San Juan SUP Run – Pro Edition 2009
Racers from Puerto Rico and California take top honors at the First Professional Stand Up Paddleboarding Event in the Caribbean Region
Velauno Team Rider and local SUP star Adrian Garcia (subdivision men 14 '), Ernie Johnson from California (subdivision men 12'6”) and Velauno Team Rider Heather Baus from Puerto Rico (subdivision women) were proclaimed champions of the first professional competition Paddleboarding Stand Up Race in Puerto Rico this past Sunday in the beautiful waters of Condado Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean.
A fleet of 75 competitors from California, Florida, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico participated in this unique event this past Nov. 15. The two main categories were: "Elite" for high-level competitors with a distance of 7.5 miles around the islet of San Juan and "Weekend Warriors" for recreational competitors with a 3-mile course in the lagoon and bay of San Juan. For children 3 to 11 years, "Keiki Kids paddled right in front of the beach. The Elites were raced for $ 1000 in cash and the rest rowed for one of the beautiful locally handmade trophies.
A nice 4’ ground swell was running but the soft south wind helped keep the sea surface calm, which facilitated new record ‘round San Juan times. The Elites and Weekend Warriors took off together at 9:30 in front inside the lagoon and seconds later came face to face with some challenging overhead waves. While the Elites went out to paddle around the islet of San Juan, the Weekend Warriors tacked back to make their way into the lagoon. From the beginning, Garcia, a paddling on competition BARK 14 'and Johnson in the 12'6 category, grabbed the lead leaving behind the rest of the fleet. After a spectacular 3-mile run down the North coast of San Juan they reached the San Juan Bay entrance in front of the imposing 500-year old El Morro Castle. Inspired by history, Garcia found a second wind that drove him to a significant advantage in the long but easy upwind leg back to lagoon. Hundreds of fans waiting for him cheered the local hero. Ernie “EJ” Johnson, a professional athlete from California who traveled to PR only for this tournament, dominated the 12'6 category but had no choice but watch local Adrian Garcia take the overall win by a little over 2 minutes after the 65 minute paddle.
In the women’s category, Heather Baus killed her competition. This energetic athlete was not content with a wide margin win all over the rest of the Elite women, but went on to beat most men with her 16th overall in the 31-strong Elite fleet. This achievement becomes more remarkable when we consider that Baus interrupted her training for the past two months to address a serious medical condition.
Weekend Warriors, our intermediate competitors, enjoyed the day’s most fun race. Their three-stage course punctuated by some exciting runs on foot, oar in hand, on the Lagoon Park. The fans were cheering as the warriors dismounted their rides at the beach and ran short sprint around the sponsor’s tents. Then, back on board for the next leg. Racers raved about this racing format that made the 3 miles total distance feel like a, well, a run in the park!
The Keikis event was suddenly interrupted by a massive deluge that fell moments after completing the first kid’s race. The enthusiasm displayed by the dozens of boys and girls is not lost on Velauno. To address this massive injustice we've scheduled a new event just for them. The SUP Keiki Run will be Saturday December 5 from 11 AM to 2 PM on at the original site of SUP Run, complete with BBQ, trophies and the works!
Sunday's rains may have drowned the awards but not the enthusiasm of the competitors for the event. Foreigners promised to return to defend their titles and locals promised to kick all asses! The quarrel will be resolved amicably next November when we host a much bigger, better and richer SUP Run 2010!
Check out the Elite Results with this link -->> Elite Class Results
Check out the Weekend Warrior Results with this link -->> WW Class Results