The plan was to use my first 32 km of Muskoka River X but I got lost in the fog right from the start and on my home course too hahaha. 2nd pic shows the fog around 8am 2hrs into race. So 32 km a week after 137 km let me test the possibility of River X and Red River 100 back to back. Felt strong today with 4 hrs and under being the goal. Winds from the east and 20 km gust gave lake Vernon some life lots of with the wind and into the wind today. Also twice I had to come to a complete stop because boaters cut me off. I guess the gas is getting to expensive to go a few hundred feet around someone these days! All in it was a great day on the water still summer like and fall colours in Muskoka.
Today was a day for distance, slight wind at my back and current in my favour here and there. Waves of many styles. Enjoyed the ride. I thought I had to log only 12 in so I stopped my watch and instantly started it again as I was not done and really wanted to see what distance today would bring. Super happy with the 17:52km
Needing both 10km and 1000m and time running out, I got home from work and went straight out. Temps still in the 20’s and some west winds, Set out on my 10 km loop to the east side of Huntsville and back going around Hunters bay to finish up. Still lots of boats out so I turned on the lights to be seen as I finished the night with the last sprint race of the season. With more practice on the turns I’ll eventually get the hang of sprint haha. The Endurance race being more my preference.
Excellent evening to paddle. At first I figured just a little training, once I got the rhythm….. it made sense to complete the 6km challenge and be apart of a beautiful evening. Had fun with turns and as dark set in stayed closer to shore and enjoyed zig zag play.
Learning all the time. Fell half way, climbed onto the board and co to use on. Now add wind. Tide must have changed so had to add a little curve at the end as I ran out of water space.
Wow, there were some tight finishes this spring! And we saw some serious speed. The Spring Classic and 500m sprint have closed, and we’ve moved into longer sprints and longer distance challenges as the season progresses. Keep up the good work and hard effort!
Monthly Prize Draw
Here’s the draw for the first round of races, picked randomly from everyone who submitted results in the month. We’ll also send out a little something for everyone that completes all 2023 events…
Ontario, B.C. and Alberta topped the podium in the men’s race, and Quebec also snuck into the top 10 – we love to see it. Tim Oliver and Mike Darbyshire finished 1 second apart, a rivalry we’ll surely see all season. Dan Miller took the third spot with a strong sub-6:00 pace.
In the female division, Alexia Morgans from B.C. topped the pack with a very strong 6:39 pace over the 4 km box. Lisa Beaudoin continues to get stronger taking the 2nd spot, and B.C. (Kimberly Kenyon) rounded out the podium. Great efforts across the board by the girls/ladies this spring – there is some serious speed out there, and we keep seeing improvement, which we love.
Other Final Results
The 500m sprint also finished with some very tight results. Tim and Mike paddled to a dead even finish, while Alexia topped the women’s podium again. Check out the final results:
It’s still early days, and a few paddlers have already logged downwind and distance challenges, but we see a few tight battles shaping up in the 2023 season ranking. Here is where we stand heading into July (results will change in real time as races get posted).
On the female side, Lisa Beaudoin is off to a flying start:
Snuck out for an early Sunday morning paddle trying to claim top spot in the Spring Classic. First half felt great but as I rounded the second corner I realized I had some opposing current. Had to work real hard to keep the pace up for the last 2km. Thought maybe I still had a chance at the top SUP time but alas I ended up 1 second short behind Tim…
Early morning Canada Day paddle in Deep Cove with friends. There was almost no wind and it wasn’t to hot. 4km is a fun distance, not to short but not to long.
Alexia
We did this during dart practice with Mike and Katie. I raced Elias. I had a pretty good turn. There was a bit of wind from the side but not too bad. I still need to work on my sprinting.
