CHESTERFIELD, MO — 22 paddlers gathered at River’s Edge Park for the first-ever Alpine Shop Paddle Sprints presented by Huga Bar. Most were seated in Alpine Shop demo kayaks (Wilderness Systems Tsunamis and Jackson Journeys) but some dedicated paddlers also brought their own kayaks and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) to participate. The first wave went off at 6:15 PM with Joe Sartori powering his personal kayak around the 0.95 mile loop in 8 minutes and 35 seconds. Diane McHenry paddled a Wilderness Systems Pungo around the same course in 9 minutes and 49 seconds. This time is remarkable in that the Pungo isn’t known for its hydrodynamic racing design – it’s purely a recreational craft, yet McHenry was able to pilot it to victory with her paddling prowess.
Jack Wilkinson, winner of the Alpine Shop Spring Trail Run Series presented by Columbia Sportswear just a few weeks ago, came in 2nd place for the men with a time of 9:28 in a Jackson Journey. Danielle Sartori, just 17, came in 2nd place for the women with a time of 10:33 in a Wilderness Systems Tsunami. Complete results are available at here.
In the second wave, McHenry teamed up with Danielle Sartori in a personal tandem kayak to fly around the course in the fastest time of the night: 8 minutes and 30 seconds. Other notable performances include 4 paddlers on SUPs. Micah Willis was able to outpace them all on his personal board in a time of 11:27. A complete photo album from the evening can be seen here.
With assistance from Chesterfield-based Huga Bar, Alpine Shop will host the final Paddle Sprints event for 2015 on Thursday, June 25th at River’s Edge Park. Demo kayaks and SUPs are included in the registration fee, and pre-registration is available on-line until Wednesday, June 24th.