Battle of the Thames, A Capital idea.

Battle of the Thames, A Capital Idea.

After getting Saturdays off for the beginning of the season and our town’s football season coming to an end I decided to look into summer SUP races. Normally missing out on summer races I didn’t really know what to expect. After having a browse through the list on Supboardermag I saw Battle of the Thames, it looked a good distance (10miles) and also a chance to race somewhere a bit different. Also it turned out it would be a chance to race alongside one of the sports leading athletes Jamie Mitchell how was over in England promoting his new DVD (Decade of Dominance). I looked into the categories and was a little miffed there was no unlimited class which meant my beloved K-15 would have to stay at home this time, but it was refreshing to see ISUP classes and thought it would be an ideal time to put the red race 12’6” through its paces in its first competitive line up. This would also help with my travel arrangements as I could pack it into its bag and travel up via the train after work and remove the tiresome drive.

The day before the race soon came around fast enough, I had done all I could possibly to prepare myself for the race on a board I don’t normally use for speed. For 2 weeks I got up extra early and meant for a 6 mile paddle before work to get used to the lack of glide compared to my K15 or Ace Pro. My day at work was spent mostly wandering if I had everything organised and if the logistics of travel would run smoothly. Having rarely used trains in my life it was all still a bit unnerving as to whether I was on the correct train or not. I almost did miss one of my change overs running down the platform but made it just in time.

After a relatively sleepless night in the hotel I had to think about a fairly important part of any race morning, Breakfast. I tried to load up on slow release foods such as muesli and bananas and also plenty of proteins. I made my way from the hotel to the race start and then started to get into the right frame of mind mentally and set myself some goals. Apon arriving I was greeted by a good friend and fellow 11 cities paddle Ali Pereira and she went over the necessary health and safety blurb. I got signed up and started to inflate the board. Many familiar faces started turn up from all over the country and it was clear it was going to be a big event, so for the second time already this year I had been part of the UKs biggest SUP event, 110 paddlers this time including 11 internationals. I proceeded to polish my board and paddle as part of my ritual for racing.

 

 

It was soon time for the race briefing and then the start. I was fairly confidant but there was some very good competition to go up against. Once again my start was awful but I don’t think I was the only one caught out by a slightly earlier than expected klaxon, once the initial dash was over I tried to look for someone slightly faster than me to draft but to no avail. I kept on going until after the first buoy and thought I’d have my chance to slot in, knowing Marie would be a strong paddler I tried to catch her but she was keeping the gap just out of reach. Peter Hamilton Vale came past me on an inflatable just after the bridge and so I tucked in behind him and though I’d have an energy gel, by the time I messed around with it he had created a gap I couldn’t quite catch and was paddling with serious intent of catching the yellow inflatable Naish board just ahead of us. At this stage I was under the impression that those 2 were second and third in the inflatable class and Sam ross was first a small way ahead of them but he turn out to be on the 14ft which I didn’t find out till later.  As we approached the lower marker I saw Jamie Mitchell had already got a fair lead over Simmo in second and Ryan in third, not a lot changed placement wise till half way back on the next lap, I was desperately trying to catch the guy with the red hydration pack but he kept a constant gap and was looking back every now and then and then upping his pace. Just past the top marker and paddling under the bridges again one of the veterans Tim Rowe came cruising up confidently on a Naish board, I tagged in behind and took a breather and took on some water. We ended up spending most of the race together and having a bit on the chat on the way both helping each other by keeping motivated and side tracked from exhaustion and pain. We couldn’t close the gap on the few in front but we also have a fair size gap behind us so it felt fairly safe. By the third lap I was starting to settle into a rhythm and could have happily done a forth but fair play to Tim for pulling away on the final stretch. I was pleased to get a Third and First place medals but the day wasn’t over just yet. We waited for everyone to finish the race and then had a BBQ and then it was time for the Sprint races. I wasn’t overly keen for this as it’s not my strong suit but I was willing to give it my best shot. Everyone had an equal chance with 5 identical inflatable boards to take round a 150m dash round a buoy and back. I was lucky enough to go through the first round, I was at the back leading up to the buoy but there was a collision and someone fell in and slowed the others up so I cut inside and powered over the line in first. My semi-final sprint however was not as good and I placed last.

Overall a brilliant event with some big names, id like to thank everyone at the club for the help and support making it a safe and enjoyable well run event and I look forward to the next one. On one last thing, I managed to get something for my brother who could not make it to the race as he was covering at work for me, A signed poster – To Dan Dundee, sorry you could not make it there or here! Hugs and Kisses haha Jamie Mitchell – Score Thanks Jamie!!! Until the next event, Whoop Whoop!!!