Surfski Knowledge Base

Kevin Olney
06/01/19 #24958

Not on the tracker but the Storb’s quad first in. Race is on for second!

Sadly, I battled stomach issues from around Blake island on. Around Kingston the wind and waves picked up and I felt too uncomfortable to continue. Since I hadn’t planned on stopping I was completely unprepared for any more than a few minutes break and called for support at about 3:00 am, ending my race. I’m disappointed but I feel it would have been dangerous to continue in the conditions with the state I was in.

Good luck too all the teams remaining!

KO

David Hooper
06/01/19 #24959

Way to get out there and give it your best, Kevin! Sorry you had trouble, and hope your stomach bug passes quickly (no pun intended). I saw your marker at Kingston about 5.30 am and was wondering if you'd had trouble. Glad to have the update and know you're ok, though disappointed I'm sure.

Dave H.

Kevin Olney

06/01/19 #24960

Correction: the quad bonked at the canal and came in second. First was Greg Spooner and Thiago Silva. Third was Ken Deem (first single)

Thanks David, I’m feeling better after some rest.

Seventy48 Recap
Kevin Olney
06/08/19 #25004

It’s been a week since my truncated attempt at the 7048. I’ve had a some time to process the whole event; from the preparation, to the race itself, and my reactions to the experience. Here’s my thoughts:

I went into the race with a lot of confidence and a lot of doubt. I have had an affinity for paddling distance since I got into the sport and after last year’s success with Greg I felt confident in my abilities to push through any circumstances or adversity. I logged far fewer long paddles leading up to this year’s race but my overall mileage total was about the same. Last year I paddled 30+ miles seven times while this year I only did one. I felt as fit as ever going into the race but in the back of my mind I was wondering how I would hold up after hours of exertion.

My race plan was to conserve as much as possible early on, knowing that there would be adverse conditions later in the night and I could take advantage of rough water and headwinds vs rowing shells. Well, I abandoned that strategy almost immediately. I stuck on the draft OC-6 early on but, as I watched the rowing shells pull away, my patience grew thin and I moved ahead of the 6. I felt like I had to keep the leaders in sight if I was going to have a chance to close on them later in the race. I knew the pace was harder than I had trained for but the race day excitement had me feeling strong.

It was right as the dark set in, around the 3.5 hour mark, that my body began its rebellion. Almost like the flip of a switch I went from feeling powerful and aggressive to suddenly weak and reeling to regain my composure. My stomach decided it didn’t like my carefully prescribed regiment of chicken, rice, salad, Perpetuem, berries and Gu. That all went overboard (literally) and I was left with only sips of water that I could keep down. I was in fourth place at this point with the leaders still within striking distance. I pushed on because that is what you do.

The next four hours were miserable. The wind picked up and the tide turned and my mile split times grew longer and longer. I knew everyone else was dealing with the same conditions but it was still demoralizing. My food plan was shot but I still had plenty of water so I kept going. I stopped along Bainbridge to add a warm layer and a hat but in doing so I lost my headlamp and my running light failed. As I crossed Port Madison north of Bainbridge I lost a place to Team Idea on their pedal contraption. I thought I was following them towards Kingston but as the lights grew brighter I realized I was headed for a tug towing a barge.

I’m normally a good navigator but at that moment I was at least 45 degrees off course. My decision-making was coming into question. The waves had built to 2-3 feet and capping. It was about 3:00 am. Visibility was decreasing as the clouds and fog increased. “What am I doing out here?” I thought.

“Trying to win this race!”
“To prove how tough I am!”

Surfski paddling and endurance sports in general are based on the credo that you HTFU (harden the f#<k up) and overcome whatever pain or fear you encounter to achieve victory. And it works. That’s how champions achieve success.

At 3:00 am that morning, weak and fatigued, facing wind and cold and darkness and the very real possibility that I may not be able to self rescue, I decided that I didn’t need to win this time. I didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. I made my way to the lights of Kingston and pulled ashore.

In retrospect, I should have packed a space blanket or something to keep warm. I didn’t and had to call my support crew which ended my race. After resting for an hour and a half I felt a lot better and soon was able to get some solid food down. We drove to Port Townsend to watch the finishers arrive. My mood was pretty sunken and I didn’t really want to talk to anyone but it was exciting to see Greg Spooner and his partner Thiago achieve their well deserved victory. Greg is a strong competitor and all around nice guy. He has been focused on this race since his third place finish last year.

The rest of the day was spent napping, eating and leisurely touring the town. By Sunday I felt recovered enough to go paddling again and on Monday I was back to doing hard workouts in preparation for the upcoming gorge race next month. As I recalled the event to different people over the next few days it became clear that my friends, loved ones and the paddling community didn’t care if I was 1st or 4th or 100th. What they cared about was that I was safe and in good health.

After the 7048 last year I was burned out on paddling and completely uninterested in the boat for a couple of months. This time around I am motivated and enthusiastic about building on a solid base. I am excited to get in the boat and push towards new goals, knowing that racing and training don’t need to be defined as “success” or “failure”. It’s really about the experience and staying safe and having fun.

Thank you for all the support and encouragement. The awesomeness of our paddling community continues to amaze me! See you on the water,

KO

Vaughn Balchunas
06/08/19 #25005

Kevin,

I rarely reply or post here, but I just had to say that I've never been in a group as honest and helpful as this community. You are truly an inspiration to me as well as others here that have helped me along the way.

Thank you,
Vaughn