Epic Finish For Paddle Royal in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - the Paddle Royal came to a dramatic finish last week, combining challenging conditions with tight races, making it one of the most memorable events of 2013. After a serie4s of tight finishes and huge performances, Danny Ching and Lina Augaitis walked away with the events top spots. With the BIC One Design World Champs preceding the event at puerto Rico's stunning Condado Lagoon, it was long weekend filled with great paddle action and good vibes.  

Racing Action| Phoito: Phillipe Alexander

The week prior to the event was marred with rain and wind, whipping the lagoon into a much bumpier, more turbulent version of itself, which was still manageable for contestants at the One Design World Champs. But as we know, a large section of the Paddle Royal course takes place in the ocean and on Saturday morning contestants were greeted by some challenging surf that made for interesting racing. In the women's division Lina Augaitis (Canada) made her mark on the event by totally dominating the field, heading into the final sprint race of the event with an unbeatable lead over Brandi Baksic.    

Saturday's Long Distance paddle became a battle of will, as 30 knot headwind that stung like the devil's teeth on the way back to the finish line. Getting there was a downwind joyride, but conditions on the home stretch churned the lineup and allowed Eric Terrien, Jake Jensen and Danny Ching to rise to the top. Terrien needs to be commended for his classy performance omn the day, taking a big win that will make a great story to tell the grandkids around a campfire one day. 

The overall event title came down to Sunday's Course and Sprint Races. Slater Trout made a comeback, taking a win in the course race and getting himself back into the title conversation. Terrien and Jensen also paddled their boots off and consistently finished at the top, keeping the event down to a 3-person race. But it was Danny Ching who, depsite recovering from an injury, put on a phenonimal show and took two wins - his last one, during the 200 meter sprint race, was the final factor in his win. 

Paddle Royal Results, 2013

Overall Event Standings (Men)
1st: Danny Ching
2nd: Jake Jensen
3rd: Eric Terrien

Overall Event Standings (Women)
1st: Lina Augaitis
2nd: Brandi Baksic
3rd: Helga Goebel

Pro Men's Distance Race Times And Results
1st: Eric Terrien 1:32:00
2nd: Jake Jensen 1:32:07
3rd: Danny Ching 1:32:44
4th: Chase Kosterlitz 1:32:57
5th: Chuck Glynn 1:32:59
6th: Ryan Helm 1:36:23
7th: Thomas Maximus 1:36:29
8th: Belar Diaz 1:37:18
9th: Nick Leason (n/a)
10th: Bill Kraft 1:37:50
11th: Slater Trout 1:37:59
12th: Chance Fielder 1:41:37
13th: Jim Terrell 1:42:06
14th: Nat Ford [time not available]
15th: Elvin Maldonado 1:44:29
16th: Adrian Garcia 1:45:42
17th: Greg Jaudon 1:47:41
18th: Tyler Marshall [time not available]
19th: Cristian Prado 1:52:27

Pro Women's Distance Race Results And Times
1st: Lina Augaitis 1:43:34
2nd: Brandi Baksic 1:45:30
3rd: Helga Goebel (n/a)
4th: Gail Vento 1:52:37
5th: Kristin Thomas 2:03:41
6th: Bailey Rosen 2:13:02  

Pro Men’s Course Race #1
1st: Danny Ching
2nd: Jake Jensen
3rd: Slater Trout

Pro Men’s Course Race #2 
1st: Slater Trout
2nd: Danny Ching
3rd: Jake Jensen

Pro Men’s Sprint #1 
1st: Jake Jensen
2nd: Eric Terrien
3rd: Danny Ching

Pro Men’s Sprint #2 
1st: Danny Ching
2nd: Slater Trout
3rd: Chase Kosterlitz 

Pro Women’s Course Race #1 
1st: Lina Augaitis
2nd: Brandi Baksic
3rd: Gail Vento

Pro Women’s Course Race #2 

1st: Lina Augaitis
2nd: Brandi Baksic
3rd: Gail Vento

Pro Women’s Sprint #1 

1st: Brandi Baksic
2nd: Lina Augaitis
3rd: Gail Vento

Pro Women’s Sprint #2 

1st; Lina Augaitis
2nd: Gail Vento
3rd: Helga Goebel

The event was preceded by the BIC One Design World Champs.

 BIC SUP One Design World Champs Results

Junior Distance: Sam Wessinger (the only junior to complete the brutal 8 mile distance course!)

Juniors (10-12 year olds)
1st – Ricardo Alvarez
2nd – Bryan Alvarez
3rd – Dave DeArmas

Women’s Distance: Kim Reilly (USA)

Men’s Distance: Claude Chasse (Canada)

Team Challenge (4-person Relay): Chuck Glynn (pro men’s 6th place and one-design world champion), Lina Augaitis (pro women’s winner), Chris Parker (of SUP Racer), Frank Fifils (Guadalupe)

Women

1. Kristen Thomas (USA)


2. Cecile Gondre (France)


3. Kim Reily (USA)


Men
1. Chuck Glynn (USA) 


2. Frank Fifils (Guadalupe)


3. Normunds Barinovs (Latvia) 

Juniors (13-16 year olds)

1. Miguel Alvarez (Puerto Rico)


2. Sam Wessinger (US Virgin Islands)


3. Kevin DeArmas (Puerto Rico)

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