California 100

Long distance endurance paddling. Who knew?

Sometime in January, Steph, a friend and teammate from my outrigger club, sent an email around to a few girls on the team asking about our interest in the inaugural California 100 race - a paddle fest down the Sacramento River on Memorial Day weekend. I said I was interested but needed some more info and promptly forgot about it as ski season fell into full swing.

Race start. Team 4150C2 is on the left side next to SUP.

Then March came around, with little to no new snow, and Steph pinged me again - she'd been to a clinic, she had more info to share, no one else had responded, but if I was still interested she was game to race with me in a 2-man outrigger canoe. I was naturally curious but uncertain - I'd hardly been in a boat over the winter. She was gently encouraging without being pushy and suggested we go run a section of the river with some friends of hers as a trial to see how we blended, how I felt after 25 miles, how we both felt being out that long.

The view at 6am on the Sacramento River.

And so we put in at the lower section one overcast Sunday with John Dye who was helping to organize the race and 2 veteran paddlers (and trail runners) Wayne and Ann. We learned about river safety, what to look for and avoid, how to read the rapids and find the swiftest currents. For the first 15 miles I was mesmerized by the landscape - tall grass and giant trees, flocks of pelicans along the river banks, a herd of bighorn sheep, a bald eagle. Then that gave way to a throbbing soreness in my lower back and a desperate need to get off the boat and stand up. Screw the scenery. But somehow the miles passed (they always do, right?) and at the end of 5+ hours, we'd paddled the longest distance ever for either of us - 40 miles. (25 was the goal with the option to add another 15). I stood up at the end (barely) and couldn't fathom having to get back in for another 60.

Somewhere on the river. Photo courtesy of Hollis Turner.

But naturally, I was already hooked. After laying down on the ground for a bit then sharing burgers and beers at the infamous Scotty's in Chico, I slept hard that night and emailed Steph the next day to say I was in. It helped of course that she sold me on my own mental fortitude from having done other endurance events - that and my attitude, she pointed out, would carry me through any limitations in my training. Well played, Siaris, well played.

Me: How do you SUP for 100 miles?? Photo courtesy of Hollis Turner.

So we hit our outrigger practices hard over the next 2 months and doubled up a few weekends paddling down at Coyote Point and again back at the Sacramento River to scout out the first 40 miles which turned out to be even more beautiful than the second half. I added more back and shoulder specific stuff to my weight training and begged my friend and coworker Lindy to come up with a t-shirt design.

Race day came Memorial Day weekend and with it the usual nerves. I'd packed and repacked a thousand times wondering how I'd feel, what I'd want to eat, how much I'd drink. There were approximately 100 entries for the first ever California 100 and I was pleasantly surprised by the community of paddlers I knew at registration - it was almost like being back at a trail race.

Cruising into checkpoint #2. Photo courtesy of Hollis Turner.

We took the early start at 6am to get a jump on the heat of the day and give ourselves more time to finish in the daylight. Steph was thinking 12 hours, I was leaning more conservatively towards 14 to allow for mental or physical breakdowns. :) We lined up with SUP'rs, kayaks, surfskis, and an OC1 - a 50 yard upstream paddle to thin out the crowd before turning on a buoy to head downstream - and the gun went off. Steph charged out with a race start and we made it around the buoy in 4th to put some distance between us and the other boats then settled into a steady pace.

There isn't much to say about a paddling race at this point. Not this one at least. Not for us. Steph steered from seat 1, I called out the changes from seat 2. Unlike our training runs we didn't see any wildlife this time. We paddled on, ticking off the miles, stopping to get off only at the mandatory checkpoints to check in, refuel, stretch and get back in the boat - 10-15 minutes max. We paddled alongside friends and cheered on strangers who passed. We talked, we were quiet, Steph played some music, I snapped pics. My pain points hit me mid-back and in my hands - I'd never considered what it would feel like to grip a paddle for 12 hours - but they were minor inconveniences.

The finish! 

Check out the sweet shirt designs!

The highs came from our runs down a few Class "2-ish" rapids where a smattering of oh shits and woo-hoos were unleashed. At each approach we picked up the pace and powered through the rollers spilling out into eddys that whipped the boat to one side or another. At the end of each - as we managed to stay upright - we were 2 kids high on candy at Raging Waters thinking - how can we do that again?!

12 hours started to beckon and we were but a few miles from the finish. A SUP has already blown by us - we were humbled but feeling good. We'd already paddled the longest distance for either of us and while my caffeinated Gu's gave me momentary false bursts of energy, there wasn't enough to kick it into a magical fifth gear to bring it home under 12. We finished just over - I think 12:10 maybe?

First place in women's tandem unlimited division!

There were no dark miles to report, no bursts of resolve coming when the chips were down - the miles moved along relatively quickly with a favorable current; water and food were all dialed in. Desitin.Immodium and Aquaphor were our besties. Most importantly, we had no issues as teammates, no breakdowns, no qualms. As Steph said one of our main goals was to have fun and get 'er done and to that end, we killed it. At the finish I felt elated, exhausted and slightly dazed with the accomplishment. Hugs were exchanged, stories shared, boats racked and beers poured.

Team jerseys with Phil, our crew chief extraordinaire.

It was an incredible adventure to be a part of and to meet such interesting people involved in the paddling community. The organizers, the safety crew, the volunteers - everything was brilliant. On top of that, Steph had us dialed in with the boat, the connections, the crew, the transportation - all I had to do was train and show up. The red carpet of success couldn't have been spread before me any better with a beautiful, fast course, great organization and a teammate who believed we could do it. Hmmm, what next in the endurance world?

Thanks, #1.