The 2018 Gorge Downwind Championships race has been run, and it was unlike any other competition I've ever done. The wind was screaming through the gorge--gusting around 40 miles per hour, I understand--and the waves were plenty big enough for me. The race organizers have reported that more than 290--290!--people opted out of racing because of the epic conditions.
Right now I have no idea what place I finished, who I beat, who I didn't beat, anything like that. The timing company the organizers brought in had some technical difficulties and the results won't be available until sometime later today. And out on the river I had to employ sort of a tunnel vision, completely focused on the waves in front of me, and really didn't have much chance to assess what other competitors were doing out on the river. In a way it was like a slalom or wildwater race, where I was just trying to put together the best run I could and wouldn't know how it measured up until after the finish.
At this time it is known who the top finishers were. I wish I could tell you how the race unfolded for them, but I can't, because I wasn't there. I was off in my own little world. With any luck you'll be able to read about their races on other websites before long. Here are the podium finishers:
Surf Ski Female
1. Naomi Flood
2. Teneale Hatton
3. Ana Swetish
4. Rachel Clarke
5. Michelle Eray
Surf Ski Male
1. Kenny Rice
2. Cory Hill
3. MacKenzie Hynard
4. Austin Kieffer
5. Patrick Dolan
Single Outrigger Canoe (OC1) Female
1. Lindsey Shank
2. Brandy Cumin
3. Anna Mathisen
OC1 Male
1. Kua Nolan
2. Will Reichenstein
3. Kaihe Chong
Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Female
1. Fiona Wylde
2. Hannah Hill
3. Angie Jackson
SUP Male
1. Chase Kosterlitz
2. Paul Jackson
3. Jarkko Simmons
In my next post I'll talk more about how my own day went.
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