Race Season in the 616!

Race season is just around the corner!  A few races have started registration, and from what I hear, they are starting to fill up fast.

Mt Pisgah SUP/Run Duathlon - 5/27 Holland, MI
This is an informal "race" that is free to everyone and even includes a pancake breakfast at the beach!  The event will begin at 9:00 AM on Memorial Day, May 27th, at Holland State Park.  The Duathlon will consist of a 1.5 mile paddle, 1 mile run (with steps), and a 1.5 mile paddle.  Call The Outpost of Holland with any questions and ask for Jim or Steve 616.396.5556.

Sweetwater SUP Challenge - 6/15 St. Joseph, MI
Family friendly event with demos and kid's races.  The Recreational race is 3 miles and the Elite race is 6 miles.  The Rec race is reserved for "surf" style SUPs only...all displacement/race style SUPs will be entered into the Elite race (12'6" and 14' classes).  For additional information, including registration, please see the link below:
           Sweetwater SUP Challenge

TC Waterman Challenge & Expo - 8/17 Traverse City, MI
Staged on the shores of beautiful West Grand Traverse Bay, the TC Waterman event includes a recreational 3.5 mile course as well as an 11 mile open-water "downwinder" distance race.  Whether you're racing for the WPA points, or just want to get your feet wet in the waters of SUP for the first time, the TC Waterman Challenge & Expo is the perfect way to experience the rich tradition of the Northern Michigan SUP lifestyle. For additional information, including registration, please see the link below:
          TC Waterman Challenge & Expo

What are you waiting for?!?!

Live Q&A with Danny and Candice

Tonight at the Outpost of Holland, I had the opportunity to participate in an exclusive live FCS Q&A Webcast with two of the most successful SUP athletes in the world, Danny Ching and Candice Appleby. Danny and Candice answered questions via phone, tweet, and email for over an hour on anything to do with SUP. lots of great questions dealing with fitness, nutrition, racing, surfing, and SUP lifestyle.

The Outpost did a great job hosting the event with 20 or 30 local paddlers in attendance...they even got a special shout out from Candice about how great of a store it is (check it out if you haven't). Out of all the questions asked of them from around the world, I would guess that 25% were from our group. SUP is alive and well (and growing) in the 616 for sure!

 

Great Surf Forecast App

I'm sure some of you are familiar with this app already, but I just stumbled upon it recently...and it's pretty cool. The app is called magicseaweed and is loaded with information for over 3000 beaches around the world. Included in the list of breaks, are several Great Lakes locations including: Grand Haven (screen shots below), New Buffalo, Chicago, Empire, and many more.

You can visit the website at magicseaweed.com for the online version or visit the Apple App Store for the iPhone/iPad version.

Let me know what you think or if you've used it before.