Paddling 111km - The Hawkesbury Challenge

Big Ben Brown is "racing" it as well on the 14/25 Starby Ace - good luck guys:

It's good to see the number of SUP's growing in this event. For the last three years there have only been two entries and what jas me coming back is how well it is all run, what an adventure it is and also to raise a bit if money for an organization that has helped a couple of my friends out.

I'm having to skip this year due to a spinal fusion. I think it is great that SUP is making inroads into all these marathon paddling events like this and the Burley Griffin Canoe Club 24 hour Challenge.

www.facebook.com/pages/Burley-Griffin-Canoe-Club-24hr-Challenge/226691114054800

I didn't see anyone on SUP at the Murray Marathon last year, but someone had SUP'd the full distance the year before.

Good luck guys and girls
and I hope you have fun (even if it is retrospective).

An amazing result for Cam smashing the record by about 3 hours. I think he completed the 111km in about 12 1/2 hours. Well done mate!

Cam's effort was fantastic. Well done.

Also super effort from Michelle 70 KM in 9 hours then had the misfortune to hit a ferry cable which led to going for a swim and loosing her food. With out any one else around in the middle of the night it would not have been a lot of fun...

Great effort guys.

Yet again, what an amazing event. Big congratulations to all who entered and paddled. All four who finished the race managed to beat the previous record and Michelle England was looking good until hitting a ferry cable 10km out of Wisemans Ferry and losing all her food.

This year was a tough race with mixed conditions. The first 15-20km there was a side/head wind depending on what part of the river you were on and as it winds it was head on at some points. For theremainder of the evening the winds stayed pretty light until check point O (Spencer) approx 20 km from the finish. It was at this point that the predicted southerly picked up and meant we were faced with a 15knt head wind until the finish.

It was amazing how much of a difference having two tides with and only one and a half against made compared to last year. I also learnt alot from last year and I think mentally this played a big part as Icould envisage what was coming up and could tick things off as I went.

Ben Brown got off to a flying start and even beat his own land crew to the first checkpoint meaning a 10-15 minute wait. I came in not long after with Michelle only a couple of minutes behind.

Ben got off and I soon followed him and the hunt was on. Not far out of Sackville and I managed to jump on the tail of a ski which I sat nicely behind for about 20km (thanks canoe 407). I caught up to him approx 5km out of Sackville somewhere around the 35-38km mark and we paddled along together for a little while.

I knew from around the 50km mark I would have a full tide behind me so decided to make the most of it. With a very brief pitstop to refuel at Wisemans Ferry (61km) I was off again to make the most of the tide. For the first hour out of Wisemans every time I looked at my watch I was sitting at 10-11km p/hr and was feeling good.

In my head I knew that if I could get to Spencer (91km) before the tide changed I would be in good shape as that would be where I would hit the southerly head on if it was to come. The earlier I got their I figured the less likely I would be to hit the wind as the sun came up.

The last 20km is where I felt the previous years experience came into play. As the mind starts to wonder I knew exactly what was coming, although this year it was still dark compared to last year same place the sun was coming up.

My ultimate goal was to break 14 hours, so when I looked at my watch about 2km from the finish and it said 12:22 I was very surprised. I knew I was making good time but not that good. It was at that point I thought maybe I could beat the record by three hours so went hell for leather, sounds familiar to last year.

I was super stoked to have knocked so much time off the record and funny to think Matt Worley and I were joking about it being able to be done in 13:30 at a strecth earlier in the year.

Again massive congratulations to the other paddlers especially Ben Brown who finished 15mins behind me and had never paddled more than 30km at once, Mitch and Matt for also breaking the previous record.

A HUGE THANKS TO:
Ian Grose from Starboard Australia for his on going support
Mike Galvin from Stand Up Surf Shop
Sam from WSS for the loan of his board
Michelle for being a great training partner and sharing her parents to be my land crew
Greg and Kevin for all your training techniques and tips
Anyone who donated and has offered words of support throughout the whole journey
And finally my wife who lets me train and go and do these crazy adventures

Officialy times:
Time Handicapped Time
Cameron McKay - 12:33:50 9:39:42
Ben Brown - 12:45:40 9:48:48
Mitchell Pearson 14:42:46 11:18:51
Matt Patterson 14:50:03 11:24:27

I am having some issues with my garmin but will upload the data when I get it sorted