outrigger event every waterman must attend..................................page 12

Taking Manhattan by water is not as easy as it would seem: The Mayor’s Cup

Read this special section about the famous Mayor’s Cup in New York. This race around Manhattan features challenging waters and great prize money, but also some of the world’s fastest sea paddlers................................page 14

Ekolu Kalama of Hawai’i takes on the whole world one SUP race at a time

Kalama is to SUP racing what Lance Armstrong is to cycling; the envy of his peers and a philanthropist for good measure.......................................page 20

A big PHAT challenge

The Phatwater Challenge, a marathon on the Mississippi River, attracts some of the nation’s top flatwater racers........................................................page 22

World canoe sprint championship recap

Sean Caven gives us a report of how Team USA and the top flatwater sprinters from around the world did at the ICF 2009 World Canoe Sprint Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia............................................................page 23

The mystique of the Triple Crown of canoe racing

Canoe & Kayak Racing Canoe & Kayak Racing is a bimonthly electronic magazine containing news, articles and features about events, paddlers, training, race results and other information about canoe and kayak racing in the United States.

CKR seeks to promote canoe and kayak racing with editorial and promotional content designed to inform, educate and motivate beginners and experienced paddlers of all ages. Each issue will cover a wide range of editorial and promotional content from tips and how to articles to race reports and feature stories.

CKR regularly accepts by-lined editorial submissions with the right of final editing for style, tone, length and voice. Editorial and graphical content may not be used in any form, printed or digital, without permission of the editor with attribution.

CKR is posted bimonthly at http://issuu.com/ckrmagazine.

Editor: Dan Grubbs

This is the stuff of legends. Those who win these three races in a single year have their names written on the hearts and tongues of paddle racers all over North America...............................................................................page 26

Contributors this issue:

Young flatwater stars race in Moscow

Sean Williams, correspondent

Team USA’s junior sprinters make a strong showing at this year’s world canoe sprint championships in Russia..................................................page 30

CR100: Good for the newbie and the wily veteran

Dan Grubbs, editor Stephen Mahalona, correspondent Wally Werderich, correspondent Cheryl Smith, correspondent Debbie Richardson, correspondent

This 100-mile race on the lower Colorado River provides opportunities for hard-nosed racing as well as a chance gain valuable experience........page 32 Canoe & Kayak Racing

Cover: Racers in the U.S. Surf Ski Championships pass under the Golden Gate Bridge past the north tower. Photo by Jasmine Shahbandi.

1221 Pheasant Ct. Liberty, Missouri 64068 816-729-4422 ckrmagazine@gmail.com CKR’s facebook profile

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From the Editor plines, and I encourage all our readers to frequent these Web sites to stay on top of the latest news and information in these disciplines.

I want to send a special mahalo to Rob Mousley of www.surfski.info for his tireless work to cover and promote surf ski racing on a global scale.

The folks at www.surfski.info do an amazing job and allow the world a voyeuristic look into surf ski racing in South Africa, Australia, Hawai’i and other exotic locations.

Aloha!

With this issue, we’re hoping to introduce many of our readers to the world of open-water racing. If you’re like me, you are landlocked and don’t know ebb from rip.

The racing world is large and varied, which is wonderfully illustrated by the fact that open-water racing is contested on surf skis, outrigger canoes, paddle boards, sea kayaks and a host of other platforms.

A single issue of a humble e-zine cannot hope to cover the depth and breadth of open-water racing. We will only be able to scratch the surface on this amazing sport. Rest assured, open-water racing will continue to gain coverage in CKR. So, if we weren’t able to cover an important topic or write a profile of a famous paddler in this issue, no worries, we’ll get to it in future issues.

Open-water racing is simply as vast a topic as the oceans are wide.

Secondly, I also want to assure devoted fans (I count myself one) of the Web sites out there that cover openwater racing that we have no intention of trying to usurp their turf. They do a far better job of covering these disci-

Rob’s work at the most recent U.S. Surf Ski Championship and earlier at Moloka’i allowed CKR to be able to cover those races by proxy to bring readers news and information about these two world-class events. We’re indebted to you, Rob. There’s also a very lively gang over at www.ocpaddler.com where you can keep up with the latest in the world of outrigger paddling. It is a wealth of information about outrigger paddling, training, racing and even a chance to crack on each other a bit. Keizo, the site’s founder, keeps things simple and easy to find. But, you simply must register and enter the paddlers’ forum and engage with a great group of people who are certainly willing to share their opinions and even tell you why the other guy is wrong! It’s a fun place, believe me.

Speaking of the U.S. Surf Ski Championship, it is our feature story with sort of a play-by-play look at the race won by Australian Jeremy Cotter who held off Dawid Mocke of South Africa.

You’ll also see a special feature about the famous race around Manhattan known as the Mayor’s Cup Race. Ray Fusco and his crew put on a great prize race each year. Paddlers should

mark their dance card for this race.

Do you have what it takes to “take Manhattan?”

In honor of the heritage of the outrigger canoe, our correspondent Stephen Mahalona writes about the history of the outrigger, the boats that enabled the largest human migration known to man.

Stephen will also give us a report about the world’s largest long distance (outrigger) canoe races named in honor of the last Hawai’ian monarch, Queen Lili’uokalani. He’s part of a team from Texas that made the long journey to join the hundreds of other teams to race the hallowed waters off the Kona coast.

Not to get too far away from flatwater racing, correspondent Wally Werderich continues to give us a look into the USCA world with his report on the Triple Crown Racing series. Only the biggest names in canoe racing can claim the prize of Triple Crown Champion.

Coach Shaun Caven reports from the World’s Canoe Sprint Championships that were held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Coach Caven, one-time British canoe sprint coach, now is the director and head coach of the Oklahoma City program.

And if you still haven’t found anything you like, take a look at the promotional story about the Phatwater Challenge, the annual race on the Mississippi River that finishes at Natchez, Miss. Join the hundreds of others to experience this race down one of the world’s greatest rivers.

Dan “Osprey” Grubbs

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Cotter ‘deserves the win’ as he takes U.S. Surf Ski Championships Australian battles off Dawid Mocke of South Africa in the annual tussle in San Francisco Bay Jeremy Cotter (left) and Dawid Mocke challenge each other in San Francisco Bay. Photo by Jasmine Shahbandi

The U.S. Surf Ski Championships, a world-class event hosted by the crew at Wavechaser, featured some of the biggest names in international open-water racing. The premier surf ski event on the U.S. mainland, the 2009 championships featured South Africans Dawid Mocke, Sean Rice and Barry Lewin as well as several of the top Australians, such as Dean Gardiner, Caine Eckstein, Reece Baker, Tony Schumaker and this year’s winner, Jeremy Cotter.

With about ten minutes before the start, the sun began breaking through some high fog that obscured the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge and winds were making a strong showing from the southwest. After the race briefing, the nearly 100 racers got in the water and warmed up, anxious to get out on a new course designed to give them a downwind run. Soon, two escort boats lined up the racers in Horseshoe Cove and with a horn blast sent them out on a course that required

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navigation skills and the ability to read the water well.

The new 17.5-mile course started in Horseshoe Cove near Sausalito, Calif., and took racers out past Point Diablo and into the bay heading upwind to Point Bonita and out to the turnaround where paddlers hoped to take advantage of a downwind experience across the bay to Berkeley, Calif., and the finish line at the Olympic Circle Sailing Club in the Berkeley Marina. The turnaround featured the Fenn Hot Spot and a $1,000 cash prize for the first racer to reach the mark.

Paddlers had many decisions to make along the way with the first one being where their initial line would be rounding Point Diablo. “The racers are going to have to make decisions on the line they take through the bay before Point Bonita,” said Rob Mousley of www. surfski.info who provided live commentary online. “Do they go all the way around in the eddy, or do they go straight across and maybe hit the current head on?”

Start of the race in Horseshoe Cove photo by Eric Nguyen

watching the current constantly,” Cotter remarked about the initial upwind leg of the race to Point Bonita.

Under the bridge and out into the bay. photo by Leslie Brown

Once underway, leaders pull away from pack Shortly after the start, two lead groups formed close to each other hugging the shore. Moving farther out in the coves, one lead group pulled ahead, including Mocke, Lewin, Cotter and Eckstein.

According to race spotters, this lead pack opened a 20-meter gap between themselves and those chasing.

“We had a clean start,” said Mocke, who was favored to win the event.

“Me, Cotter, Eckstein, Rice, [we] used the counter currents [and] could see how the currents were working.”

Mousley reported that when racers approached the north tower of the bridge the waters became challenging. “Really crazy water where they’re headed, trying to take the shortest line through the current.”

Once out beyond Point Diablo, Australian Tony Schumaker took a different line through the current on the outside with Murray Stewart also from Australia following his decision, which sent them about 300 meters to the left of the leaders. Only six minutes into the race, Cotter made a run at leader Mocke and passes him moments later.

“Going into the current was horrible,

With a surge in one of the eddies at the 10-minute mark, putting in an interval, Stewart surged to the lead, passing Cotter putting him in second and Mocke third. As other racers surged with eddies and currents either helping or hindering, the lead group then became nine boats never getting too far away from the shore while Schumaker stayed out on his own line several hundred meters from the shore. Mousley reported, “Once past Point Diablo, Schumaker was taking on huge waves, taking a calculated risk.”

When racers rounded Point Diablo, Mousley said huge breaking waves were resounding against the rocks.

“The current is creaming ‘em right now,” Mousley said. “It’s very windy, very cold. They’re all turning into the bay … much swell and confused water.”

At one point, a large wave broke over Mocke’s head and knocked him back three positions.

The lead group adjusted and headed out to a middle line a bit farther out from shore. This is when Cotter made

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a slight move and pulled out ahead by 1½ boat lengths by adjusting his line closer to Schumaker’s who was holding on to fifth place after 25 minutes. Battling, Mocke caught up. He and Cotter raced side by side as they plowed forward to Point Bonita.

Greg Barton and Carter Johnson (below)

photos by Leslie Brown

Mocke and Cotter were running head to head as they approached Point Bonita. As the pack continued to head to the turnaround, a second group split off on a more shoreward line. This group included Michael Locke and Rice who made up some ground on the leaders. After 30 minutes into the race, a few boats closed the gap on the leaders to 10 meters. This second group included Stewart, as well as, Rice and Locke.

The leaders reach Point Bonita and made it to the turnaround led by Mocke who claimed the $1,000 price for reaching the Finn Hot Spot first.

The lead pack has winnowed to seven boats with Mocke leading Cotter, Rice and Lewin as the front four boats making the turn.

Two make some distance on the rest It’s at this point the leaders began to separate from the pack. “Mocke and Cotter are dicing downwind with a monstrous lead of 50 meters on the next boats,” Mousley said.

Chasing them hard at this point are Locke, Schumaker and Stewart in the next group with Rice and Lewin out in midstream on a different line, but the two leaders continue to pull away.

“The two leaders are surging ahead in turns, extending their lead to 75 meters,” Mousley wrote.

At about the 46-minute mark, Judy Barker reports from a spotter that Cotter and Mocke are about half a mile from the bridge with Cotter opening up a 30 meter lead on Mocke.

Upon reflection afterward, Mocke said, “I made a mistake. I knew the last 10 kilometers was going to be tight so I conserved energy and let Jeremy go – but too far. At one stage,

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I closed the gap, but he put the hammer er’s move paid off as he powered into down.” third place. Mousley could see that Minutes later, Cotter and Mocke reach although Gardiner had a longer line to take, he had larger waves to ride with the bridge as the wind picks up dramatically from the southwest. Mousley about seven miles to go. “He just came reports that boats are spread out every- out of nowhere!” Mousley reported. where taking different lines and riding “He just rode a big swell for more than 10 seconds.” different swells.

With a buoy at Point Blunt near Angle Island to go around, all boats converged their lines before the last During the race, Mousley giving play by play said, “Dean Gardiner and Sean stretch to the Berkeley Marina. Cotter Rice have gone way out to the right, in reaches the buoy at about the 1 hour 20 minute mark. From Angel Island the centre of the entire bay … Reece Baker also on that line ... the rest of the to the finish, the paddlers enjoyed the bay. leaders are further to the left, heading for Angel Island. Deano’s gamble may “Had some really good runs from pay off. He may be in deeper, faster Angel Island,” Mocke said. “I had to water.” focus, I was having too much fun!”

Some lines pay off

Two minutes later it was clear Gardin-

Cotter agreed. “From Angel Island it

was really good,” he said.

“They have to be loving the surf they have right now,” Mousley said. “They’re taking a few strokes and then riding for ages.”

Only ten minutes behind Cotter, Naomi Flood of Australia, was the first female to pass Point Blunt. Flood eventually came in 23rd overall.

Cotter takes control Cotter’s “hammer” proved too much as his lead opened to 100 meters over Mocke. “Cotter’s stroke rate is incredibly fast right now,” Mousley reported.

After Angle Island, it was clear that, barring disaster, Cotter wasn’t going to be caught as the gap was just too great.

He finished the course in a time of 1:53:23 with Mocke in second at 1:54:01.

It was Gardiner coming in third place that impressed observers. In his report on www.surfski.info, Mousley wrote that Gardiner was having some forearm trouble early but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise once he made his turnaround.

“With the wind behind him, his arms ‘freed up a bit’ and he took off to make up the places he’d lost,” Mousley wrote.

“He took a line to the right of the leaders, further out into the stream.”

He pressed and timed his runs well moving from eighth at Point Bonita to finishing third.

“It was a great race,” Gardiner said. “Lots of stuff going on.

All the good paddlers were catching their runs so you really had to concentrate – you couldn’t afford to miss one.”

Not moments from crossing the finish line, Mocke gave due credit to his competitor. “Jeremy had a fantastic race, definitely deserves the win.”

After racing while ill in Spain, Cotter noted, “It was just really good to finally win one of these things.”

2009 U.S. Surf Ski Championship Results Men’s Top Ten - Long Course 1 Jeremy Cotter Australia 1:53:23 Fenn Elite 2 Dawid Mocke South Africa 1:54:01 Fenn Elite 3 Dean Gardiner Australia 1:54:42 Fenn Elite 4 Caine Eckstein Australia 1:55:00 Fenn Elite 5 Murray Stewart Australia 1:56:08 Fenn Elite 6 Sean Rice South Africa 1:56:19 Think Uno 7 Barry Lewin South Africa 1:57:13 Synergy 8 Tony Shumaker Australia 1:57:55 Think Uno 9 Michael Locke Australia 1:59:32 Fenn Mako 6 10 Reece Baker Australia 2:01:04 Fenn Mako 6 Women’s Top Eight - Long Course 1 Naomi Flood Australia 2:09:36 Fenn Mako 6 2 Bernadette Wallace Australia 2:17:38 Fenn Mako 6 3 Jo Bridgen Jones Australia 2:23:53 Fenn Mako 6 4 DeAnne Hemmens California 2:28:11 Fenn Mako XT 5 Christina Couch California 2:33:01 Fenn Mako 6 6 Tracy Landboe Washington 2:35:17 Epic V10 L 7 Alex McLain Maine 2:35:43 Huki S1X Special 8 Kathleen Petereit Canada 2:54:28 Huki S1R Short Course Results 1 Mark Huetter California 0:58:38 2 Peter Marcus Washington 0:59:01 3 Jeff Schwing California 1:00:07 4 Dan Coupland California 1:00:17 5 Benjamin Serrazin California 1:00:37 6 Eva Mauck California 1:00:52 7 Bruce Fincher California 1:01:21 8 Thadius King California 1:01:51 9 Pete Rudnick California 1:02:18 10 Jim Nurse California 1:02:20 Relay 1 Maxell, Schumaker, O’Regan, Rice 0:37:01 Team Think 2 Lee, Timbrell, Lock, David 0:38:50 Team Huki 3 Baker, Stewart, Cotter, Eckstein 0:35:00 Team Fenn Doubles Men 1 Dawid Mocke & Barry Lewin 0:54:38 2 Dean Gardiner & Murray Stewart 0:55:05 3 Jeremy Cotter & Caine Eckstein 0:55:27 Doubles Mixed 1 Patrick & DeAnne Hemmens 0:58:22 2 Greg Barton & Tracy Landboe 0:58:37 3 Rami Zur & Krisztina Fazekas 1:00:04

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In an era when the great maritime nations of Europe were still fearful of venturing too far from land lest they fall off the edge of the world, Polynesians were ranging thousands of miles across the Pacific in their voyaging canoes. With their knowledge of stars, currents, swells, winds and cloud

paddler capacity were entered in races.

The strongest paddlers were recruited by chiefs, and victorious paddlers enjoyed special status in society. Victory brought great prestige to villages and chiefs, and betting was rampant.

Sometimes at stake were great tracts of land or wives. But with the arrival

Canoe Racing and Surfing Association, today’s Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association, was formed to govern organized outrigger canoe racing in Hawai’i.

“Malia”

Outrigger canoe racing: A bit of historical perspective formations, they managed to discover the most remote archipelagos in the world and settle every habitable piece of rock in that vast ocean. Today, Polynesia encompasses an area defined by the triangle formed by Hawai’i, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Aotearoa (New Zealand).

of Christian missionaries in the early 1800’s, the sport - and its attendant gambling - were outlawed. With the 1875 ascendancy of King David Kalakaua to Hawai’i’s throne, outrigger racing returned. The King, a lover of water sports, revived the sport and hosted an annual regatta.

Canoes – known as wa’a, va’a and waka in various Polynesian languages – were vital to the survival of the seafaring Polynesians, providing their means of transportation, exploration, fishing, trading and war-making.

Among the playful Hawaiians, wa’a were also a source of sport and recreation.

The modern era

Wa’a were considered much more than inanimate, utilitarian objects and were accorded the respect due a living entity. To this day, tradition holds that one must walk around, not step over, the wa’a. Arguing and swearing in or around the wa’a is forbidden. One may not sit on or in the wa’a while on dry land (except for instructional purposes). And when on land, the wa’a should always face seaward.

Racing canoes did not exist in ancient times. The first canoe built specifically with racing in mind was the “A’a,” commissioned in 1902 by Hawai’i’s Prince Kuhio. Everyday fishing canoes, of varying length, weight and

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The founding of Outrigger Canoe Club and Hui Nalu in 1908 can be considered the launching point of modern outrigger canoe racing. With an eye toward promoting swimming, surfing and canoe racing, the rival clubs competed against each other and set the stage for the formation of additional canoe clubs.

The first full-fledged outrigger regatta was held in 1922. Outrigger race victories began to regain the prestige they once enjoyed and by 1940 formalized rules were instituted to help avoid the disagreements that grew out of the competition. In 1950 the Hawaiian

In 1933 on the Big Island of Hawai’i,

by Stephen Mahalona

the legendary canoe “Malia” was carved from koa wood. Purchased in 1948 by “Dad” Center and later sold to Waikiki Surf Club, Malia gained fame for her run of racing success over the next few decades. In 1959, she traveled to Catalina for the California Outrigger Classic, the first race between Hawai’i and California crews.

Today, the Catalina U.S. Championship, known by all paddlers simply as “Catalina,” is one of the premier outrigger events of the season. Following the inaugural race the Californians, realizing that the growth of the sport on their shores depended in large part on the availability of outrigger canoes, made a mold of “Malia.”

From this mold they created the first line of fiberglass canoes known as the Malia Class Racer. While fiberglass canoes would not be officially recognized in Hawai’i for a couple more years, they were raced up and down the coast of California. Outrigger canoe racing quickly gained a fol-

lowing there and a rivalry between the two states was born. Today California is home to more than 50 canoe clubs.

The Tahitians In 1975 Tahiti, represented by three teams, made its first appearance in the Moloka’i to O’ahu race. With them came an artisan who built several koa canoes in the traditional Tahitian style. After what transpired the following year, this canoe design would be banned from Hawaiian outrigger racing. In 1976 Tahiti returned with 10 teams, employing the traditional quick Tahitian paddling stroke and paddling the Tahitian-inspired canoes.

They turned the outrigger racing world upside-down, claiming the top four spots and placing seven of their teams among the top 10. It would prove to be a turning point in Hawaiian outrigger canoe racing. The Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association immediately instituted new rules and guidelines to protect the integrity of the Hawaiian wa’a. Averaging the measurements of all registered koa racing canoes in Hawai’i, HRCA set limitations on the water line and overall length of racing canoes, standards which remain in effect to this day.

Next generation wa’a designs The second generation of fiberglass racing canoes debuted in 1984. The

Hawaiian Class Racer with its long, sleek lines was an instant success and would become the most prolific production canoe for the next decade, with an estimated 1,000 produced and distributed worldwide. In 1995 the Hawaiian Class Racer was reworked and introduced as the new Force Five canoe.

For canoe designers and builders, it has been proven that a canoe’s success in the Moloka’i Hoe equates to success in marketing that canoe. For that reason, performance in the type of conditions experienced in the Ka’iwi Channel has weighed heavily on the design of outrigger canoes all the way back to the Malia class of canoes.

In 1987 the Bradley Racer came on the scene and two years later, at the Moloka’i Hoe, the Racer claimed seven of the top 10 places. For the first time in the race’s history the winning crew finished the 48-mile race in under five hours. Modifications to the Racer have led to the creation of the Bradley Striker and Bradley Lightning.

After little success in marketing their first OC6 canoe, Outrigger Connections came out with the Mirage. In 2000 they produced the first two Mirages, which finished 1-2 in the Moloka’i Hoe. The following year nine of the 30 Mirages entered finished in the top 10.

Paddling technique While canoe design is regulated by the rules instituted in 1976, paddling technique continues to evolve and improve. By the 1980s the success of Tahitian, Mainland and Australian crews forced a review of traditional Hawaiian paddling technique and paddle design. Paddlers from the various locales arrived in Hawai’i with their own techniques and theories, based on tradition, science or lessons learned from other sports. Tahitians brought a faster stroke rate; Mainlanders brought Olympic-style paddling; Australians upped the ante on overall fitness. The general paddling form now in evidence incorporates a higher stroke rate, more body rotation, power applied in the front part of the stroke and the use of paddles with smaller, lighter blades.

A global sport While the wa’a is a direct link to Polynesian culture and heritage, paddlers from around the world have contributed to its evolution into the sport we know today. And while Hawai’i remains the heart and soul of outrigger canoe racing, the sport has exploded in popularity and gone global. Paddlers from all parts of the Pacific, the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa and elsewhere, all consider themselves a part of the great outrigger ohana.

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Kona becomes of the six-man r

by Stephen The Queen Lili’uokalani Long Distance Race was created in 1972 to fill the need for a training venue for crews preparing for the Moloka’i Hoe (men) and Na Wahine o ke Kai (women) races from Moloka’i to O’ahu. The inaugural race was held on the Queen’s birthday, Sept. 2, and is hosted annually by Kai Opua Canoe Club on Labor Day weekend.

In the days leading up to the race, thousands of paddlers descend upon Kailua-Kona, filling the quiet town with energy, color and aloha. Billed as “The World’s Largest Long Distance Canoe Race,” this year’s field included 252 crews and more than 1,600 paddlers from Hawai’i and the Pacific, the U.S. mainland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan – demonstrating the true international growth of outrigger racing.

The grueling 18-mile race along the ruggedly beautiful Kona coast is known for its hot weather and flat seas. But this year paddlers were blessed with rare un-kona-like breezes and soft swells.

The morning of the race brings an atmosphere of family reunion as paddlers greet old friends with hugs and laughter, and make new acquaintances, again with hugs and laughter. Canoes rest on every square inch of sand on the small beach, overflowing onto the lawn of the King Kamehameha Hotel and the Kona Pier. Crews make final adjustments to rigging, adorn their canoes with leis and flags, hold hands in prayer and receive “good luck” wishes and cheers from family, friends, opponents and spectators. Canoes are lifted onto shoulders and carried into the sea where they join dozens of others in a reverent procession past Ahu’ena Heiau (Kamehameha the Great’s personal temple) on their way to the starting line.

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s the center racing universe Mahalona The Saturday morning women’s race begins at Kailua Bay and proceeds south to Honaunau Bay. The relaxed, friendly atmosphere continues as teams sit side by side awaiting the start, trading jokes and good wishes with each other. As the horn sounds, the calm morning explodes in a blur of color, motion and sound. Paddles flash and canoes surge to the exhortation of hundreds of steersmen.

With more than 100 canoes packed into a half-mile wide swath of ocean, the action is exciting and non-stop. While some of the elite crews pull far ahead of the pack, most canoes find themselves in fierce competition for the entire 18 miles. As crews walk up on those ahead of them, they are at the same moment fighting off challenges from behind, often giving this long distance event the feel of a sprint race.

The ladies of Hui Lanakila claimed the Iron Open Class victory in 2:12:16. Two crews from Waikiki Beachboys Canoe Club took 2nd (2:13:20) and 3rd (2:14:04). Onshore at Honaunau or aboard sightseeing boats in the bay, the men await their turn in the canoes.

As the women’s crews arrive at the finish, they exchange places in the canoes with the men, who will retrace their route back to Kailua Bay. In the men’s race, Team Primo cruised across the finish line in 1:52:34, followed by Livestrong (1:55:14) and a second Team Primo canoe (1:57:10).

In the evening paddlers gather for a torchlight parade through town, then dance the night away.

Sunday’s schedule includes stand up paddle races and OC1, OC2 and double-hull outrigger competitions. The evening’s farewell luau is an opportunity for paddlers to celebrate the weekend’s accomplishments and experiences, as well as bonds and friendships born of their love for the sport of outrigger canoe racing.

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Team USa vS Team Holland – racing for Henry HUdSon 2009 MaRkS ThE 400Th annivERSaRy of Henry Hudson’s voyage to our area where he settled New Amsterdam.

To celebrate this amazing piece of history, the Mayor’s Cup will be hosting a Team USA vs. Team Holland race where 10 Olympic, former medalists and National team members from the Dutch and American teams will compete head to head to be the overall fastest team around Manhattan. To even the playing field, 20 brand new Epic V12 surfskis are on order for the team members.

These are the lightest and fastest surfskis on the market today. Ten will be decorated in the traditional Dutch orange and the other 10 in the very patriotic red, white and blue for the U.S. team. These kayaks are limited edition collector’s items and will be sold after the race. Take a look online at nymayorscup.com for the custom graphics and pricing. We will take two surfskis, one from each team, and auction them off as a fundraiser for the Olympic programs for both countries. Stay tuned for details.

inTernaTional appeal

Photos by Jeff Chen/Trigger Images

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2 MAYOR’S CUP // SEPTEMBER 2009

ManhaTTan iS faMouS foR Many ThingS and with the international paddling crowd it presents an opportunity to see New York like most rarely do…from the seat of a kayak. Last year’s Mayor’s Cup New York City Kayak Championships hosted racers form 22 countries and 25 states. Racers

travel from as far away as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Sinapore and Japan for a chance to be New York’s fastest paddler. The Europeans love the race, too.

Good exchange rates and frequent flights across the pond make this race a must-do in their racing schedule.

OctOber 18, 2009 New york City

If you have the skills to take manhattan by paddle visit nymayorscup.com to register.

HiSTory and legacy of ‘aroUnd manHaTTan’ racing ThE MayoR’S CuP nEw yoRk CiTy kayak championships is not a new idea or a novel one. Its history dates back to 1927 when the Daily News sponsored the first official “Around Manhattan” canoe race. Even earlier were the canoe sailors and rowing regattas of the 1880s. The passion to circumnavigate this majestic island has pulsed in our veins since we first settled here. The first race was in 1927, then ‘34, ‘67, ‘83, ’86 and 2006.

In 2004, the seed was planted when a group of paddlers were discussing recent time trial runs around the island.

Discussions revolved around times, currents, moon cycles and which direction was the fastest. A very close friend, Joe Glickman said, “If we had an international field of really fast guys here we could break 3.” Meaning the elusive 3-hour mark for the full circumnavigation. The next question was who was going to pull this off and it was a classic game of, “Not it!” I was it. Shortly after that, I met the dynamic team at the New York City Sports

Commission. During a kayak team building outing commissioner Ken Podziba asked, “Can you produce a world-class kayak race in New York?” I said, “Easily.”

In 2006, we started this race with just over 45 racers and pulled off the impossible. An American Olympic gold medalist by the name of Greg Barton came to New York and won decisively with a time of 3:21. In 2007 we grew, boasting 98 racers and a strong South African named Herman Chalupsky who came in by the width of a fishing line to beat Barton with a time of 3:14. In 2008, Mother Nature threw 35 knot winds and 5- to 6-foot seas to force a shut down. The wind and choppy conditions were a little too much for our 150 -acer field. The race started but was shut down at the 13K mark.

For 2009, we are back and ready to tackle the conditions and set a new attendance record. We are expecting 200 racers from around the globe and around the region to race on October 18, 2009.

—EvEnT diRECToR, Ray fuSCo

SEPTEMBER 2009 // nYMAYORSCUP.COM 3

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THe coUrSe ThERE aRE ThREE Main ConCERnS wiThin this 28-mile course.

1 2 3

The distance – 28 miles is no walk in the park.

The commercial traffic – the waters around New York are no different than rush hour in Times Square.

The Battery – we save the hardest for last. The most confused and choppy sea state in the race, commercial traffic and a building current against you on the Hudson.

Other hot spots on the course are: † Passenger ferry terminal and Circle Line terminal at Pier 68 to 84. † Halfway point at Yankee Stadium. † Hell Gate – the home of the second largest explosion after the A bomb. The confluence of the Harlem, East River and Long Island sound.

acHilleS freedom Team diCk TRauM ESTaBliShEd aChillES International in 1983 to encourage disabled people to participate in mainstream athletics. Runners of all levels and disabilities are welcome. Volunteer guides accompany athletes to participate in workouts and races with the use of crutches, wheelchairs, prostheses, handcycles or without aids Founded in NYC with six members, the event has expanded throughout the United States and 70 countries and is 11,000 members strong. achillesinternational.org In 2004, we began a program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center called Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans. It encourages recently wounded soldiers to mainstream through sports while still going

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4 MAYOR’S CUP // SEPTEMBER 2009

through hospital rehabilitation.

The Mayor’s Cup Kayak Marathon is an extension of Achilles to water sports. The disability of the participants include people who are blind, paralyzed, missing limbs, have traumatic brain injuries, organ transplants, and an injured soldier who served in Iraq from the Freedom Team.

The kayak race is the great equalizer.

Amputees and people who are mobility impaired are at the same competitive level with those who do not have ambulatory disabilities. The kayak race is one of the few sports in the world where the disabled and able-bodied can compete equally.

During this summer, the disabled athletes have been participating in weekly clinics to prepare. —Ray fuSCo

OctOber 18, 2009 New york City

If you have the skills to take manhattan by paddle visit nymayorscup.com to register.

green gear ThE MayoR’S CuP TakES all of iTS vinyl banners and event signage and recycles them into stylish gear totes, shoulder bags and small messenger bags. This green event movement is in partnership with Ecological Designs of Boulder, Colorado.

coaST To coaST SuRfSki RaCing iS Blowing uP aRound the globe, fetching huge purses (upward of $100,000 in Dubai of course) and driving international travel for the worlds’ top flight paddlers. In this year’s Mayor’s Cup we will have over 65 surf ski racers from 22 countries and 25 states come to compete for New York’s fastest paddler trophy.

For those who are unfamiliar with surfskis, they are long, narrow, highperformance sit-on-top kayaks first developed for open-ocean lifeguard use in Australia, then later morphing into the sleek, high-speed racing craft used in South Africa, Hawaii and other parts of the world. These boats are 20 feet long and have a 17- to 20-inch beam and

are made of carbon/Kevlar to weigh in at a featherweight 28 pounds.

The paddler sits in a “bucket” or seatwell, and the boat is steered via gas pedals controlling an understern rudder. The position of the rudder assures pinpoint steering accuracy on a wave.

Designed for combining high speed to surf ocean swells and covering long distances in the biggest of conditions with efficiency, a the surfski’s minimal approach makes it a pleasure to paddle.

Integrated venturis in the hull empty the cockpit of water when underway; if the paddler “hulis” or falls off, he or she simply remounts, without the need to roll, or pump out a flooded closed

cockpit. Many paddlers of fast sea kayaks have transitioned into surf-skis for reasons of fun and safety. For the kayaker looking to extend his or her skills or experience the thrill of surfing ocean conditions, surfskis might be worth a look. These designs are not limited to ocean use; many surfskis are purchased for flatwater use and are popular among adventure racers for the ease of ingress and egress.

There are regional and national race schedules, paddler profiles from paddlers around the globe, training articles, a wide variety of related links, a blogspot, and most recently, a classifieds section at surfskiracing.com.

SEPTEMBER 2009 // nYMAYORSCUP.COM 5

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SUP brah!

by Sean Williams

The sun was setting over the lake and I was paddling hard to reach the shore before dark. The paddling was difficult, not just because of my lack of skill, but because I was paddling a sail board with my hands. The winds were rough I decided it was easier to paddle than to fall in the water for the 400th time. It is amazing how much drag a small sail creates when in the water.

I had forgotten all about this trial in my sailboard career until I started researching a new form of paddle racing.

And since I have learned a few things about a relatively new sport – remembering my own brush with the sport – I couldn’t help but kick myself a little. It has been one of those, “if I only knew then what I know now,” moments.

The new sport is standup paddling or SUP. Basically, the sport of SUP involves a type of surfboard and about an eight-foot long, single-bladed paddle. So, maybe new is a relative term.

SUP has been hot in the U.S. for about five years on both coasts. Yet, it has been around since the Polynesians first used surfboards for travel and fishing.

Even in places where there is no surf,

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it is now starting to pick up. People are enjoying and racing paddleboards everywhere there is water, and they have developed recreation and racing communities all across the country.

History SUP has had a couple of resurgences.

It first died out when missionaries in Hawai’i and around Polynesia frowned on surfing. They did not recognize surfing or SUP as part of tradition and culture.

SUP came back in the 1940s when the “Beach Boys” of Waikiki began to use it. They would stand atop their boards, paddle around and bark orders at their students out on the water. From their perches they could see waves before the prone surfers could and spot any trouble on the water. SUP wasn’t seen as a sport then it was just a way of teaching “real” surfing to others; cer-

tainly not a discipline in its own right.

It slowly faded into the background as surfing had its boom for the next few decades. Surfing went from something to do to a legitimate sport pushing boundaries. Surfing became seriously competitive, and not just among surfers, but also against the waves. It was in the shadows of the giant waves where today’s SUP began.

Laird Hamilton had become a surfing legend.

He and a few friends helped develop tow-in surfing which made it possible to catch waves that had never been accessible before. In the 1990s, Hamilton and his buddy Dave Kalama had been paddling around on a very small wave day when Kalama mentioned using a paddle to get around. They went to Kalma’s car and got his OC-1 paddles and they stood up on their boards and paddled

around. So taken by this was Hamilton that he had two long paddles made the next day. And thus began the SUP we know today.

during paddling. A flat-water board usually has a single fin and a surfing type board has three fins. The two extra fins allow for carving action.

Equipment

SUP is the next big thing with athletes and paddlers looking for something different to add to training. Athletes, such as mixed martial arts fighter Tito Ortiz, ultra marathon runner Dean Karnazes and many top triathletes are extolling the cross training virtues of SUP. Many OC and canoe paddlers also use stand up paddling and racing as a way to train for their discipline.

SUP today is much like many other paddle sports. There are many types of boards and paddles for many types of paddlers and conditions. SUP boards are made similar to regular surfboards with a foam core shaped to desired specifications with fiberglass and resin laid over the foam. The resin is then polished and painted to produce the final finish. Mass-produced boards use an injection molded foam core to make each blank identical. Many boards have a padded surface on the deck to provide traction and cushioning. They also allow a rider to customize a board.

Stand up boards come in different lengths and widths for different riders and conditions. The smaller the board the more agile it is and less stable it can become. These smaller boards (around nine feet), are made for wave surfing. Longer boards can also catch waves but are less maneuverable.

The longer boards are used for less turbulent water, such as deep water ocean riding and flat-water lakes and rivers. Boards more than fourteen feet in length are used for racing. They are narrower and longer to help it glide through the water.

classes. The most common race format is point to point where racers paddle from one location to another.

The sport’s biggest point-to-point race is the Rainbow Sandals Moloka’i to Oahu race. SUP racers paddle across the Ka’iwi channel from the island of Moloka’i to Oahu. This race is about thirty-two miles and racers contend with swells, currents and winds in treacherous open ocean.

SUP provides an excellent core workout while being fun at the same time.

People are even practicing yoga and stretching exercises on their boards as part of their paddle trips. SUP gives the micro and macro muscles a great workout and helps to build balance and coordination.

This year’s men’s solo SUP champ was Ekolu Kalama, who paddled the thirty-two miles in 5:02:06. While prone paddleboarders were lamenting the course, Kamala said, “That was like a 5½ hour surf session. I’m not going to have to surf for a while …

I’m good for about a week.” Kamala exemplifies the attitude most stand up paddlers have; they seem to be part of the water not just racing across it.

Racing

The Future

SUP racing is also growing quickly with regattas, sprints, relays and distance formats. There are charity events and fun touring events. The regattas generally involve a course where the start/finish is usually the same point and racers navigate a marked course of buoys or natural landmarks. Sprint races usually have heats for different

SUP is making its way all over the country and the world. There are stand up events in non-surf states such as Arizona and Utah, while Colorado folks are paddling SUP boards on their whitewater rivers. This sport is taking hold and wherever there is water, soon there will be someone trying to SUP on it. And I can’t wait.

The paddles differ from regular canoe paddles in a couple of ways. The obvious difference is length is because paddlers’ hands are higher above the water and farther from the catch. The blade surface is typically dihedral to allow the force of the paddle to push down as well as back on the water.

This is used to create lift to help the board plane. The paddles often have a 12 to 14 degree bend in the shaft to keep it perpendicular to the water.

The boards also have anywhere from one to three fins to keep the board stable and help turn. Some boards have rudders that can be adjusted for the rider’s stance but not usually used

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by Sean Williams Ekolu means three in Hawaiian. Ekolu Kalama, however, takes third place to no one in the world of stand up paddling or in life. Kalama said he was “born with a paddle in his hand.”

His grandmother paddled for Waikiki Surf Club and his grandfather started Hoopili Canoe Club on Moloka’i. He has paddled OC-1, OC-2 and OC-6 canoes all around Hawai’i. His waterman pedigree doesn’t end there, his uncle, Ilima Kalama was a U.S. surfing champ in 1962. Ekolu Kalama is an accomplished longboard surfer as well and has spent much of his life in the ocean. With this background he became a natural standup paddler.

Introduced by legends He got into SUP with the help of the guys who rediscovered SUP, Laird Hamilton and cousin, Dave Kalama.

Cousin Dave and Hamilton pioneered SUP in the shadows of the giant 40foot waves in Maui and they asked Kalama to come along one day. He climbed down the jagged rocks of the Maui coast and learned to patiently wait for his waves and immediately he was hooked.

“It was kind of a sink or swim experience. I got a couple of rides,” Kalam said. “I came in and I was stoked.”

The next day, as he was leaving Maui to go back Moloka’i, Hamilton dropped by and gave him a board and a paddle and told him to practice. And practice he does.

Kalama has been standup paddling for only four years, yet in 2009 he has won a couple large events including a 32 mile paddle from Moloka’i to Oahu in five hours and two minutes and the first SUP World Cup 10K Men’s Sprint in Germany. In October, he will compete in the second annual “Battle of the Paddle” race in Dana Point, Calif. This race is a five lap circuit race where each lap is about 1.5 miles; the format gives racers an opportunity

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Ekolu Kalama: Professional standup paddler and surf philanthropist to paddle both upwind and downwind in each lap.

Kalama has worked hard for everything he has achieved as well as taking a few chances. He was a good student in high school and at Pepperdine University where he also played volleyball. But the lure of his home and the warm breezes of Moloka’i were too much and after college he headed back to the islands.

Following his father’s steps, he became a firefighter. On his 30th birthday, Kalama realized there was something more, “…that’s when I got scared,” he said. “At this point in my life I hadn’t accomplished anything truly meaningful … and I knew if I continued the path that I was on I’d wake up one day, 60 years old with tons of regrets.”

A few months later he left the security of his county job and went to pursue his dreams.

Kalama‘s dreams were to become a professional surfer, musician and to help people in need. He has accomplished each of these dreams in a very short time.

Making dreams come true In 2008 he signed a contract with SUP board maker Starboard making him

Photo by Bernie Baker

the first true professional.

His first music album, “Black and White Pictures,” is expected to be released soon.

Earlier this year he started a nonprofit organization with his pal, John Perell, called The Ohana Project (ohana means extended family) in which they travel the globe helping communities with basic needs, such as water, food and shelter. He gives concerts to raise funds for the people he helps.

And when he’s done with all of that he paddles into some of that country’s most amazing surf.

Kalama pursues his standup paddling with the same passion he does life.

He uses the races and sprints to keep himself in shape for paddling the big waves. Kalama has an interesting perspective of the ocean and the paddler’s role within it.

“Spend a lot of time in the water … that is the only way you are going to get to know her,” Kalama said. “It is like any other relationship…you got to know her moves and every side of her.

And then still, when you learn every side of her she’ll show you another side and surprise you.”

We should all get to paddle in this world with such passion and dedication.

This can be you!

October 18, 2009 I www.nymayorscup.com

Take Manhattan by paddle.

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A big PHAT challenge The Phatwater Kayak Challenge on the Mississippi River attracts top flatwater racers

by Keith Benoist

Photo by Karen Sutton

After three and a half decades as a serious runner, while training one afternoon I managed to divide the articular cartilage in my right knee with such finality that the surgeon who later removed it suggested I “find another hobby.”

Thus, in October 2002, Kayak Mississippi was born with the first Phatwater Kayak Challenge, a 42.5 mile paddling marathon on the Mississippi River, from Grand Gulf to the oldest city on the river, Natchez.

We’ve grown the race each year since, and are now on the countdown to Phatwater VIII, which will take place on Oct. 10, 2009. We are expecting no fewer than 150 paddlers this year, up from 135 last October.

Among the participants expected in 2009 are Olympian Mike Herbert, of Arkansas, and open water stars DeAnne and Patrick Hemmens of California. We are also hopeful that Carter Johnson will be present, along with other world level competitors from Australia and South Africa.

In 2007, the sixth year of the race, we broke the magic barrier of 100 participants, while Mike Herbert, in his first Phatwater appearance, tried desperately to break the elusive four-hour mark. There was $1,000 on the line, and along with Herbert, USA Canoe/ Kayak racer Chris Hipgrave would battle for the cash.

But ours is a fickle sport, and the Mississippi is a mysterious place to pull a paddle. As things turned out, Hipgrave tweaked his shoulder halfway through the course, and at about the same time, Herbert hit a 20 mph headwind. Herbert finished in 4 hours 16 minutes and some change, and though

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L-R Steve Woods, Bevan Manson, Mike Herbert and Erik Borgnes at the halfway point of the 2008 Phatwater Kayak Challenge. setting a new record, he gave everyone pause to wonder if breaking the four hour barrier would ever be possible.

Not to worry. Herbert was back in 2008. The prize money had doubled and along with Herbert came a pair of Okes from South Africa, Steve Woods and Bevan Manson. Rounding out the pro-class was Dr. Erik Borgnes, of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. The forecast for the morning of the race was for partly cloudy skies and light tail wind. Woods and Manson had been on the course two days earlier, measuring their splits and the pace they would need to set new records and break barriers. The river stage was twelve feet above the 2007 level. It began to look as though the four hour mark might well be shattered.

As with many other races, the Phatwater has a broad, dead water bay, which opens to the Mississippi at the port of Grand Gulf. It was here that all participants were able to mingle with the favored pros. But at 8 a.m., when the starting gun fired, we had only a brief glimpse of their elbows and then they were gone, shrinking to specs on the distant, south-bound horizon.

Six miles above Natchez there is a

power line crossing the Mississippi and as I passed beneath it at about 3:50:00, the boys in the lead were nowhere in sight. I knew at this point that one of them would be taking home the prize money. As it turned out, Woods would finish a mere one second ahead of Manson, at 3:54:00, to set the new record. One second, over a 42.5 mile course.

As for this fall, Kayak Mississippi is opening the Phatwater Kayak Challenge to all who dare in all classes. It’s a great event, and a great opportunity to meet others of like mind. This year we will offer $1,000 each to the first female and male solo paddlers, $1,000 the first tandem team. If the weather and river cooperate, a $1,000 bonus goes to the first boat to break the existing record of 3:54:00.

A safety zone issued by the U.S. Coast Guard will be in place for the duration of the race to prevent commercial traffic from entering or moving through the course.

For information visit www.kayakmississippi.com

by Shaun Caven

History made at Canada ’09, the Canoe Sprint World Championships For a Scotsman, having the world sprint championships in Nova Scotia was like being in “Old Scotland,” and when Team USA unloaded the trailer on the Monday before the regatta, I remembered why this place is called Nova Scotia — it was pouring rain.

Fortunately, that was the last we saw of the rain and the rest of the week was probably some of the best weather Dartmouth has ever had – hot, sunny and very little wind. That made the course for the 2009 Canoe Sprint World Championships (Canoe ’09) good for fair and quality racing.

onships in Seville, Spain. Since then, and before, she has never stopped pushing to have women included in canoe heats. The IOC wants gender equality across all sports, therefore the ICF must take this seriously and encourage more countries to get women into canoes.

Bomb drops

Part of a major regatta is the team leaders’ scratch meetings.

Hanna Menke These normally are routine and straight forward. Not this year.

ICF officials announced to team leaders at the meeting that the Olympic Regatta Program would be changed to included 200 meters racing and would Canoe ‘09 would be historic for two drop 500 meters racing for men. The reasons: the inclusion of Paddleabilidea behind it is to make racing more ity athletes as full medal events and exciting, especially for television. women competing in C1 and C2.

The changes added more events to the United States, Canada, Great Britain program, which means more athletes and Italy are the main leaders in disreaching the podium. This announceability paddle sports. It was great to ment has huge implications for teams see these athletes competing in the and athletes because training regimens same event as the able-bodied athletes. and team direction will have to be The International Canoe Federation reworked. The new events are K1, C1 must embrace these athletes so that the and K2 200 meters for men, plus K1 International Olympic Committee will 200 meters for women. include canoe sprint in the Paralympics Games. (See Gerald Baboa story Team USA recap at right).

The USA PaddleAbility Team showed Women in canoe have been included the world that paddling and Paralymat this level due to the tireless efforts pics are a natural fit and took giant of Team USA’s Pam Boteler, who has steps toward the inclusion of paddling been at the forefront of this campaign in the Paralympic program in 2016. for a number of years. I first met The team collected three podium spots Boteler in 2002 at the world champiover the weekend, highlighted by a

both stories continued next page

PaddleAbility Update

by Gerald Babao The 2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships opened the door to more paddlers than ever before. This year, for the first time, physically challenged paddlers from around the world had the chance to show off their canoeing skills.

John Edwards, chair of ICF’s Canoeing for All Committee, is Canoe Kayak Canada’s Domestic Development Director and is directly responsible for promoting PaddleAbility throughout Canada. And it was the ICF committee that made it possible to see PaddleAbility events in the ICF World Championships.

“I am very pleased with the competition,” Edwards said. “I think it is sometimes difficult for those of us who are ablebodied to fully understand the impact of this event on paddlers with a disability. They are frequently treated as ‘second class’ citizens. The ICF’s program, as exemplified by this world championship competition, is aimed at removing this attitude and respecting all paddlers as equals.”

The goals of the PaddleAbility program are twofold. First, to gain “official” sport status in the 2011 Special Olympics World Games. At the moment it is a “recognised” sport. Once

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gold medal performance by Augusto “Goose” Perez and Tami Hetke in the C2 200 meters. Mark Dunford and Rebecca Lloyd placed 2nd in the K2 200 meters and Robert Brown won a bronze for his K1 200 meters race.

For the able-bodied athletes, head coach Nathan Luce had hopes that the championships would be a great learning experience for a young Team USA. “The average age of our athletes is 21,” Luce said, “while the average age for perennial medal winning teams is closer to 28 or 29 years old.”

The team showed a lot of promise over the weekend and their performances reinforced Luce’s belief that there is a bright future for America’s young paddlers.

Morgan House

The weekend was full of strong racing

by Team USA that earned many semifinal berths. Maggie Hogan finished third in the B Final of the K1 1,000 meters, Robert Finlayson advanced to the B Final in the C1 200 meter race and Yariel Rodriquez earned a spot in the B Final in the C1 1,000 meters.

Morgan House advanced to the C Final in the K1 1,000 meters.

Hannah Menke, age 23, member of Team USA and a member of Rockaway Olympic Canoe and Kayak Club, took home two silver medals in both the 200 and 500 meter C1 races. The C2 team of Pam Boteler and Anna Crawford finished fifth and sixth in the 500 and 200 meter races, respectively.

Tim Hornsby won the C Final for the K1 200 meters. He had been anxiously awaiting the news of the inclusion of 200 in the Olympic program and is excited about the possibilities for his future in the short sprint races. His

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early success would indicate that the prospects indeed bright.

Both the men’s and women’s K4 and K2 teams made a strong showing and further proved coach Luce’s conviction that his young team has the opportunity to see great success at future international paddling events if they remain dedicated.

Regatta results Men’s report In K1, Germany had it covered. In the 1,000 meters, Max Hoff won in style with Anders Gustafson (SWE) taking silver and local favorite Adam Van Koeverden (CAN) third. Next up, Ronald Rauhe won the 500 and 200 meter K1 titles. This was a change of direction for Rauhe as he previously dominated the K2 500 meter event.

Perhaps he was anticipating that 200 meter racing would be in for 2012.

The K2 1,000 meters was won by Spain. Former junior world champion Diego Cosgaya, teamed up with marathon expert Emilio Merchan to form a new crew this year. They outdistanced the Australian crew of David Smith and Luke Morrison, with the Cubans showing potential by winning the bronze. In the shorter K2 races the Belarus crew of Vadzim Makhneu and Raman Piatrushenka dominated, winning both the 500 and 200. Canadians Andrew Willows and Richard Dober, Jr., gave the local supporters reason to cheer by taking bronze in the 200 meters.

The K4 events were also dominated by the Belarus team. Makhneu and Piatrushenka were joined by teammates Aliaksei Abalmasau and Artur Litvinchuk to form the best K4, winning

official status is achieved, the next step of developing Special Olympic programs at the national level will ensure that PaddleAbility is an official sport in the 2016 Paralympics.

In the shorter-term, the main challenge is to have 24 nations from three continents participating in the 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznan, Poland, next year.

The goals of developing PaddleAbility as a sport include giving more opportunities for paddlers with physical and intellectual disabilities. This means that national federations should include PaddleAbility events in their national championships.

In the world championships in Halifax, the PaddleAbility races were received with overwhelming support from the Dartmouth crowd. Races included the women’s and men’s 200 meters for athletes in the Legs Trunks and Arms category, the K2 200 meters for athletes in the Trunks and Arms or Arms only categories, and the C2 200 meters for athletes in any category. Italy had the greatest presence on the medals table with two golds and two silvers.

Other prominent nations were the U.S. and Canada each gaining three medals. Other nations represented were Brazil, Great Britain, Portugal and France.

The athletes “were all very inspiring. They all treat our sport very seriously and are a great addition to our world championship program,” Edwards said. “Their collective spirit was very positive and they all look forward to the future and more events.”

both the 1,000 and the 200. This may be an Olympic strategy for a lot of countries — to have K4 1,000, and K1 and K2 200 with the same athletes.

Women’s report The first final for the woman was the K4 500 meters. In an extremely tight photo finish Hungary nosed out Germany by 0.004 of a second with Spain taking the Bronze. Who said it’s only close for the 200 meters? The 200 K4 was a reversal of fortune with Germany claiming gold from Hungary and Portugal.

The K1 500 was taken by Katalin Kovacs (Hun) with Katrin Wagner (Ger) in second. Bronze was awarded to the 45-year-old inspiration Josefa Idem of Italy. She has been competing at this level longer than most of the other girls in the finals have been alive. It was fantastic to see. Her husband and coach later told me, “She was happy with the medal and is motivated to do better next year because she can do it, we are getting ready for 2012.”

Hungarian Natasa Janics won the 200 meter gold with Poland and France taking the minor medals.

Hungarians Danuta Kozac and Gabriella Szabo won the K2 500 title out pacing the defending world champions from Germany with Sweden securing third. The K1 winners Kovacs and Janics teamed up to win the K2 200 final. This gold medal put Kovacs one world title win behind the great Brigit Fisher of Germany. Kovacs has now won 27 world championships.

Canoe Vadim Menkov of Uzbekistan won the C1 1,000 meter race, with France and Germany taking silver and bronze. In the 500, Dzianis Harazha of Belarus won gold and the 200 meter title was won by Valentin Demyanenko of Azerbaijan. It is refreshing to see the medals spread around.

In the C2 1,000 the German crew of Erik Leue and Tomasz Wylenzek won gold. A different German pairing of Stefan Holtz and Robert Nuck won the

500. The shortest distance was won by the Lithuanians Thomas Gedeikis and Raimundas Labukas. With only the 1,000 meters in C2 being contested in 2012 Olympics, it will be interesting to see how teams adjust.

The C4 event is traditionally dominated by Eastern European countries and is used by most teams to develop younger athletes by teaming them up with some older, more experienced athletes. Belarus won both 1,000 and 200 meter distances.

Relay This is an exciting addition to the world championship program. Four athletes race 200 meters. Two start at one end of the course and two on the other end. There is a start gate at both ends. As one competitor crosses the line, a judge presses the start button to release the next competitor. All the athletes who entered really enjoyed the racing and it was a great way to finish off the world championships because there were a lot of athletes on the water and a big crowd stayed to watch.

Edwards added, “paddlers with a disability taught all of us a valuable lesson: canoe sport, like all sport in the past, has always focussed on the outward presentation of success and physical beauty and perfection.

However, the PaddleAbility athletes have taught all of us a more important message of sport. What we truly celebrate in our world championships is the human spirit and its desire for improvement. The body is but the outward container of the human spirit which far excels what can be seen by the eye. The spirit of the PaddleAbility athletes in overcoming their personal challenges is an example to us all.”

In the relay finals, Spain won the men’s kayak race, Germany won the women’s kayak race and Russia won the men’s canoe race.

Summary In the first year of an Olympic cycle there are always going to be changes.

Canoe ‘09 saw 200 meter racing added to the Olympic schedule and an increased chance of the inclusion of canoe sprint in the Paralympics in 2012. The campaign to add woman in canoe events by 2016 took another giant step forward.

We all look forward to 2010 and Poznan, Poland, to see what will happen next in this dynamic sport. The biggest question yet to be answered: How will the introduction of 200 meter racing shape the future?

Agusto “Goose” Perez and Tami Hetke of the U.S. PaddleAbility team sport their mixed C2 200 meter gold medals from the 2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.

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The mystique of the Triple Crown of canoe marathon continues

by Wally Werderich In sports, the phrase “Triple Crown” invokes thoughts of prestige and athletic achievement.

A thoroughbred that wins the three biggest horse races in the United States is crowned the winner of the Triple Crown (only 11 horses have ever accomplished this feat). In cycling, a bike rider earns the title of Triple Crown winner when he wins the sport’s three grand tours, the Tour de France, the Vuelta a Espana, and the Giro d’Italia (only 5 riders have ever been able to win all three).

While not as well known as the Triple Crown in higher profile sports, marathon canoe racing in North America

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has its own version of the Triple Crown which invokes the same sense of amazement to paddlesports enthusiasts. Marathon canoe racing’s Triple Crown consists arguably of three of the sport’s hardest, oldest and most prestigious races.

These races are The General Clinton Canoe Regatta, a 70 mile non-stop race held on the Susquehanna River in New York; The Au Sable River Canoe Marathon, a 120 mile non-stop race held in Michigan; and La Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie, a 193 kilometer stage race held over three days on the St-Maurice river in Quebec, Canada.

Triple Crown spokesman Steve Southard extols the popularity of the three races, stating, “Marathon canoe racing on the grand scale of the Triple Crown is an action-packed spectator favorite, with the competitors maintaining a torrid pace of up to 80 paddle strokes per minute and featuring pitched competition, frenzied running portages and spills, which all take their toll on the contestants.”

A Triple Crown of Canoe Racing prize was created in 1992 to recognize top performances in the three marathon races. The prize is widely recognized as one of hardest and most sought after honors in marathon canoe racing. Here

is a closer look at the three races of the Triple Crown.

The General Clinton Canoe Regatta

Start of the Classique

The General Clinton Canoe Regatta takes place each year on Memorial Day weekend. The race, which is named after Revolutionary War general and expeditionist James Clinton, begins on Otesgo Lake in Cooperstown, N.Y. and concludes after winding down the Susquehanna River in Bainbridge, N.Y. The regatta features more than 50 types of paddlesport races leading up to the weekend’s main event, the 70 mile pro endurance race. This pro race is the first leg of the Triple Crown.

The General Clinton, as the race is often called, has been contested for 47 years. Similar to the other Triple Crown events, the race rules dictate specifications on the canoes and the top tandem paddlers use USCA style pro boats.

The 70 mile course begins with a sprint off the starting line on Otesgo Lake where competitors jockey for good position going into the area where the lake feeds into the Susquehanna River.

“The mouth of the river is narrow and shallow, which creates havoc and excitement,” said racer Jeff Shultis of Otego, N.Y. Once fed into the river which varies widely in depth, the race becomes diverse with a multitude of portages.

Accordingly, canoe handling and racing skills become paramount.

Thousands of spectators line the banks during the General Clinton at every accessible point offering encouragement.

The race ends in Bainbridge where competitors can enjoy festival activities and dinner.

“My favorite part of the General Clinton is the tough competition,” said Pat Faul of Lake Zurich, Ill. “I have done it three times and will do it again if I can find a partner who wants to paddle

70 miles in such an intense atmosphere.”

The Ausable River Canoe Marathon The second leg of the Triple Crown is the AuSable River Canoe Marathon which bills itself as the richest and toughest non-stop canoe race in the United States. The Marathon, as the race is often called, also boasts that it is the world’s toughest spectator race as well. There are many racing enthusiasts -- even Texas Water Safari veterans -- who agree with the claims.

Notwithstanding other races’ claims, in terms of the race being the richest race, The Marathon awarded more than $50,000 in cash and prizes in 2009.

The overnight nature of the race not only makes the race difficult for the racers, it makes the race tough for fans as well. For the fans, sleep does not matter as they flock to the race in the tens of thousands and follow the competitors all night in person and on the radio in what has become a Michigan institution.

Traditionally held each year on the last weekend in July, this year The Marathon was contested for the 62nd time.

In fact, The Marathon’s many traditions are some of the main reasons why spectators and competitors flock to the race each year.

It is easy to see the passion for the race among families as multiple generations have contested The Marathon for decades. Often times, family members paddle together so that knowledge of the race is passed from one generation to the next.

“I have been coming to The Marathon with my family for years,” said Mike Kies of St. Charles, Ill. “First I went as a spectator, and with help from my family and through inspiration from other families who live near the Marathon’s course, I went later as a competitor.”

The marathon’s traditions do not end there. Among fans, two of the favorite traditions are the pre-race qualifying event, an out and back mini race to determine the starting order for the competitors. The Marathon also features a fan favorite Le Mans start with racers

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sprinting four blocks with their canoes through streets lined with thousands of fans to the river bank. Whether it is competition or tradition, the AuSable River Canoe Marathon is truly a race worthy of awe.

La Classique International de canots de la Maurice The last and final leg of the Triple Crown is La Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie or La Classique for short.

Its name gives away the fact that the race is the portion of the Triple Crown not held in the United States. Raced in Quebec, Canada, the 193 kilometer (approximately 120 mile) race consists of three stages between towns on the St-Maurice River.

The first stage begins in La Tuque and ends in St-Roch-de-Mékinac, the second stage begins in St-Roch-deMékinac and ends in Shawinigan, and

the third stage begins in Shawinigan and ends in Trois-Rivières.

La Classique is held annually on Labor Day weekend and has been contested every year since 1934 (with the exception of five years during World War II). Since La Classique is held in French Canada, the cradle of North American style canoeing, the competition is ultra fierce as it pits Canada’s best with the best from the United States. That being said, there are many instances where top paddlers from both countries pair up to paddle the race together in hopes of a top finish.

As with the other legs of the Triple Crown, fans are passionate about the race and thousands show up along each stage of the race to cheer on the competitors.

Triple Crown race legend, Serge Corbin hails from the region where La Classique is held bringing another level of folklore to the event. Corbin, who is from St Boniface, Quebec, has

Photo by Mark Bialek

Start of the AuSable Canoe Marathon

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won the General Clinton 28 times (incredibly, finishing first every time he has ever entered the race), the AuSable River Canoe Marathon 18 times and La Classique 26 times. Corbin holds the record for the most wins in each of the events and a team that has included Corbin holds the course record in each of these events as well. The international competition and the legendary competitors, make La Classique truly a classic.

The team of Andy Trebold of Spring Harbor, Mich., and Steve Lajoie of Mirabel, Quebec, won all three races of the Triple Crown of marathon canoe racing in 2008 and 2009.

More information on each race can be found by clicking on the race names below.

General Clinton Canoe Regatta The AuSable Canoe Marathon La Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie

2009-10 Northern California Wavechaser Race Series

October 17 November 7 December 5

Santa Cruz Half Moon Bay Redwood City

January 9 February 13-14 March 13

Crissy Field in San Francisco Fort Baker, Sausalito Relay - Berkeley to Redwood City

For more information, visit www.wavechaser.com

World’s top juniors compete at 13th ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Moscow

by Cheryl Smith

The 2009 USA junior canoe sprint team, comprised of 14 of America’s best young flatwater paddlers, competed in the 13th International Canoe Federation Junior Canoe Sprint World Championships in Moscow, July 31 – Aug. 2. They joined the world’s best junior athletes from 55 countries. This is a solid increase from last year when 46 countries competed in the previous championships in Racice, Czech Republic.

The regatta took take place at the Krylatskoe Course which hosted the 1980 Olympic Games. ICF president Jose Perurena Lopez stated that he believed the juniors who competed in Moscow this summer will successfully start in 2012 in London.

The 16- to 18-year-old junior division athletes competed for seventeen sets of medals: five for girls and twelve for boys. Heats were contested in 1,000 meter and 500 meter races in C-1, C-2, C-4, K-1, K-2 and K-4 over the three days.

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Team USA highlights Ben Hefner, paddled well in the qualifying heats of the C-1 1,000 meters and reached the semifinals with a time of 4:27:526. He later joined with C-2 partner Ian Ross in the 500 meters advancing to the semifinals and then B Finals where they placed 8th with a time of 1:58:861.

Luke Potts and Cedric Bond came in 4th in their preliminary K-2 1,000 heat with at time of 3:26:710, which was fast enough to advance to the semifinals. In their semifinal race, they paddled fast enough for a berth in the B Finals and a 9th place finish with a time of 3:32.910. The same paring reached as far as the semifinals of the men’s K-2 500.

Similarly, Chelsea Smith and Katy Hill came in 5th in their K-2 1,000 heat with a time of 4:02:548. They advanced to the semifinals where their run ended. However, Smith and Hill also advanced through the semifinals

of the K-2 500, achieving 8th place in the B Finals with a time of 1:56.086.

Jarek McArthur, Nick Hanoian, Chris Miller and Zach Robertson competed well in the men’s K-4 1,000 ending with a time of 3:14:983, but missed the semifinals.

However, it was in the women’s K-4 where Team USA enjoyed the greatest success. In the K-4 500 meters, Cannie Ash, Morgan Smith, Giulia Anderson and Katelyn Dill paddled well enough to advance to the semifinals. Then, with a strong showing in the semifinals, the crew advanced to the B Finals. Even though a slight breeze made its way over the water for the finals, the four-woman crew sped ahead and claimed second place of the B Finals with a time of 1:42.257.

For full results, visit the event’s Web site by clicking here.

(left) Team USA juniors at the 2009 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Moscow; (below) U.S. women’s K-4 team that took 2nd place in the B Finals of the 500 meters.

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The Colorado River 100: A race for the expert and novice

By Debbie Richardson

They say everything’s bigger in Texas and this year’s Colorado River 100 Marathon Canoe and Kayak Race was no exception. On a holiday weekend when most people are drinking beer and grilling by the pool, 300 paddlers lined up outside their boats at the start in Bastrop, Texas, to take on the largest canoe race in the state.

Despite record-setting 100-degree temperatures and the prediction of low water due to the drought, the Lower Colorado River Authority provided an unpredictable and much appreciated dam release on race day which gave racers a nice water flow. As an added bonus, the weather was the coolest day that central Texas had experienced all summer.

“I saw a need for a marathon canoe and kayak race in Texas that would fill the gap between the shorter races and the 260-mile Texas Water Safari,” said Mike Drost, the race director and creator. “Having the event over Labor Day weekend gives everyone an extra day to recover.”

Since its first year in 2004 with 100 boats, the race has doubled in size and

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sold out with more than 200 boats and 300 racers in 2009. The race is divided into two classes: adventure and competitor, with both solo and tandem divisions in each. The race begins with a staggered start. Adventure class solos (with a record 80 boats this year) started first, followed by adventure class tandems 10 minutes later. Two hours behind, the competitor class solos start with the competitor tandems 10 minutes behind them. This gives the plastic boats and the less competitive racers a head start. This also gives the faster boats a target to chase down. It is designed so that a lot of the adventure class and competitor class racers finish at the same time.

For safety and tracking, all racers are required to turn in a bar code tag at the two check points and the adventure class has one extra mandatory check point in between. Most paddlers don’t mind the extra stop as it gives them an opportunity to resupply during the heat of the day and get ice packs.

Paddlers are allowed to receive full support along the way from friends, family and race crew, which creates a lot of excitement on the banks lined

with volunteers, spectators, kids and barking dogs.

This 100 mile portion of the Colorado River is a meandering, wide, tree lined river that has been described as free flowing and virtually hazard free.

Other than a few sweepers and some shallow rapids, the river is not technical and can be easily navigated by the novice paddler.

Drost hires a medical/ emergency team to monitor the race and manage the extraction of any racers should they need to be evacuated. Emergency exits are marked with reflectors and a map is handed out at the pre-race meeting to warn racers of an easily avoidable, yet potentially dangerous area that most reach after dark.

Every year the race attracts both recreational paddlers as well as pro athletes who come from all over the U.S. and Canada. The more competitive paddlers have a chance to race against the best in their class for cash awards. Special awards are given for other categories, such as the fastest overall times in a class, fastest plastic boat, fastest out of state racer and the

notorious “what were you thinking Deliverance Award” given this year to the team who came in last.

of the race speak for itself, it is Drost who has built this race into what it is today in just six short years.

when a new racer; and then live up to greater potential when experienced. It does not get old.”

The types of boats that enter are just as varied as their paddlers. This makes the mandatory Friday night check in an evening of entertainment as racers drop off their boats at the staging area.

The fact that this race appeals to both the novice and experienced paddler is a unique niche. Some show up on a whim or a bet and just want to finish. Others have raced every year and seek to improve their personal best or to break a previous record. No matter what the objective, 100 miles presents a challenge for paddlers of all levels of ability.

“I do think that the CR100 has shown better organization and management each year of its six year history,” said racer John Erskine. “Something about the race, distance and venue really captures people’s imagination. It is far enough that people see it as a major accomplishment, but not so far that they consider it out of reach. “This works to actually build the paddling community in a positive way all year round in ways that many other Texas races have not.”

The Colorado River 100 marathon canoe race takes place every Labor Day Weekend. Registration opens in February and fills up two months prior to the race. Organized group training days with shuttles are set up in the weeks before the event so paddlers can scout each section of the river as well as meet some of the other racers.

“I keep coming back for the same reason I would recommend the race to someone, said Texas racing veteran and four-time CR100 finisher, Ginsie Stauss. “Mike and his crew, year after year, build on what works but he always looks for ways to improve, organize and promote river awareness.”

While the popularity and the growth

For more information and race results visit the website at www.coloradoriver100.com.

The race offers opportunity for the veteran and the new paddler. When asked what keeps her coming back six years in a row, this year’s women’s solo winner, Erin Magee spoke up.

“The CR100 is the right course for the experienced to race. While the inexperienced gain experience and skill.

That’s a unique race environment to be found in any type of race, in any sport – anywhere,” Magee said. “The CR100 is something one can aspire to

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Will and Dave Anderson, overall winners of the 2009 Missouri River 340

The story from the point of the spear A recap of the Missouri River 340 from the front of the race One curious thing about ultra-marathon races is that paddlers and crews show up at the start with a year’s worth of anticipation. The fourth annual Missouri River 340 was no different. As start time approached on Aug. 4, so did a thunderstorm from central Kansas. As beautiful as the lightning display was, it meant a start delay for the safety of all concerned. Race director Scott Mansker, who runs a spectacular event each year, moved the start time back an hour, then another 30 minutes to let the storm pass. The smart racers shrugged it off thinking what is 90 minutes in a race that lasts as much as 88 hours?

The pent up energy was evident as paddlers, ground crews and spectators milled around Kaw Point with a nervous energy. Racers triple and quadruple checked their gear in order to take their mind off the delay.

The men’s tandem team of Los Humungos Paddleos from Illinois (Wally Werderich and Nick Josefik) provided

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some comic relief as they donned their luchador masks, tights and flowing capes while parading around the start area shouting challenges to other teams, entertaining their newfound fans and mugging for cameras.

Their braggadocio was backed up by a third-place overall finish – an effort that took many observers pleasantly by surprise. Their ground crew tossed mini bags of cookies to the crowd with the team logo emblazoned on them.

Leading up to the race, most prognosticators were pointing to the mixed tandem division as the group to watch, some even thinking one of these boats would make it to the finish in St. Charles, Mo., first.

The dynamics of the race changed even before it started as two top teams withdrew leaving the contenders of West Hansen/Katie Pfefferkorn, Chuck McHenry/Di McHenry and Ron Ladzinski/Hilary Kelly to entertain those following the race results. However, as the race unfolded early on, it was clear

that it would be the men’s tandem division instead that would offer the battle for podium positions.

At the first checkpoint, 50 miles into a race of 340 miles, it was evident the event would evolve into a seven-boat race for second place. This included two men’s tandems, three mixed tandems and two solo men who had all reached the Lexington, Mo., boat ramp within about 17 minutes of each other.

This flotilla was lead, however, by front runners Will and Dave Anderson from Washington State paddling their Huki OC2 clocking in at 4 hours 50 minutes. They had a 37-minute lead on the ICF C2 of Bryan Hopkins/Joe Mann who were only two minutes ahead of the McHenry’s Ruahine K2, the only kayak in the mix.

Pushing these two were Hansen/ Pfefferkorn in an unlimited C2 and Werderich/Josefik in a USCA pro boat who kept close to each other throughout most of the race. Phil Bowden of Texas, one of the two contending

solos in the lead group, eventually had injury trouble and had to withdraw leaving Santo Albright pushing his gull-winged Huki surf ski alone in front of the men’s solo division.

The Andersons reached the second checkpoint in 7½ hours still about half an hour ahead of Hopkins/Mann and the remaining boats just minutes behind them. Yet, with each subsequent checkpoint, the Andersons pulled away, demonstrating they were the class of this year’s race. By the time they reached the finish, they had amassed a nearly 2½-hour lead on the next boat.

By about the midway point, the Missouri River had claimed about 25 percent of the entries and the Hopkins/Mann boat took a strong hold on second place leaving a three-boat race for third. Through the night, the third-, fourth- and fifth-position boats negotiated the fog on the river where the Mchenrys were still battling with Hansen/Pfefferkorn and Werderich/ Josefik. However, through the next couple of checkpoints the effects of the hard push earlier from the McHenrys became noticeable and longer checkpoint stops allowed the two other boats to overtake them.

The buzz at each checkpoint was how far the Andersons had pulled away.

The ground crews of the following racers had all be meeting each other at the boat ramps getting to know each other. Yet, by this point, the Anderson ground crew was never seen again until the finish as their team had taken such a lead they were leaving the checkpoints before the next teams would arrive. This is was the sign that it was unlikely that anyone was going to touch these guys even if they had technical or physical problems.

With the McHenrys now in fifth place with no threat to their position by Ladzinski/Kelly, the final podium position was yet to be determined. By this point, it appeared that fatigue, dehydration and even a bit of malnutrition set in to these teams. In the miles

between the Herman checkpoint and the following Klonkike checkpoint, delirium began to set hard on Pfefferkorn who at one point thought she was in a car with a stranger. Hansen made an unplanned stop at Washington, Mo., where the ground crew re-rigged the steering to fit Hansen who now took the stern seat to allow Pfefferkorn to rest in the bow seat. This allowed Werderich/ Josefik to widen their narrow gap and take third overall position which they never would relinquish - about a hour behind Hopkins/ Mann in second.

Santo Albright men’s solo winner

Melanie Hof women’s solo winner

Final placings for the

2009 Missouri River 340 Women’s Solo

Melanie Hof 55:58

Natalie Courson 57:41

Jenna McClelland 65:53 Men’s Solo

Santo Albright 44:54

Jason Locke 47:30

Travis Konda 51:05 Women’s Tandem

Cami Ronchetto & Linda LaFontaine 61:50

Carol Heddinghause & Abigail Tuttle 65:02

Hanna Grow & Marissa Weber 78:48 Men’s Tandem

Dave & Will Anderson 38:50

Brian Hopkins & Joe Mann 42:22

Wally Werderich & Nick Josefik 43:24 Mixed Tandem

Katie Pfefferkorn & West Hansen 44:32

Chuck & Di McHenry 47:26

Hilary Kelly & Ron Ladzinski 51:50 Team Division

Green, Swartz, Wilson, Cowley 46:42

Ronk, Stoffells, Meyer, Beck, Brumley, Young 60:11

Gordon, Gordon, Geisinger 60:58

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