2009 Bowen Island Challenge

The Bowen Island Challenge has been a longtime favorite race of Brandon and mine; the 20-mile paddle couldn’t be more beautiful, the water has potential to be rowdy enough to send racers home in safety boats in the first few miles, the post race salmon feast is the best post race meal of any race in Canada or the US and the crowd of 100+ racers makes for great competition.

This year Brandon and Hayden drove around the island watching racers go by, while I raced.

Unfortunately, ‘race’ doesn’t capture my on-water experience. I had a good start, in fact a good first 5 or 6 miles. A small peloton of a half dozen racers surfed and braced and bopped as the wind waves, boat wakes and refraction kept us focused.

A bit of nausea built in my stomach. I figured it was the bumpy water.

Then, about an hour into the race, like a ton of bricks landed on my shoulders, my body felt like it just ‘broke’. Maybe I caught the flu Hayden had earlier in the week; or perhaps the 16-months of sleep deprivation and nighttime nursing and diaper changes caught up with me. Definitely, the lack of long-distance training didn’t help.

Whatever the cause, I limped through the next 10 miles. When I turned into the blasting headwind of the final stretch; a 4-mile final stretch!!; my limp slowed to a crawl.

I crossed the finish line, and as Brandon carried my boat to the van I saw it was already parked in the ferry line. From his race viewpoints around the island, Brandon could obviously see my pain! I gratefully curled up in the fetal position in the van, while my boys enjoyed my salmon feast. We were on the first ferry home.

We all have experienced greatness in some races, and crashed and burned in others. My buddy Derek Crook, who also raced Bowen this weekend, sums it well... “after you have had a bad race ..the next race you do well in will be even sweeter!”

Next race – Gorge Outrigger Races in July!

~In the Spirit of Compassion and Adventure~