A Quick Personal Story

Good morning everyone. I hope you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving last week. For me, it was a good time to add some calories that I’d soon be burning off.

While I won’t bore you with all the details, I spent most of this past weekend paddling a stand-up paddleboard in 3.3-mile loops within a water park in Sarasota FL. The race is called Last Paddler Standing. Sounds fun, right?

The main event went up to 48 hours of continuous one-hour loops. A “super loop” of about 4.9 miles kicked in at lap 49 – more on that in a minute.

Finish each loop however fast you want but the next one starts at the top of the next hour and if you miss it you’re out. You could drink while paddling but eating or otherwise taking care of yourself all had to be done between loops.

This sort of thing exists in the running world and is often referred to as a “backyard ultra”, but to my knowledge it’s unique in paddling. Races like this draw experienced pros and weekend-warriors like me – it’s a good mix.

Each loop began at the top of the hour and took most paddlers about 45-50 minutes to complete. This often left me with 15 minutes during the early loops but more like 10-12 as the loops wore on. Sleep? Forget about it. It’s amazing how much you can do to reset yourself in a few minutes but it really takes a toll on your body and mind as the hours roll on.

I ended up completing 31 laps, top six if I recall correctly. This meant 31 hours of paddling a long rectangular loop while a cold north wind blew the entire time, sometimes with a vengeance. You’d ride the wind down but struggle against it most of the way back. It was so strong at times that it just seemed ridiculous. There’s nothing quite like being cold, wet, and windblown – definitely not what a California Boy expects to find in Florida.

Anyway, my 31 laps were eclipsed by the remaining five paddlers who each went the full 48, as I recall.

Then the super loop kicked in with its added distance, but into that same north wind. Yikes. Incredibly strong/professional paddlers attempted it and failed to finish in the allotted hour.

Still, two managed to finish the first super loop. Just prior to beginning the second super loop, one backed out, leaving the remaining paddler to complete one loop on his own within the allotted time to win the race.

Imagine this… you’ve just paddled for 49 hours in challenging conditions with hydration and food when possible, but no meaningful rest. Then you’ve got to do it one more time, alone, and with weather conditions that were only getting worse. You paddle your brains out and end up finishing about 30 seconds too late. Congratulations on your accomplishment but no, you didn’t “win” the race, the course won. Still, the guy absolutely crushed it and it was one of those inspiring moments that you don’t see very often, even though he didn’t make it in time.

While the final race result was a heartbreaker, my experience was good. I had a few trips down into the pain cave but my wife and kids (my crew), and comradery with friends helped me keep going. Additionally, the other racers, their crews, and the race staff all came together in rough weather to create something special. I plan to sign up for it again but I sincerely hope for better weather next time. Optimism… it gets me into trouble sometimes.

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