All smiles the day before the grueling 4 hour paddle. We love Natchez and the race organizers Keith and Melissa do an incredible job of making everyone welcome and stoked on the race. We had a great race plan to start easy this year and build into it saving something for hour number 4 and finish strong, record or not. This year there was another competitive double with Joe Glickman and Eric Mims. My greatest worry was Philippe was racing single and he would kill us in the beginning and then out sprint us at the end. Not that it matters when he is in single and we are double and different catagories, but anyone that is competitive never wants to come second..to a single or not. So Pat and I planned to let him go out fast and we would start easy, not die as much and then be strong at the end. We never even considered that the other double would take off at a flat sprint and so when they did we cracked up, sure they would stop sprinting after 10 minutes...so we just let them go. PB stayed with us. He didn't sprint off either.



After hour 1 the other double was about 500 meters ahead..lets go..No lets still go 70%. Ok hour 2, 1000 meters ahead, lets go, no Pat says, they will die, we will pass them easy.
Hour 3, they aren't slowing we aren't gaining and I'm pretty sure its too late. What about me blowing? Well not really, but not enough in the tank to play hammer down and catch up..not at hour 3, not me. The only good thing about starting slow and building into it is that we didn't feel quite so crappy when we finished and packed up to go home.....but heck, I'd take feeling really terrible for first place...anyday.

I want to say great job to Joe and Eric. They raced smart, hung on to the lead, extended it and finished first. congratulations.
I hate to lose, it sucks. We were out paddled and out stratigized. Love it, please come back next year..come Joe, please.
Fun weekend catching up to paddling friends and seeing new things. This is a race everyone should try....its unique, its challenging, it's Phatwater.

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1. Always enjoy getting the inside story from your perspective. Awfully challenging race but great feeling (or amazement)reaching the finish. Thanks for the Ocean PaddleSports T-shirt I won as a door prize.
   Posted by Maggie Pyle   on  10/10   at  07:15 AM

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