Never did a SUP race and never stepped foot on a SUP race board so I thought it might be fun to do the Hennessey River Race. It was billed as an 18 mile river race down the mighty Colorado River. I got up at 4:00 AM Thursday morning and drove down to San Clemente and picked up Kyle Mochizuki and Ron House. We left San Clemente around 1:00 PM and arrived at The Golden Nugget in Laughlin, Nevada around 6:00 PM. As we pulled in the parking lot I asked the guys "How can the race be 18 miles when the sign says 26 miles to Needles? Maybe the river is more direct?" We did some last minute work on Kyle's 18 foot race board in the Nugget parking lot then we ate dinner and hit the sack. Woke up Friday morning and headed to the starting line. This was when I first realized that these guys take this racing stuff serious!! I also realized that my one water bottle and no food was not enough to keep a race pace for 18 miles. So I bummed a Goo pouch from Kyle and off we went. First the knee guys take off, then the stock SUP guys and then the unlimited guys (us). I soon realized that my bottle of water and goo pack was not even close to what I needed to haul ass for 18 miles. As it turned out, the race was 28 miles long and I was drinking river water at about the 20 mile mark to keep going. The river water tasted like gas from all the Jet Skis and drag boats that haul ass up and down with dudes smoking cigarettes and drinking shit loads of Budweiser while trying to keep there mullets out of their eyes. All in all it was a super fun race and a super good time floating down 28 miles of the beautiful Colorado River. I will for sure do this race next year and come totally prepared for the distance with lots of food and water on board. Now I am just waiting for that gnarly feeling when the amoebas from the river water start partying in my stomach. OUT.
4 comments:
Going down current it must feel like you're flying. How long did it take to finish? How much water and food do you think you'll need next year? (The mullet remark is still killin' me! How much beer does it take for someone to get a mullet anyway?)
srfnff-Don't fear the mullet! I'm not sure how long my race was. I didn't have a watch but I know the winner (Chuck Patterson) did it in around 3 hours. Kyle was second at around 3:02. My guess was that I was around 3:20ish. I have no idea. As soon as the race was over we jumped in the Pooper and hit the road back to San Clemente. The current was fast but it didn't help. You are still paddling as hard as you can for over 3 hours. Next year a few bottles of water and about 6 Goo packs should do the trick. Hell, maybe even a beer might be the call. OUT.
Frickin' hilarious report. Should've stuck around for a couple of beers after the race. I saw the pooper and I almost approached who I thought was you... but then realized it was Ron House. That would've been embarrassing.
Next time!
john-I walked around and asked about 10 guys who they were thinking you would be one of them but soon gave up. That race was a bitch with no food and water. I later found that Chuck Patterson was drinking river water as well so now I don't feel so bad. Next year will be better.
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