east of maui boardshop: April 2014

The 2014 Carolina Cup is now just a week away. My training for the race is more like a train wreck. I have paddled very little this winter, and I don't think I have paddled at all this month. What the hell am I thinking?

The following is an excerpt from SUP Racer.com : " The Carolina Cup, held in humble little Wilmington, North Carolina, is fast becoming not only one of the biggest races on the calendar, but one of the most significant events in the entire world of SUP racing, period.
– in fact it might just be the second most competitive race in the world this year, after only the BOP), or because luminaries such as Dave Kalama, Jimmy Terrell and Larry Cain will be doing clinics, or because pretty much every major brand will have a presence there, but also because the event will have HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS of recreational paddlers competing."

"Competing"? I'm just hoping I survive. I haven't paddled 6.5 miles since last November. I'm going to die!

You may have heard the phrase "Eddie Would Go". Eddie Aikau was a famous Hawaiian big wave surfer and life guard. Eddie would go surfing or out to rescue someone when the conditions were too dangerous for anyone else to go. I never knew Eddie, but I have a friend named Frank.
Frank is an ultra-marathon runner. He would never admit it, but he is a serious athlete, perhaps. Frank does crazy things like run 3 back to back marathons to raise money for the families of the of the Boston Marathon bombing victims (after doing an SUP race in the morning), and then personally RUNS the money to Boston. By his own account, he does many of these unbelievable feats, at the last minute, and with very little training and planning. While most athletes are carefully monitoring their diets before these events, Frank is likely to work all night, slam down a few chili dogs, and show up at the starting line and still have a respectable finish. The bottom line is Frank has never let the lack of preparation stand in the way of going out and abusing himself in the name of adventure and a good time.


Frank on top of the summit of Australia's highest mountain, Mt Kosciuszko, after finishing the Coast to Kosci Ultramarathon

So, what does all of this have to do with Stand Up paddling? Actually nothing at all, but as I question my sanity and my own lack of preparation for the biggest, baddest Stand Up paddle race of the season, I ask myself, "what would Frank do? " FRANK WOULD GO!
So, with that in mind, I guess I have to put my big boy surf trunks on, load the truck, and head to Wrightsville. I'm going to bypass Frank's chili dogs, but there is a real good chance I'm gonna stop along the way for some North Carolina BBQ!