Appleby Sweeps Battle of the Paddle California 2011
- Written by Morgan Becker
- Published in News
- Comments::DISQUS_COMMENTS
Sunday's events saw stand up paddle athletes competing in the 10-mile SUP distance race at the 2011 Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle California.
Read about the first day of elite races at the Battle of the Paddle California 2011
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Men's Unlimited Finish
Men's 14ft. Finish
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DANA POINT, California – Heading into the second day of competition at the 2011 Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle, stand up paddle athletes who had raced in the previous day’s events were pumped and ready to go.
Covered by a gloomy sky, the distance race tested stand up paddle athletes’ skills on a 10-mile, open ocean course. Competitors paddled from Doheny State Beach to San Clemente Pier and back. Familiar names from the previous day’s elite races led the pack but others, who excel in distance races, made a push for the title.
In the female division of the SUP distance race it was the same familiar faces competing against each other the day before. But it was Candice Appleby who ultimately finished far ahead of 2nd place Annabel Anderson and 3rd place Brandi Baksic in a convincing win that further cemented her place at the top of the elite field of female stand up paddle athletes.
Danny Ching and Rob Rojas battled it out in the unlimited class division but it was Ching, extending a convincing lead of over a minute in front of Rojas, who finished first place in 1 hour and 17 minutes. Following Ching and Rojas was Jaime Mitchell in 3rd place, Travis Grant in 4th place and Georges Cronsteadt in 5th place.
In the men’s 14ft. class division, it was Chase Kosterlitz who proved, once again, his strength on the long course with a finishing time of 1:25:18. Following Kosterlitz was Jake Jensen in 2nd place and in a footrace for the 3rd place spot, Kai Lenny barely edged out Casper Steinfath (4th), Matt Becker (5th) and Anthony Vela (6th), who all finished in the 1:25:56/57 mark.
Congratulations to all the participants in the 2011 Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle California. This year’s competition was tighter than ever and as the sport of stand up paddling continues to grow, we can expect to see more people in the water at next year’s event.
For a complete list of event results follow this link.
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Morgan Becker
After spending the first part of her life in Minnesota, Morgan traded in her snow boots for sandals and moved to sunny California. After graduating with a degree in Communication from The University of Southern California, she eventually made her way down south to San Diego and is taking advantage of the living by the best beaches and burritos California has to offer. If it’s sunny, you can find her at the beach relaxing, or exploring the calm water in the bay via paddleboards and kayaks.
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