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OCEAN CITY – Competitors will converge at
Fager’s Island on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 10 a.m. for its inaugural Battle On The
Bay stand up paddle board race. Hosted by WHAT-SUP Stand Up Paddle and the
popular dining spot on 60th Street and the Bay, this global sport
with a Hawaiian heritage has been all the rage -- riding a huge wave of
popularity here on the Eastern Shore.
WHAT SUP is part of the passionate stand up
paddle boarding movement to take the exciting sport to new extremes by offering
SUP races.
Participants have a choice of a 2.5-mile fun
race, which is geared for anyone who is new to the sport or just looking for a
fun paddle. The 5-miler is for anyone with paddling experience and is ready to
challenge their distance paddling. Various categories are available for
participants to register, according to their board sizes.
In June, WHAT-SUP, Fager’s Island and the
Coastal Bays Foundation hosted a successful team stand up paddle board and
kayak race; teams of two completed a short distance paddle and kayak course,
with hundreds of spectators pulling for their favorite teams.
“The June race was very successful and we
want to bring even more awareness on how fun stand up paddle boarding can be,“
said Ron Gossard of WHAT-SUP. “So we decided that we would offer another
race this fall.”
Interestingly, the sport engages people
of all ages. The recent winner of the popular race, Battle of the Paddle in
California, is only 17 years old. “Being in the fitness industry for more
than 20 years, I’m excited a sport can appeal to all ages,” said Dawn Ehman of
WHAT-SUP. “We had participants from 8 to 80 years old paddle with us this
summer.” “I’m excited SUP races feature competitive athletes at various ages,
which shows age doesn’t matter when it comes to paddling and will attract more
people to the sport,” she added.
Entry fee for participants costs $25,
which includes a sandwich and a drink. Spectators are welcome to attend, free
of charge. Fager’s will offer drink specials throughout the day.
Sponsors for the race are Coastal Surf
Supplies, Ron House, Gerry Lopez, Riviera, Nectar and 404 SUP boards.
Participants can register at www.Battleonthebay.eventbrite.com. For more
information about the race, call 410-289-8787, email to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or visit www.whatsupoc.blogspot.com.
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