Race Recap: B'More SUP Cup Race Series #2
Last weekend, we unloaded our car from our week-long beach getaway and reloaded it for B’More SUP’s second race of its three part series. Each race in the series gets progressively longer by one mile, so this time the course options were 3 or 6 miles. Once again, we split up the courses, with Scott taking the long course and Meredith taking the shorter one. And once again, we had a blast. The course layout was unique and it was fun to paddle in a new-to-us location. Here’s our recap.
Meredith’s Race
We like to set goals for ourselves at these events, but after my last race, I really struggled to figure out what my goal was going into this one. At the last minute I decided I just wanted to enjoy myself more and to remember why I even started racing eight years ago.
I was definitely excited for a rare flatwater race, so despite the heat and humidity, when I hit the water I felt ready to go. And, once the horn blew, I immediately felt more at ease than I have in my recent races. I ended up surprising myself with the mental and physical strength I lacked at the Chesapeake Stand Up Challenge and put into practice what I learned after that race. I don’t know if it was the nicer things I said to myself or the fact that I felt like I was in my element on the flat water, but I put my head down (figuratively) and powered my way through to a first place finish in my class and third place finish overall.
My favorite part of this race, however, was how the ladies I was racing against all worked together on the course. We called out to each other when we saw sea grass that could slow us down and when buoy lines could trip us up at our turns. It was like a game of telephone with whoever was in the lead passing the info down to the next person, then that person relaying it to the next. It reminded me why I love this sport and why SUP racing is so unique. Coming out of this race I want to continue channeling these positive feelings for the few remaining races I have this season. As much as I hate to admit it, I think I needed this weekend’s placement on the leaderboard for my own personal validation. It was the first time in a long time that I felt like the strong racer I used to be and the push I needed for me to step up to the long races again next season.
Scott’s Race
Jessie at B’More SUP didn’t disappoint with this second race in her series. The course layout was interesting, challenging, and dynamic at every buoy turn. My goal going into this race was to finish in the top 10 in my category. I was feeling pretty good about my performance but stopped to help a fellow paddler dislodge sea grass from her OC skeg. It definitely dropped me back a spot, but it’s important that we practice what we preach, and it felt good to help someone out. In the grand scheme of things, losing that spot mattered very little. Although I was pretty certain I wasn’t going to reach my goal, I was pleasantly surprised when the results were posted to see that I finished in 9th position.
Some takeaways: Always race your own race. For me, this meant that when someone passed me, I shook it off and got out of my own head. I focused on my own performance rather than sweating whether someone was out performing me. Instead, I followed the lines I wanted to follow and challenged myself to tail drop around every buoy turn - the first time I was able to accomplish this on this board during a race.
I, unfortunately, wasn’t able to hook up with anyone for drafting, so a new goal for my next race is to try to get those trains organized in advance.
