You can do it… SUP 11 Cities Tour

SB / What about refuelling each day, how did you manage hydration and nutrition?

CJ / Hydration and nutrition are so important for the 11 cities, but also when you’re training, do not try anything new when you start the race. Train with the hydration tablets you will use for the race and also the equipment, there is nothing worse than finding that your hydration pack is fine if you are paddling for an hour but after 2-3 hours you get an uncomfortable rubbing or the pipes twist. I calculated you burn around between 7000-9000 calories a day and you need to make sure you intake sufficient fuel to keep you going. A high carbohydrate diet is the easiest way to get the sufficient calories needed, indeed if you plan on eating with the supplied food from the 11 cities organisation you better be used to pasta and lots of it! This means you need your body to react well to these high carb intakes on a regular basis. Try to factor this into your training, but just remember to scale it to your training activity. I would always suggest to intake a minimum of 500ml fluid per hour of paddling, more if you are only using water.

SB / So, with your experience of this epic event what would your top tips be for anyone thinking about entering?

CJ / Take 2 hydration packs! – Have 1 on you for the start of the race and another prepped and ready in your day bag, so at the rest stop unclip your used hydration pack and clip on your prepared second pack. This saves a good 3-4 minutes as opposed to refilling your pack.

Clearly mark your Day Bag! – As the 11 cities get more and more popular this becomes more important, as you need to be able to easily find your bag amongst a whole pile of other bags. Bright colours, or something tied onto a strap that make your bag stand out saves time.

Know your equipment! – Do not try something for the first time come race day. Feel comfortable with your equipment and know how it reacts in certain conditions. You will have plenty of time using it; you don’t want to be annoyed with something or be uncomfortable.

Protect your hands! – Some of you will have seen some fairly grim photo’s of blisters due to paddling, Sam Ross’s hands from 2013’s 11 cities spring to mind! No matter how much you try to protect your hands blisters will factor into the 11 cities, but making sure they aren’t affecting your paddling is a different matter. Gloves, blister pads, wax, keeping your hands dry can make all the difference. I found paddling until the rest stop with no gloves, then putting gloves on at the rest stop helped where I was getting chaffing/protection.

Early starts – Depending where you stay during your 11 cities experience will affect just how early you start your day. If you stay aboard the boat (recommended for the full 11 cities experience) then be prepared for a hot night and an early start. Prepare your body to get up early and then to start exercising. If you normally train after work in the evening then perhaps try getting up earlier and getting a small training session in before work.

GPS training – This will vary slightly from person to person, people find motivation in different ways. A GPS watch or unit you can see whilst paddling makes a huge difference to keep you paddling at a good speed. If you can visually see your speed dropping you can dig deeper to keep your average up. Also, knowing how far you have paddled, so you can work out how much longer until the rest stop or finish line can keep you focused, as well as knowing when to make a push or save something back for a final surge before the line.

Stay mentally strong – Easier said than done! You will have plenty of time wondering why you have decided to put yourself through this unique experience. Have something that keeps you strong in your lower moments. This could be a favourite playlist to listen too, a ritual you do before racing (polishing your board before every race), a lucky charm, favourite food, paddling for someone or a cause. Whatever you can do to make you feel you have your best chance to complete the course can make all the difference mentally.

Rest Stop! – Don’t be fooled, you won’t be resting at the rest stop. This 15 minute enforced break is useful to recharge and swap/refill hydration etc but far from a rest, if anything it can make it difficult to get back into a rhythm once you restart. Don’t try to eat too much. I’d really recommend a cup of the soup and maybe a banana. The soup is generally fairly salty and helps to prevent cramping and the banana is easy to digest and provides instant as well as slow release energy. Your energy should be coming from your hydration tabs during the race, and breakfast and evening meals outside of time on the water.

Bridges and Trains! – If you are unfamiliar with draft trains then the 11 cities is a tough training area but you will learn quickly how important they are. Trains form early on and tend to last for the entire day with everyone taking a stint up front to work together to keep a good top speed. Although everyone is racing their own race, working together certainly makes sense. The time will come that everyone decides that it is time to fend for yourself or to make a train smaller, bridges are the ideal time to make these breaks. A well timed paddle stroke and duck can be just the gap needed to stay ahead of someone and pull away. Rainfall also affects how low some of the bridges will be, they range from not ducking at all to having to lie flat on your board.

Day 1 is so important – If you plan on doing the best possible, go all out on day 1. You will feel broken and exhausted regardless of taking it slow or going all out, but your body will recover and somehow you wake up the next day and get back out to paddle once again. Remember everyone else is also feeling just as tired and struggling, keep paddling even if you feel there is no chance of catching someone else in front of you. Anything can happen over the course of the 5 days, paddles can snap, fins could fall out, the weather could be too bad for someone else, they could hit a bridge… It’s not over till you are back in Leeuwarden with your iconic 11 cities cross around your neck and a well earned beer in your hand.

SB / After completing three 11 Cities events do you have a favourite moment from them that stands out? 

CJ / On day 4 of the 2013 Race – I was paddling alongside a group of friends from Spain, they were pulling a train of about 10-12 people and I was pulling a train a similar size. We were paddling around 10kph, as we meandered through the picturesque Friesian countryside neither one of us wanting to let the other pass; we surged off each other’s bow wake and kept going for over an hour before we hit the Klunen section. It was a surreal hour or so, blissfully unaware of the pain and hardship to maintain that pace, laughing and trying to get an advantage over the other. Out of all the hours I have paddled on the 11 cities tour that is still my favourite memory, not so much for the fact that it didn’t feel like an hour but more for the friendships made from this crazy and tough race that you find along the way.

SB / If anyone is still undecided about entering how would you sum up your 11 Cities experiences?

CJ / It will be one of the toughest races you will encounter, you will learn a lot about yourself and potentially learn a lot about paddling too. Don’t be surprised if you go for the first year to learn the race and go back the next year to race it. I’d hope some of these tips mean that once is enough but there is something truly special about this race that gets people to come back again and again. The main thing to remember is just enjoy the experience, talk to people and they will share their knowledge. The SUP community is one of the most welcoming bunch of crazy people you will ever encounter, and if you have entered the 11 cities then you have that in common with the other competitors. It’s no easy thing to decide to do but once you have you will not regret it. Although maybe you won’t truly appreciate that till a week or two after the race is over!…

I would like to think that I have hung up my 11 cities hat but never say never eh.

Good luck and see you on the water!

As well as completing his own 33 Cities (and counting) challenge Crispin finds time to run the Waterborn SUP club in Kingsbridge, compete in the 14′ class in UK SUP races and organise the finale to the 2015 season with the SUP The Creek Event. For 2016 he has changed from his trusty, and chopped K15 to something narrower and faster. Watch out for him on the race circuit in 2016.