Hey Everyone! 

So it’s been a month since my last BIG race .. the 2nd Annual Battle of the Paddle put on by Rainbow Sandals in Dana Pt. CA. It was an exciting weekend – 3 events spread out over 2 days. The first day was the highly anticipated Elite race. There were over 100 competitors and thousands of spectators watching on the beach. The conditions were, well, pretty rough for how the course was set-up. We had to race around buoys that were setup in and out of the surf zone then hit the beach, run up and back down, jump back on our boards and do it all again 4 times. In the end, it came down to luck: were you lucky enough to catch a wave or unlucky enough to get hit by one. It wasn’t my lucky day. I lost my board the 3rd lap and watched it drift to shore – only to be stopped by another competitor (THANK YOU!). In the final lap I was battling for 3rd place but as we came around the last critical buoy I got cleaned out by a big set and watched 3rd place slip away… I ended up finishing 5th overall. It was a tough race, the carnage was unbelievable but it was a great learning experience and I look forward to going back next year!! 

The 2nd day I entered the 10-mile distance race and the Surf Relay race. After paddling in sub-par conditions on a board that just didn’t work for me I ended up in 3rd overall for the girls. I was happy to place but disappointed that I had not done better… but you learn more from the ones you lose, right?! 

The final event was the Surf Relay race and out of the 3 events it was by far the most “fun”. I teamed up with the boys from Naish: Dave Kalama, Michi Schweiger & Jerry Bess. Each member of the team had to paddle out and around 2 buoys, attempt to catch and ride in any incoming wave, paddle to shore, run through the beach course and tag the next team rider. Each team had to complete 2 laps. On my 2nd lap I caught a wave from close to 200 yards out – it was a great wave until I got cleaned out by a girl who had lost control of her board – luckily, my leash came in handy and I managed to recover quickly and race to shore. Out of over 30 teams we placed 6th!! Pretty excited about that! 

A big thanks to Rainbow Sandals for another amazing event!!  And to my sponsors: Watermans Applied Science, Nau & Horny Toad Clothing, Pure Paddles, Kaenon & H20 Audio!

Check out these links for video of some race carnage…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jttFGAjD-Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fw0VO5qsOo

Got an exciting paddling adventure coming up… I will keep you all posted!

Pura Vida,

Jenny