SUP Race Report: CGT Summer Series #4

Race: Race #4 in the CGT Summer Time Trial series.

Date it happened: 24 July 2016.

Host: CGT Kayaks and Paddleboards, which you can become a groupie of by joining the CGT Tribe facebook page.

Location: Riverside Park on the Imperial River in downtown Bonita Springs, Florida.

Distance: 5.96 km / 3.7 miles. The course goes downriver ~1.5 km, around a permanent buoy, back upriver to the start, then around an inflatable buoy and downriver again for a second lap. There is an option to do just one lap (~2.97 km), and a few people took that option this time.

Conditions: Hot and humid, despite some cloud cover for the first 20 minutes of the race. The river level was high and the current was significant at 0.95 kph, based on analysis with my paddling in current calculator.

Participants: There were 12 racers; 3 women and 9 men, which is pretty good for a Sunday morning the day after another exhausting race. All the women and 9 of the men did the longer 2 lap race, while the remaining 3 men did one lap. Though some of the regulars were absent, we got new blood in the form of two fit teenagers, Kaydi Archer and Tadem Stewart.

Gear: I used my 14x22 Riviera RP, the Blue Streak, with my Riviera Vantage R8 paddle and a 6" Fins Unlimited keel style fin. I loaned my 14x23.75 Riviera RP, Fletchy, to Bryan Herrick, who is probably going to buy it. Devin Turetzkin went from 12'6 back to his 14x25 Riviera for this race. Justin DiGiorgio is waiting for a new custom Hovie to arrive, and in the meantime raced the shop's 14x25 Riviera. Kaydi Archer rode a 12'6 Riviera, I'm not sure what width. Tadem Stewart was on a 14x27 Yolo with a non-weedless fin. Jen Hayes and Mark Athanacio were on Hovie Comet GT's- Jen on 12'6x24 and Mark on 14x21.5.

Results: In the one lap division Mark Athanacio overcame a bad cold to do a blazingly fast 18:42. He would have beaten his 2-lap course record had he done another lap at that pace. Rounding out the 1 lap division were Justin DiGiorgio with 20:12 and Bryan Herrick with 21:38. In the two lap division Damien Lin was the fastest lady with a personal best 48:06. Jen Hayes also had a good run with 49:36, followed by Kaydi Archer in 51:02. I was the fastest 2-lap guy with 38:01, followed by Devin Turetzkin's 42:29 and John Weinberg's 44:28. Devin and John's times were both personal bests, and faster than young Tadem Stewart's 44:34. Nice! Tadem is going to have to step it up if he wants to catch us old guys. First thing he needs to do is get a weed-shedding fin so he's not dragging a birdnest of leaves and pine needles around the course. Full results will be posted on the CGT time trials page.

Play by play: I started with Devin, Bryan, and Jen. Devin had a really fast start and his bow was ahead of mine for a bit before he got behind me to draft. Bryan who is making the awkward transition from 27" wide to 23.75" wide board wobbled in our wakes at the starting line and lost touch with Devin and me. I never looked back, but I could tell from the splashing sounds that Devin drafted me for a little while, then dropped off. On the first leg of the race I focused on pacing, form, and making the most of the river current. After the downriver buoy turn I saw that Athanacio, who started in the second group, was already catching Devin, but Devin was well ahead of Bryan. For the first upriver leg I increased my cadence and changed my focus from staying IN the current to staying OUT of the current. I was actually feeling OK physically, heart rate not too high yet, and I enjoyed being able to think about form and strategy instead of just suffering. Rounding the upriver buoy and beginning the second lap I started pushing harder to compensate for being more tired. I saved my maximum effort for the final upriver leg, which is where I really started to top out with respect to heartrate and feelings of exhaustion. It felt great when the race was over, and I was pleased with my official time, which was a couple seconds faster than last time, though not a course record or a personal best.

Coach Athanacio says it's dangerous as a competitor to share too many specifics about your own performance and training, because it can inform opponents who might capitalize on that information to beat you in the next race. For example, most pros wouldn't share their speeds / times / heartrates like I do on my blog and on Strava. But since I'm coming at SUP racing more from a geeky hobbyist perspective than from a pure competitor's perspective, I'll probably continue to keep my performance record open for whoever wants to geek out along with me. With that in mind, here's my GPS track and data from the race. You have to log in to Strava to see the details.


After the race we had a good little buffet/party at CGT Kayaks and Paddleboards. The race team members (including me) paid our dues for another month of training with Mark Athanacio. We decided that we're going to hold our practices rain-or-shine, doing gym work when lightning keeps us off the water. We also committed to working on our weaknesses. I could probably benefit from working on race skills like beach starts, buoy turns, getting in and staying in fast draft trains, passing, holding off people trying to pass me, and not fading in longer races. I also need to learn how to be fast in rough water and wind.

SUP Race Report: Mark Athanacio's "No Name Race" sup / run

Race: The 4th running of Mark Athanacio's traditional "No Name Race"

Date it happened: 23 July 2016

Host/Sponsor: Mark Athanacio organized it, and Jen Hayes, Stephanie Dangler, Aaron Thomas, and other local paddlers helped set it up. It was free.

Location: In front of the Vanderbilt Beach Club hotel on Vanderbilt Beach, Naples, Florida.

Distance: One lap on the SUP course was about 925 meters, and one lap on the beach running course was about 900 meters. We did four alternating laps of each.

Conditions: It was warm and humid, but not that bad because we started around 0830 when the sun was still low. The ocean was flat as a lake and the water was quite clear by SW Florida standards.

Participants: There was a pretty good turnout for an informal race, with a mix of local SW Florida racers and Mark Athanacio's buddies from across the state in SE Florida. There was good representation from the ladies side, with super fit Mini De Cunha Marageth Lagace and Mary Ann Boyer, plus Amanda Portwood, Damien Lin, Saralane Harrer, and others. On the men's side the out-of-town hotshots included Jake Portwood and Packet Casey. From the CGT Race Team the guys were Murray Hunkin, Mark Hourigan, Justin DiGiorgio, me, and Athanacio himself.

Gear: I used my 14x22 Riviera RP, the Blue Streak, with my Riviera Vantage R8 paddle and a 6" Fins Unlimited keel style fin. Mark Athanacio wasn't going to race because he's sick, but at the last minute he decided to race on Jen Hayes' 12'6x24 Hovie Comet GT. Packet Casey rode a brand new 14x23 JP Australia flatwater raceboard. Jake Portwood rode a 14x24 Hovie Comet ZXC. Mark Hourigan rode a 14x23 Riviera. Murray Hunkin was on an older 14x28 Bark. Saralane rode a nice looking 12'6x26 carbon Riviera that she recently bought from Jen Hayes.

Results: Times weren't recorded for this race, just finishing order, which was written in sharpie on tongue depressor sticks handed out at the finish line. But lots of the racers recorded their own times. First place was Jake Portwood, followed by Packet Casey, followed by me (47:28), followed by Mark Athanacio. I think Jake and Packet finished in around 45:00. I lost track of the finishing order after Athanacio.

Play by play: Though the first leg of the race was a sup leg, the start itself actually involved a bit of running. We had to stand touching our boards near the edge of the water, but with our paddles in the sand about 10 meters behind us. So the first thing we did was run backwards to get our paddles, then we grabbed our boards and ran down into the water. I had a decent start and rounded the first buoy about a board length behind Athanacio, who was about a length behind Packet, who was about a length behind Jake. I didn't kill myself to get a good drafting position, since I figured everything was going to change at the transitions, anyway. Instead, I paced myself somewhat conservatively, being unsure how much the running segments would wear me down, and wanting to be able to maintain a steady pace throughout the race. Jake and Packet extended their lead, but I remained within a few board lengths of Athanacio. At that time I didn't realize Athanacio was on a 12'6, or I might have been shamed into trying to go faster on my 14.

The first running leg went OK. The most tiring part was the sea-to-land transition, plucking my board out of the water, running it uphill, and parking it facing the water for the next lap. The sand was nice and soft, for better or worse. I.e., it didn't hurt my feet, but it took more energy to run on than a hard surface, so my pace was more like a fast jog than a true running pace. Once back on the water I felt more in my element, and felt good about my pacing. I did the second running lap much the same as the first, a little behind Athanacio, but increasingly far behind Jake and Packet. Athanacio took a water break at the end of the second run, and I passed him, but he was close enough behind to ride my draft for most of a lap when we got back on the water. Eventually the speed advantage of my 14' board was enough to break away, and I moved more securely into 3rd place. For the last laps I kept a nice, steady pace, with the exception of falling at the final buoy turn on the water lap.

Here's my GPS track and data from the race. You have to use your imagination to see the running part, which was going north along the beach parallel to the sup track.


Although the race was a tough challenge, it felt like a great workout, and I liked the mix of sup and soft sand running. We'll see what sore muscles I discover tomorrow.

What's Next: Tomorrow morning there's another CGT Summer Series race, so I'll be doing that.

Rhonda Races! CGT Summer Race Series #3

Race: Race #3 in the CGT Summer Time Trial series.

Date it happened: 10 July 2016.

Host: CGT Kayaks and Paddleboards, which you can become a groupie of by joining the CGT Tribe facebook page.

Location: Riverside Park on the Imperial River in downtown Bonita Springs, Florida.

Distance: 5.96 km / 3.7 miles. The course goes downriver ~1.5 km, around a permanent buoy, back upriver to the start, then around an inflatable buoy and downriver again for a second lap. There is an option to do just one lap (~2.97 km), and a few people took that option this time.

Conditions: Same as last time- Sunny, hot and humid with not much breeze. Even the river water was hot. Based on analysis with my paddling in current calculator, the current was 0.7 kph, which is about the same as it was in race #2.

Participants: There were 14 racers, which is a great turnout for a midsummer Sunday morning in little Bonita Springs. For the 1-lap race we had Jim and Michelle McIntyre, and my wife Rhonda. Yes, you read that right. RHONDA did this race. I am so proud of her! In the two-lap race it Jen Hayes and a bunch of dudes. Dudes on 12'6 boards included Bryan Herrick, Matt Kearney, and Devin Turetzkin. Dudes on 14' boards included Mark Athanacio, Mark Payne, Jon Weinberg, Justin DiGiorgio, Jared Hamilton, Steve Fleming, and me.

Gear: I used my 14x22 Riviera RP, the Blue Streak, with my Riviera Vantage R8 paddle and a 6" Fins Unlimited keel style fin. Rhonda rode a Fanatic Falcon 14x27.25, which was originally Justin DiGiorgio's board, then my board, now officially Rhonda's. She used an Angulo paddle and a Riviera Commando fin. Jen Hayes usually rides a Riviera but this time she rode Mark Athanacio's 12'6x24 Hovie Comet GT. Athanacio rode his 14x21.5 Hovie. Steve Fleming is associated with Naish boards, and rode a slick looking Naish Javelin.

Results: In the one lap division Steve and Michelle McIntyre got 22:13 and 27:27, respectively, and Rhonda coasted gracefully to third with 33:22. I got first place in the two lap division with 38:05, which is slower than my race #2 time (37:47), but faster than my race #1 time (38:18). Course record holder Mark Athanacio didn't go all out this time, instead making the sensible decision to jump in the water occasionally to cool off. Nevertheless, he easily got second place with 39:54. Third overall and first on 12'6 was Matt Kearney in 42:53, just ahead of Justin DiGiorgio's 42:56 on a 14' board. That was a hard fought victory for Matt, who was specifically trying to beat his pal Justin. Second and third 12'6s were Devin Turetzkin in 45:07 and Jen Hayes in 51:38. Full results will be posted on the CGT time trials page.

Play by play: I'm learning that my race really begins about a week before the actual start. How much I work out, how much rest I get, what I eat and drink, and how calm or stressed I am makes a considerable difference in how hard the race feels. This week had three SUP workouts as usual, but I had to shuffle them to odd days, including the day before the race. I also had a non-normal eating, sleeping, and work schedule, and some other stresses that put me a little off-kilter. However, I knew Rhonda would be doing the race, her first ever, and that filled me with joyful energy.

On race morning Rhonda and I walked our boards to the race site, schmoozed with the other racers, and did a little warm-up paddling. It was too dang hot to warm up much, though, so mostly we soaked in the river to stay cool. The race directors offered to let us start earlier than usual because of the heat, so we lined up around 0840. It was great to be next to Rhonda at the start. Matt Kearney and Devin Turetzkin also started in our wave. Athanacio was just arriving by board to the race site when we were lined up to start, so he probably didn't have long to get situated before he started in about the third group. At the start I sprinted pretty hard to make sure I was in front of Devin and Matt, but I switched over to steady race pace early. Rhonda managed not to fall in the rough water of our wakes, and set out on her own steady pace. Matt Kearney stayed in my draft for several hundred meters, but eventually his splashing sounds faded away.

I felt a little off-balance physically and tried to focus on proper form to find the right groove and pacing. After the downriver buoy turn, on the first upriver leg, I saw the other racers pretty evenly spaced out. Matt and Devin were closest, but Justin and Athanacio were not far behind them. I saved about half a breath to say something brief and encouraging to Rhonda when we passed. Upriver in the heat sucked, but I thought about something from the book I'm reading, "The Boys in the Boat" about a University of Washington crew team in the 1930s. Their coach would tell them, "M.I.B.," mind-in-boat to keep them focused on the immediate task at hand- making the boat go fast. I tried to do the same with focusing on making my board go fast. After the upriver buoy turn, starting the second lap, I tried to go nearly as fast as I'd gone on the first lap, with moderate success. On the final upriver leg I did the same, but it took a lot of effort, with my heart rate up to 192 by the finish line. My average speeds on the four legs were 10.3, 8.8, 10.0, and 8.7 kph. I was quite happy with my final time even though it wasn't a personal best.

Here's my GPS track and data from the race. You have to go into Strava to see the details like HR and stuff. Several of the other race team members are now on Strava, as well, and when we paddle at the same time and location Strava figures out that we're in a race together and activates a cool animated replay feature called "Flyby".


The socializing at CGT after the race was especially nice today with Rhonda there. A lot of our talk centered around local and broader South Florida environmental problems, though, which was tough. "Calusa John" Paeno has become a very strong advocate for Everglades Restoration and local water quality issues, and he let us know about some of his efforts to bring the changes we need. An unfortunate corollary of this summer's bad water quality is that CGT's Lover's Key paddleboard race had to be canceled. There's too much dirty, dangerous polluted water, nasty algae, and dead seagrass in Estero Bay now for CGT to want to invite out of town racers to the area. :(

What's Next: More training, more paddling for fun with Rhonda, and more science and environmental activism.