Déjà Vu Hits Surf to Sound Challenge

Larry Cain and April Zilg at Surf to Sound Challenge | Photo Courtesy of NC Press Release

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, North Carolina – For the 7th Annual Surf to Sound Challenge in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, defending champions April Zilg and Larry Cain stepped up to the plate to once again to win their fifth and third Surf to Sound Challenge titles.

Following a deceptively perfect launch with ideal weather and sea conditions, the second-half of the 7th annual Surf to Sound Challenge turned brutal with headwinds of 15-20 mph combined with a rapidly falling full-moon tide. Elite paddlers were brought to a near standstill, grinding slowly through the last two-miles to the finish line.

“The downwind run was really fun,” said Canada’s Larry Cain, winning his fifth Surf to Sound Challenge elite men’s title. “We got to the jetty in an incredibly fast time. But as we made the turn it was the typical Carolina grind, facing lots of current and a pretty strong wind.”

“It was a slog. We were hit pretty hard,” said North Carolina native April Zilg, capturing her third consecutive title in the elite women’s division. “I was struggling to hold above four miles-per-hour.”

Zilg, ranked 11th in the world on the women’s index, and Cain, Canadian Olympic Gold Medalist and Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, both plan to defend their titles in 2018.

Surf to Sound Challenge is a weekend of family activities, paddle clinics, vendor displays, and end-of-season races for all skill levels including:

• The 6.5-mile Surf to Sound Challenge for elite paddlers.
• The scenic 4-mile Harbor Island Outer Loop, a beginner to intermediate race circumnavigating Harbor Island.
• The Froth, an 11-mile longboat ocean canoe (OC) and surfski endurance event includes soundside and ocean racing, traversing Bank’s Channel, Masonboro Inlet, the Intracoastal Waterway, and Mott’s Channel.
• The 9-mile Blockade Runner Flatwater Championship, an endurance challenge for experienced paddlers.
• The celebrated Kid’s Race, for children 7 to 14.

Steve Phillips and LeAnne Young | Photo Courtesy of NC Press Release

Results for the 6.5-mile Surf to Sound Challenge Elite Race:

Men 14' Division

1. Larry Cain, Burlington, ON, Canada
2. Fielding Pagel, Mystic, CT, USA
3. Brandon VanElslander, Oakville, ON, Canada
4. Kodie Peekstok, Waterford, ON, Canada
5. Brian Meyer, Annapolis, MD, USA

Women 12.6 Division

1. April Zilg, Wilmington, NC, USA
2. Stephanie Shideler, Long Beach, NY, USA
3. Jenny Alderman, John’s Island, SC, USA
4. Mary Howser, Annapolis, MD, USA
5. Jenna Blackburn, Wilmington, NC, USA

Results for the 4-mile Harbor Island Outer Loop:

Men 14 Division

1. Steve Phillips, Wilmington, NC, USA
2. Bryan Worth, Southport, NC, USA
3. Mitch Bechard, Newport Beach, CA, USA
4. David Young, Wilmington, NC, USA
5. Peter O’Donnell, Wilmington, NC, USA

Women 12.6 Division

1. LeAnne Young, Wrightsville Beach, NC, USA
2. Elle Newkirk, Wrightsville Beach, NC, USA
3. JeAnna Bunting, Wilmington, NC, USA
4. Kim Mallard, Greenville, NC, USA
5. Erin Fitzpatrick, Wrightsville Beach, NC, USA

Results for the 9-mile Blockade Runner Flatwater Championship:

Men 14' Division

1. Larry Cain, Burlington, ON, Canada
2. Fielding Pagel, Mystic, CT, USA
3. Brandon VanElslander, Oakville, ON, Canada
4. Billy Miller, Manteo, NC, USA
5. Dan Miller, Calgary, Canada

Women 12.6 Division

1. April Zilg, Wrightsville Beach, NC, USA
2. Stephanie Shideler, Long Beach, NY, USA
3. Melissa Austin, Annapolis, MD, USA
4. Karen Wilson, Wilmington, NC, USA
5. Kirsten Lefeldt, Chicago, IL, USA

Start of the 2017 Surf to Sound Challenge | Photo: Peter Newman, Aerial Images ILM

Results for The Froth 11-mile longboat OC and SurfSki race:

OC-6
Wilmington OC-6 Team Members:

• Ricky DeVennish, Wilmington, NC, USA
• Jack Marinich, Wilmington, NC, USA
• Rick Wheeler, Wilmington, NC, USA
• Mike Dremen, Wilmington, NC, USA
• Henry Wicker, Wilmington, NC, USA
• David James, Wilmington, NC, USA

OC-2

1. Chris Martin, Hampstead, NC, USA
1. Rob Deisroth, Wilmington, NC, USA

2. Monica Monteon, Silver Spring, MD, USA
2. Annette Ramos, Falls Church, VA, USA

OC-1

1. Harrison Deisroth, Wilmington, NC, USA
2. Bryan Meyer, Annapolis, MD, USA
3. Chris Mulstay, Jacksonville, FL, USA
4. Barry Blackburn, Wilmington, NC, USA
5. Mike Medwedeff, Wilmington, NC, USA

Surf Ski

1. Hunter Hay, Wilmington, NC, USA
2. Justin Schaay, South Africa

Kids Races (round the buoy)

One Lap Race:

1. Sienna Schaay, South Africa
2. Mary Paige Mott, Wilmington, NC, USA
3. Oceania Schaay, South Africa
4. Stella Beausang, Wimington, NC, USA

Three Lap Race:

1. Georgia Bloomer-Rancourt, Wilmington, NC, USA
2. Kathryn Emmart, Wilmington, NC, USA
3. Mason Kober, Wilmington, NC, USA
4. Cooper Lang, Wilmington, NC, USA
5. Canon Lang, Wilmington, NC, USA

Held every November and presented by the Wrightsville Beach Paddle Club, Surf to Sound Challenge is sanctioned by the World Paddle Association (WPA) and hosted by Blockade Runner Beach Resort. Surf to Sound Challenge is a weekend of family activities, paddle clinics, and end-of-season races designed to include all skill levels.

For more SUP Race News click HERE.