Tuesday Night Paddle Sport Races - Current Results

July 14, 2009 Results

Race Commentary:

It was the Annual "Great Kayak Swap" multi-sport race which features a 4 km paddle with a 3km run and a 200metre swim. Very popular with those who show up and I guess not so popular with the many who stayed away. I guess people paddle because its such a great low-impact sport and the running tends to be tough on the old knees etc. But the swim to Jug Island and back and so pretty and the run is from Belcarra to Jug Island and is very spectacular with some nice views of Bedwell Bay.

So Jack, our token Scottish employee and Adam our token Aussie Stand Up Paddle Board instructor had thrown out a challenge. Their goal was to beat the boss (me) at his own game (TNR). There was lots of trash talking leading up to the race and Jack who is a good trash talker and a pretty good runner, well better than I, (and that's not saying much) had already beat me in the Lesser Kayak Swap.

Jack caught and passed me on the run from Belcarra and I knew there would be the standard Jack mooning Bob as he ran past me so I beat him to act by yanking his shorts down. This nearly tripped him up, and I wish it had. From all reports Adam was quite the swimmer, being an Aussie I guess that's a given. On the run, I saw that Adam was in Second place going the other way with only Ty Gee ahead of him, so he must have picked up a few placings on the swim. Terry and Ty were last year's and maybe the year before that, defending champs. So it didn't appear that I would catch them. I had partnered with my brother in -law, Don, from New Zealand and Warren Bruce who had partnered with Lucas. I after arriving at the Swim with no Jack in sight I quickly gave up hope.

Carolyn Hubbard had also caught me close to the swim. On the weekend she had competed in a Half Iron Man where she finished in 1st place for the masters, making her Canadian Champion!! You get pretty dizzy from the swim and re-mounting the surf ski can be challenging. Carolyn proved this to be true.

So the highlight of my evening was the finish. Now all common advice I have read on goal setting in sport says that your goals should be based on personal performance and not "beating the other person" . Not that I have ever followed that advice. It became apparent that Greg "wash your mouth out with soap" Hope doesn't either and, together with his brother Rod, had high hopes (pun intended) of beating my team. Subsequently, Greg became very annoyed after capsizing within spitting distance from the finish line only to see team Putnam-Hunt-Bruce paddle pass his sorry ass. He was in fact spitting because the capsize was a result safety boat wake. We had a cheering section on the dock that comprised of Don's four daughters ages 10 - 16, my other son Seth at 10 years. As Greg's head resurfaced there was a tirade of unmentionable language spewing from his mouth. My wee, 10 year old, sweet and innocent niece Brianna, was quite please with herself for catching it on video, "He said the F-Word and-everything" (to be said with a NZ accent) I am presuming the F-Word was Flipped and not the F-Bomb. It wasn't so much the content as the volume. Diners at Arms Reach Bistro on Gallant St paused between bites of their Curried Butter Chicken and Chad Salad to say, "Oh my! Sound like somebody's upset" The next morning it became apparent how impressionable 10 year olds are. Wee Brianna's mother asked her to clear the breakfast dishes from the table and Brianna launched into a monologue reminiscent of Greg's Rant.

Thanks to The Peak 100.5 for coming out. Vancouver needs a new radio station and The Peak has a nice mix. Especially if you are tired of listening to Stones Sympathy for the Devil for the umpteenth thousands time. Tune In sometime.

Next week paddle only and the following week it will be the race of truth, no team mates, solo, Mano o Mano, Womeno o Womeno, Womeno o Mano…..you get the picture. The Maple Beach Multisport. 2 km Paddle to Belcarra, 1.5 km run to Admiralty Point, 250metre swim to Maple Beach, Run back to Belcarra and Paddle back to Deep Cove. It's a great paddle, great run, great swim, GREAT RACE! Jack you are going Down!

Check out Viv's photos for this weekes Awesome photos. If you are interested in purchasing an image Viv charges $5/shot Vivsphotography@telus.net

Bob

Race Result:

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