Just Three Days Away - the Battle of the Paddle

Custom Board Carnage

Elite Race Map- What the What?!

There are only three more days until the biggest stand up paddleboarding race goes off at Dana Point, California this weekend- the Battle of the Paddle. This year, there are so many elite entrants that there will be two qualifying races before the Elite finals on Saturday. That's one extra chance to have your board dented, dinged, cracked, or broken. And for those who survive unscathed, there is the long race format on Sunday.

I really like the idea of the race format - in and out of the surf zone, around buoys, and a run through the sand gauntlet, then repeat. It goes back to my cyclocross days, I guess. And being the biggest race of the year brings a certain carnival sense to it all. A huge expo, board demos, classes, and more. To some degree it's overblown commercial hype. But it'd be interesting to see nonetheless. Unfortunately, they've done away with the live web feed for the racing this year. So I guess I won't be able to figure out how those pros are so much faster than me. It's probably for the best.