Monday, August 11th at 4am or so the day started for a couple dozen athletes with a daunting task ahead of them – hop on a 12 foot “Stand Up Paddle” (SUP) board and paddle over 20 miles across the length of the lake from Camp Richardson to Kings Beach. Even though a few random people have already claimed to have crossed the lake in the same fashion, it was the first mass crossing of its kind to all of our knowledge.

For an inaugural event with a low-key, non “race” approach, the turnout was awesome. Big wave legend and all-around waterman Dave Kalama showed up. So did Chuck Patterson. So did the Billabong XXL winner from 2006 and our NorCal Volcom sales rep Ken “Skindog” Collins. Porters’ team athletes JT Holmes and Nate Holland along with several of Tahoe’s finest such as Daron Rahlves, Jeremy Jones, and the Gaffney brothers all braved the crossing as well – even if it was only their first or second time on a SUP board. The real inspiration, however, was one-armed Patagonia ambassador Jeff Denholm. Lying down on his belly he paddled the whole thing with the help of a specially-designed prosthetic arm shaped like a paddle.

A couple of guys decided to break away from the group and turn it into a semi-race a couple of miles into the event. The unofficial fastest time was clocked by Kings Beach resident and SUP boarder Dave Defoe in 4 hours and 35 minutes. Always the racer at heart – and after only one other time on a SUP board – Daron Rahlves hit the sand second about 10 minutes after him. The rest of the crew all stayed together as a group, taking several “refueling” breaks along the way, and pulled onto the beach about 7 hours after starting.

The event was organized between James “Woody” Woodruff, Rob Gaffney, and Dave Kalama first and foremost for Woody’s foundation called the Bob Woodruff Family Foundation (www.bobwoodrufffamilyfund.org). TV journalist Bob Woodruff sustained severe brain trauma in a roadside bombing while covering the Iraq war in 2006. The foundation was created to provide extra resources and support for US soldiers and other victims of traumatic brain injury. CR Johnson – himself a victim from his head injury skiing a couple of years ago – was also there to lend his support.

Labels: Bob Woodruff Family Foundation, Chuck Patterson, Daron Rahlves, Dave Kalama, Jeff Denholm, Jeremy Jones, Kenny Skindog Collins, Nate Holland, Rob Gaffney, Stand Up Paddle Board

Comments:

 steve-o-reno
YEAH NOW! I wish I would have known about this, I would of been all over it. Havin' fun and all for a great cause. Please get the word out next time you guy's do a SUP event.

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# : September 1, 2008 9:38 PM

 

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