Five Women Recount "Landmark" Victory

Written by Morene Dekker

Five women, aka the ‘Surf for Earthwater Team,’ recount their paddle thru 220 k (137 m) of Dutch waters.

The winning team in the women 30+ division, arriving with a comfortable margin ahead of the other teams in the same division. Photo: Courtesy of Morene Dekker

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Suzette, Marjolein, Lot, Nell and Morene are five all-around sports ladies who have one thing in common: they love being in and on water, whether kitesurfing, wavesurfing, wakeboarding, swimming or sailing. When one of the friends stood on a stand up paddle board last summer, she was immediately hooked, especially during hot and calm summer days when it was great fun to go on the water and tour for a couple of hours. In addition to discovering a great workout, she found it to be a very relaxing way to spend her time on any body of water. During an interview with Anne Marie Reichman, Morene learned about the Stand Up Paddle 11 Cities Tour that Anne Marie had put together. The 11 Cities Tour is a traditional and famous route in the north of Holland, where Dutch men and women ice skate from city to city, participating in a Dutch custom that goes back more than 100 years. Anne Marie gave it a twist by making it a SUP endurance race. Spanning over five days and taking place in the north of Holland, amateurs and professionals were able to take part in a culturally laden event while also competing against one another during the first week of September this year.

The five 30+ ‘girls’ love a challenge and decided to train for this race as a team. Everybody would paddle one leg, from 30-48 kilometers (19-30 miles) per day. The team fixed some Hobie standup paddle boards from ‘The Surf’ shop in Noordwijk and found some great sponsors, like Earthwater, Brunotti and Crocs. Finally, spring came around and the Surf for Earthwater team could start training their legs, arms, (winter) bellies, backs, and hands for the big Tour!

During the first week of September, people from all over the World came to Friesland (the north of Holland) to compete! Petronella de Jong started the first day and paddled all the way from Leeuwarden to Sloten, 45 kilometers, in less than 8 hours and was the first female paddler to arrive. The next day Suzette Jansen wasn’t too lucky and started her leg of the race with some rain and grey skies. Day three was for Marjolein Kleinhuis. The sun was already shining in the early morning and it took her just 7 hours to paddle from Workum to Franeker. Day four was the longest day, totaling 48 kilometers (30 miles), leading all the way up North, with some head winds and a lot of plants and other obstacles. The narrow rivers in that part of the race were virtually all surrounded by cows and windmills on both sides. Morene gave all she had and finished in just over 7 hours. After four days of paddling, the Surf for Earthwater team had paddled so good that Lot only had to finish fifth to win! It took her almost 5 hours to get to the finish in Leeuwarden while the boat with all her teammates followed and cheered her along the way. For this team, the competition was just as important as having a good time together!

Immediately after the finish, the champagne was popping and the party got started! The Surf for Earthwater team finished the 220 kilometers (137 miles), five day paddle in a tad over 35 hours! Let’s see what challenge awaits for us next year…

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