Muddy Run Race, PA
This is a brand new race near Harrisburg and I sure hope it’s continued every year. What a well run and well organized race! And there was a big turnout for a brand new race. It was very windy and I was nervous to take the Tor out on the Muddy Run Reservoir. I feel good in the Tor, but ever since I DNF’d in the Lower 35 race due to high winds, I’ve been a bit wind shy in an ICF boat.
Judy Jeanes was in her C1, and the two of us lined up far away from the other boats at the start. While the other boats were getting blown toward the opposite shore, we were fairly stationary in our position. We were both worried about stability in the high winds, and we were both worried about the C4s in the race. They can put out a mighty big wake, and neither Judy nor I wanted to be caught in a wake like that with the winds such as they were.
The start was clean, and I drafted Judy for a little while as the boats settled out into position and the C4s got far enough ahead that we were out of the danger of their wakes. Rounding the first corner, I ended up passing Judy. She was changing paddles and I took that opportunity to skirt around her. I never looked back. Slowly but surely, over the course of the short 6 mile race, I put a few yards on her at each turn. She struggled in the wind in the C1, but no more so than I was struggling to keep an ICF K1 upright with the wind whipping my wing paddle out of control at times.
Jeff Pringle, in a sea kayak, beat us both, which just goes to show what stability can do for speed in conditions like that. His barge-like stable boat should have been significantly slower than Judy and my boats, but when you’re not stable, you can’t go fast because you can’t put power into the paddle with conviction while you’re trying to stay upright. Unfortunately I’ll have to wait until next year for revenge on Jeff. In the meantime he has the bragging rights of beating an ICF K1 while he was in a sea kayak, and I will have to endure the ribbing from him. Jeff finished first of all the solo men, and I finished first of all the solo women, a few seconds behind Jeff.
It was a good day.