====== Racing ====== {{youtube>Dt-6oi00z2s}} Canadian Downwind Champs 2019 Race Video ---- **Greg Barton**: "//People don’t realize how much hard work and how many setbacks there are before you reach success.//" "//Winning the race is the goal. But most important is the path you take to get there.//" "//The most important thing in life is to enjoy what you’re doing.//" * **Interviews with Greg Barton** * [[https://tcsurfski.com/2016/10/10/ppp-episode-007-winning-gold-becoming-explosive-future-surfski-design-bre/|TCSurfski interview]] 10/10/2016 * [[https://youtu.be/f1BSbB6BA3M|Kenny Howell Interview]] 1/5/2024 * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P7vWu_lQa4|Sandy Yonley interview]] 7/5/2025 * [[https://bki.lt/seni/straipsniai/the_barton_mold.pdf|The Barton Mold]] (author William Endicott, online ebook version (pdf) from Davey Hearn) * … ---- **Greg Barton Leading Wash Riders** [[https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=328843|2023 Whey Ah Wichen Whipper Race]] {{:races:canada:barton_v.jpg?direct&500x281|barton_v.jpg}} Photo: [[https://www.facebook.com/CoastOutdoors/posts/734846935322190|Coast Outdoors Facebook]] ---- ===== Technique ===== * **Don Kiesling on Starting to Race** (Tsunami Ranger Blog Articles) * [[:don_kiesling_racing_1|Part 1]] * [[:don_kiesling_racing_2|Part 2]] * **Drafting:Wash/Wake Riding ** * [[:terminology#draftingbow_wake_riding|Definition]] * [[:wash_riding|Good Surfski Kayak (facebook) Discussion 2021]] * [[https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/1998/12000/Importance_of_wash_riding_in_kayaking_training_and.10.aspx|Potential Benefit Study]] * [[https://www.surfskiracing.org/2020/08/sean-rice-wash-riding/|Sean Rice on Wash Riding]] * **Other Paddlers** * [[https://www.huki.com/index.php?page=Drafting|How To (Huki website - OC centric)]] * [[https://paddlemonster.com/drafting-course-how-to-draft-while-paddling-in-a-standup-paddleboard-race/?mc_cid=4403ed9ea5|SUP drafting]] in depth Paddle Monster Article, some is specific to SUPs but much is applicable for surfskiers * **Whatcom Paddlers Discussions** * [[:races:lwc_2013_divorce|Discussion: In Category Only 2013]] * [[:races:bowen_start_2010|Staggered Starts and Drafting - Bowen 2010]] * [[:races:drafting_oct_2015|Discussion October 2015]] * [[:race_wakes_washes_videos|Drafting Videos]] * … ---- **Descent of Sella Wash & Wake Riders** **{{:technique:racing:sella_wash_ride.jpg?direct&300x324|sella_wash_ride.jpg}}** photo: from Facebook [[https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559731838318|Remando Ando]] ---- **Race Start and Wash Riding ** (paddlers vary widely in their skill or inclination to paddle in a straight line (we hear that race starts in Australia are notoriously bumpy), notice also that the paddler filming the race has a much higher cadence than most of the other initial grouping paddlers - smaller blade/shorter paddle? - this may work better for him and/or contribute to less likelihood of injury?) {{youtube>bNmz9waWuaU?start=111}} . ---- * **Etiquette** * **Right of Way** * [[:right_way|]] (this is about general boat traffic, not racing) * **Turns** * The most important rule to learn is who has right of way at turns and this may vary depending on local custom. (And it is not at all uncommon for paddlers to be unfamiliar with such standards or for some to intentionally ignore them - you have to learn how to position and maintain for advantage). Listen to [[https://youtu.be/fWVRad1WzJU?t=988|Danny Ching Interview]] (16:28) where he talks about preparing well in advance for turns and negotiating them in close traffic. * **More On Drafting!** * [[:races:drafting_march_2016|Drafting and Taking Turns Leading (or not) March 2016]] * [[:races:drafting_salmon_roe_2016|Drafting and When the Elbows Come Out Sept 2016]] * [[:drafting_bumping|Drafting and Bumping Feb 2017 (more sharp elbows?)|]] * **Humor** (practice keeping your sense of humor also, if you want to enjoy racing more) * [[:profit_injury|Making the Best Of Injuries]] * [[:sandbagging|How to Properly Sandbag]] * [[:stories:timing_chips_salsa|Timing Chip Handoff Technique]] * **Navigation** * [[https://www.thepaddler.news/the-stream/dawid-mocke-how-to-navigate-a-downwind-paddle/|Dawid Mocke on Navigation for a Downwind Race]] * **Race Starts** * [[https://paddle2fitness.com.au/podcasts/|Julian Norton-Smith Podcast]] (Paddle2Fitness) choose #28 * [[https://www.surfski.info/forum/15-tips/7910-race-start-tips.html|surfski.info: Race Start Tips]] * [[https://www.facebook.com/oceanculturemagazine/videos/687412729270521|Ocean Culture - Race Starts]] * Races often start with an extended pickup (higher than sustainable speed) that quickly drops racers into groups that can sustain similar speeds but if you are not alert, you may miss your chance to grab onto the fastest group that you are capable of hanging with unless you quickly get into their draft. * Customs vary in different locales - if you are in a crowded race in Australia - expect a lot of contact during the start. * **Speed Bursts** * In high caliber racing, this technique - "pickups" or bursts of speed of varying durations to fatigue and/or drop opponents - is a given. In most race reports by top racers you will read about these. Learning when to most effectively employ them is probably a matter of experience, trial and error, and increased familiarity with your and other racers ability to sustain and absorb pickups. Also you will learn to recognize opportunities that offer better likelihood of dropping people off your wash or at a minimum make them pay more to hang on. Boat wakes in a race? - maybe the perfect opportunity to jump on them when it will be harder for your wash riders to stay on your wash. And of course it should go without saying that you will have done interval training. The primary difference in racing will be that your "recovery" between these higher efforts will be sustained at a higher level than the typical level of effort during rest periods in interval training. * [[https://paddleninja.com/fartlek-racing/|Fartlek Racing]] * … ---- **Pickup in a Flatwater Marathon Race ** (notice at the end of the video the front group of 4 has separated from the pack and slows down to recover for awhile) {{youtube>P2odQWOfFeM?large&start=107}} . ---- ===== Strategy ===== ==== Basic Strategy ==== * Much basic strategy should become obvious with a little experience. * **Races almost always start at speeds** that few can maintain for the whole race. If drafting is allowed try to spot paddlers you know you can keep up with or are not too fast to draft and get close to them before the race starts. Then get on their draft and try to hang on until the pace drops to something sane. * One of the primary aspects of downwind racing is **jumping and recovery**. You should experiment with how many waves you can jump until you need to recover while you are still able to sit on a wave without losing it. Race course strategy may make a difference also if course conditions tend to be predictable. Where in the course is it harder or easier for you to jump waves? Can you work harder on a slower stretch then recover in a stretch where you can rely on waves that will maintain your speed better while you recover? * Is** local knowledge** available about where in a course favorable and unfavorable conditions tend to occur (wind shadow, eddies, currents, chop, rebound), and/or can you do your own pre-race scouting/trial runs? * Give **rowers** a wide berth :-D . Similarly, even if drafting out of class is allowed, you may still find that **SUPs and Va'as** not having rudders, sway from side to side so much that you will not want to draft them or at least not be particularly close on their sides. * Choosing **the right surfski** for the race * [[:boatfatigue|"Boat fatigue"]] using a too unstable surfski for a longer race ==== Learn from Others ==== * Read [[:races:race_reports|Old Race Reports]] * Search sites like [[http://surfski.info|surfski.info]] for race strategy discussions. ==== Learn from Top Racers ==== * [[https://youtu.be/yeNTPzyL5d8|Ana Swetish Race Video]] This is a training video for novice racers doing the last stage of a multi-stage relay race. So there is no mass start for the boaters (nor advice about). But otherwise the advice is excellent for novices about pacing yourself, awareness of your course and course start, and finishing with a beach run. * Read racer's blogs: Depending on your level of skill you may or may not get much useful advice this way, but they are often at least entertaining * [[https://ptxpartners.com/tag/strategy/|Austin Kieffer's Blog]] * [[http://www.thepaddler.news/lame-series/|Macca Hynard's LAME Series]] * [[https://tcsurfski.libsyn.com/ppp-episode-31-calm-intense-silly-songs-and-finding-your-flow-with-jasper-mocke|Jasper Mocke Interview]] 1 hr 18 minutes - lots of subject matter, includes racing experiences and strategies. Jasper starts talking at 5 min 50 sec and starts talking about racing at 18 min 35 sec * [[https://youtu.be/fWVRad1WzJU?t=377|Danny Ching Interview]] 1 hr 2 minutes has raced SUPs, OCs, K1s, Surfskis, etc. etc. Link starts in interview where he starts to talk about strategy - lots of good stuff, particularly for ocean racing. * … ---- ===== Training ===== See [[:training_for_races|Training for Races]] ---- ===== Triathlons/Multisport ===== **Triathlons** There is a recent trend, possibly more common in colder climates, for triathlons to be offered that replace swimming legs with paddling legs. * [[https://tcsurfski.com/kayak-triathlons/|Kayak Triathlon List in the Michigan Area]] TCSurfski **Multisport/Adventure Races** It's quite common for these kinds of races to include paddling legs * **Examples** * Bellingham WA, USA [[https://skitosea.com/|Ski2Sea]] 7 leg race that finishes on Bay with kayak leg - all the fastest use surfskis * … ---- ===== Long Distance Racing ===== Over time surfskis are becoming more popular for distance races that have been dominated by marathon style canoes and kayaks, particularly races with the possibility of rougher conditions or even some possible waves to ride. ==== Overview ==== * [[https://www.purplepaddler.com/canoe-marathon.html|Marathon Racing Brief Overview]] ==== Long Distance Training ==== * [[http://kayakracer.blogspot.com/2009/01/training-concept-8-long-distance.html|Long Distance Race Prep (brief)]] * **Chattajack** * [[https://youtu.be/f-h5nVu_WKg|Larry Cain Video (more detailed)]] training for 31 mile Chattajack * [[https://tcsurfski.com/2017/05/11/chattajack-training-plan-erik-borgnes/|Erik Borgnes Chattajack Training]] (Erik is a 4 time winner of race) Greg Lesher has described this as a satirical piece. If you assume that the 3,4,5 hrs mentioned are for daily workouts rather than describing the total times for each week then you might take it as a joke. * **Ultra Distance **there is no single governing organization for really long paddle races so there is **not one official definition** of the distance where long or marathon distance becomes "ultra". Some paddlers suggest **50 km** or longer while others think that ultra should only begin at **100 or even 200 miles** and more. Others suggest that the definition should require a certain degree of **hardship and suffering**. * [[:intro_to_distance|Intro to Ultra Distance Racing]] Carter Johnson * [[https://youtu.be/FKjfU5aNH-8|Salli O'Donnell video on Endurance Racing]] Training, equipment, nutrition, race knowledge and management, etc. ==== Races ==== * [[:races:races#longer_distance_races|Some Famous Longer Races]] * [[:races:distance_records|24 hour Solo and Double Distance Records]] * … ---- ===== Nutrition, Hydration, Fitness ===== * [[:home#training_for_paddling_and_racing|Training for Races]] * [[:healthy_food_works_athletes|Diet: General and During Races]] * [[:races:erg_racing|Erg Racing]] * … ---- ===== Resources ===== * **Youth Development/Paddling Clubs and Community** * [[https://youtu.be/bIAZGcdmJCE|Starting a Sprint Club]] * [[https://youtu.be/I7U2Cvsfjqc?t=213|Bellingham, WA. - How a Paddling Community Can Develop with Racing as an Important Component]] * [[:races:races|Races (Where and When)]] * [[:races:self_timed_races|Individual Boat Records/Challenges/Exploits]] * [[http://www.soundrowers.org/boat-classes/|Soundrowers boat classifications for racing]] * [[https://tangocharlielights.com.au/product/kayak-accessories/race-number-holder/|Tango Charlie Race Number Holder]] * … ---- Reuters photo 2006 World Championships C4 200m final {{:races:we_paddle_reel_gud_.jpg?direct&388x278|we_paddle_reel_gud_.jpg}} ---- {{page>:race_videos&nofooter&noeditbtn}}