Jay Race 2010

This year’s prerace tribute to Jay Moriarity was especially inspiring for me.  My favorite part was Grant Washburn telling us how he was stressing over how to approach big water he was about to enter, when Jay walked up and said something like: “Just look at that beautiful sky!” All of this was to say that Jay, first and foremost, stood in appreciation of all that surrounded him and just knew everything would work out well, even in big water.  Of course, his well-honed waterman skills backed that up. 

Listening to Jay's stories, inspiring as ever.

My own intention that I had set for this race was simply to experience fully the joy in paddling, and this story got me off to the perfect start.

This was my third annual Jay race, so by now, I’m starting to get to know a few fellow paddlers from the Santa Cruz area. At the top of that list is Nick Bryson, who’s become a great training partner this year (Nick not only became a contender in the stock class, he learned how to keep a water bottle attached to his board!). But there are many others, and having all of us in one place is amazing.

Monterey’s representation included Mike McDaniel, Mike Roberts, Paul Wetterau, John Alexiou, and yours truly. Among the So Cal contingent was Catalina Classic veteran Kathryn Tubbs, whom I met through Mike McDaniel.

In the end, it's all about the paddle.  

A sampling of the craft 

The twelve-mile course begins and ends at New Brighton State Beach, extends past Pleasure Point to the harbor buoy near the Santa Cruz Municipal Pier, turns straight out to sea, to the “one-mile” buoy, then returns to finish.

But conditions are everything. Winds, currents and swell all play a pivotal part every year, no exceptions. The course conditions this year must have been at least as fast as last year. For example, Craig Waltz (second place in unlimited class) finished in 1:57.3, compared to his first place finish of 2:00.5 in 2009.

But that’s not to say it was the same.

Consider that unlimited class 3rd place Tod Robinson (1:58.4) reported that his GPS showed the top three were on pace to break the course record by the time they reached the harbor buoy, near the muni pier. The course record, 1:51:58, a pace of 0:9:20 per mile, was set by Chad Carvin 2008. Yet, the winner’s average pace for the 12-mile course this year was 0:9:52 per mile (Anthony Vela, 1:58.4). So, sure, there were lots of runners to surf from the one-mile buoy back to New Brighton Beach, but that should have sped them up, not slowed them down. Maybe it was the combo northwest and south swells that did it.

I found the course indeed had many faces this year, and I enjoyed each one.

This was the first time I was present for the unique pleasure of standing in hip-high water with no wetsuit while little waves washed up to our waists, the prescribed “standing start” for the race. On shore, a bagpipe's drone-and-melody performance could be heard over the many pleas from the water to start the race already.

Finally, the horn was blown and the paddlers created a great current in the direction of the first required turn. I love to ride that current, and I did so today. Then there was the smooth segment to Pleasure Point, followed by the backwashy segment to the harbor buoy with a bit of a headwind. And that run out to the mile buoy is always work. Smooth and strong was my mantra for those segments.

Rounding the buoy I managed not to attract too much attention from the resident sea lions, then I caught a few of those Northwest runners. Some went really well, others spun me out (unlike unlimited boards, I have no rudder), and twice I went dead in the water because of crossed-up swell.

Mike Roberts must have caught more runners and rode them longer, because that’s how he passed me up. I didn’t even know that was him less than a half mile further out than I was.

I next headed for Pleasure Point, to get inside the kelp line. I planned to do that before the race even started, but now it wasn’t an easy choice. Few ever do that. I wondered now if I was about to badly blow it. I started to second-guess myself. I had to think back on the reasons why I thought this was a good idea and ask myself if those reasons were valid right now. I headed in.

I found out later it was the smart call – Roberts encountered demons in the outside line’s waters.  A solid paddler in any conditions, Mike told me he fell four times. That said it all about what the outside-the-kelp line was like after passing Pleasure Point. The inside line, on the other hand, was relatively clear of kelp, and the tide was incoming. Conditions were clean, the surface like glass. So, although Mike blew past me mid-race, we approached the finish in a classic paddle battle, except that we approached the finish at nearly a right angle to each other – he aimed straight for shore from the outside, me paddling the shoreline from the inside.

Me on the approach (above); Mike Roberts looking at me and contemplating the kill (below).

I got there first. But to complete the race, there’s that stinkin’ beach finish. Gotta run up the beach, through the big red archway.

Three years of this race has taught me that my perception of where the ground is changes after the better part of 2 ½ hours with my face just inches from the water. The sudden change from prone to standing leaves me unable to judge the distance from eyeball to ground. The ground looks closer than it actually is. When that happens, I just can’t find my feet. This shouldn't be.  I’m a runner. I’ve completed a half marathon each year for the past six years. But now, here I am, about to be edged out Roberts, because I’m repeatedly falling on my face, crawling, and laughing uncontrollably.

What does Mike do? Laughing as hard as I am, he grabs me with authority under my arm and runs me through the finish. We tied for equal 5th in the fourteen foot class. The entire race had been a joy, and this just put it over the top for me.

Is this a great sport, or what!!!!!

(L to R) Nick Bryson, Jody Roberts' back, Mike Roberts, me.

Mike McDaniel, Kathryn Tubbs

Paul Wetterau, flanked by two Mikes

For me, this year’s Jay Race was the Joy Race. After this one, I find myself hoping I'll still be racing when I’m 90, and that this paddle race, this tribute to surfing’s icon of joyfully pursuing going big, will outlive us all.






Thanks to DeeAnn Thompson for the photos and so much more!