This Sunday I did my first real long distance race ... the Loyalsock Flatwater Challenge in Pennsylvania. The course was 12 miles long and while that is not a long distance for me to paddle I had never paddled 12 miles without stopping. I really had no idea what it would feel like or if I would even enjoy it. My first race was a real learning experience. First, I found out that racing can be lots of fun. And second I found out that there are very few women racing. As a female all you have to do is show up to get a medal. So for this race I was the only female in the racing class. The rest were all men. And I was sure I would come in last. Actually I came in not far from last. But I kept an incredible pace. I did the 12 mile course in 2:03:34. I was ecstatic. And it gets even better. It turns out that this was a State Championship Race. So now I'm the Women's PA State Kayak Champion for 2006! What a blast!

I love racing!

Saturday I drove half-way to Pennsylvania and spent the evening at Christine's house. Christine used to race competitively so I was honored when she invited me to stay at her house the day before the race. After cooing over her three adorable dogs and adoring her custom built pond and waterfall, we had dinner and discussed ... racing. (Oh, we also discussed regular girl stuff ... relationships and uggh MEN but I won't go into that here.) She helped me perfect my water system and told me stories about her racing career. Then we watched the Brent Reitz Forward stroke video before calling it a night. Originally Christine and I were to drive up to the race together but her daughters invited her to spend the day with them in Philly. One of them just turned 19! So we had our morning coffee and parted company.

I got to Williamsport around 9:30 ... way before the scheduled start of registration at 11:00. But I knew Christine's friend Ron K. would be there. He was one of the organizers and also a racer. I think he told me he finished first in the Nationals four times! In other words, he's fast. The first thing I noticed about Ron was his boat. He paddles a V10. And the boat next to him was a V10. Then the cars started rolling in ... and they were all topped with surfskis and racing kayaks. I knew this was a competitive race but Christine had told me there would be plenty of "plastic bathtubs". I wasn't seeing any plastic bathtubs so I started to get a little worried.



The race was split into two classes: the recreational class would do a 6 mile loop up and down the river and the racing class would do two loops for a 12 mile course. Ron put me in the racing class but I was worried that I would hold things up because these were serious racers. All men. And I knew I was going to come in last. That was a given. I just didn't want to come in too far behind because I knew they would wait for me before giving out the awards.



My friend Susan, from Philly, was also racing that day but in the recreational class. Susan was paddling a Solstice that has served her well in many, many races ... but she's also the proud new owner of a Mark 1 surfski by Custom Kayaks. I met Susan for the first time when we were both doing a training paddle around Kent Island. And we were surprised by our similar preferences in boats. Both Susan and I own purple kayaks. And both Susan and I had bought Fuschia (hot pink) surfskis. And of course, our names are both Susan, although I go by Susanita most of the time now.



Both Susan and I were in awe at the number of racing kayaks that were coming in. We kept looking for the plastic bathtubs but there weren't any. I think the total turnout for the race was somewhere near 40! We found out later that this race was a state championship race so it was well-attended by serious racers. I've never seen so many Epic kayaks in one place!

I usually carry two pieces of electronic equipment when I paddle the surfski: my GPS and my waterproof IPOD. I adjusted my IPOD and switched it on to a selection of fast kayak music I had selected specifically for the race ... mostly AC/DC with a little Bon Jovi thrown in. But the GPS had run out of juice. As it turns out I think that may have worked in my favor.

The racing class started first. The guys were quite impressed with my hot pink surfski and the hot pink bandana I wear around my neck. Several commented that I was the most color coordinated racer out there. If I had to come in last, at least I'd come in last in style.

The super serious racers bolted ahead of me right away. I found a slower pack at the rear and just tried to keep pace with them. The first three miles were probably the worst. I didn't warm up prior to the race so I had a lot of lactic acid burning in my forearms. By mile 5 the burn was gone and I started to settle into a comfortable pace. By mile 8 I was cooking. I had no idea how fast I was going I just kept paddling harder trying to keep pace with the last group of men. When I finally finished and heard my time I was floored. I did a 12 mile race in 2:03:34! This was an incredible time for me. It meant I was paddling at or above 6 mph for a good portion of the course. I was ecstatic!

And here's the best part. As I was chatting with the other racers after the course, Ron runs over to me and says, "How would you like to compete for the state championship?" So I said, "Sure, why not?" So now I'm the Women's PA State Kayak Champion for 2006!



How cool is that???

-Susanita