2nd Place at Bakersfield
3/15/14 Bakersfield CA,The 2nd annual River Race Half Marathon hosted by Homegrown Longboards. Not a huge turnout but there were still a good amount of skaters including a good amount of local riders as well as Leftcoast Longboarding Crew of Los Angeles and Jack Smith who was the race's official starter.
The race was preceeded with everyone getting to know one another while trying each other boards out. Everyone was real courteous and showed alot of interest in the new longboarding discipline of street paddle the WestSSUP crew came to represent. After about and hour of chatting and test rides the race was finally about to commence.
At about 1130 Jack Smith signaled the start of the race. The first mile was all downhill. Bakersfield local and last years winner Daniel Engel led the pack out the gate and never looked back. At the 10k turnaround Daniel was in the lead by about 1 minute and a half. There was a battle by 4 riders for 2nd place. Bakersfield local Dylan Patton and WestSSUP rider Jeremiah Pascua battled for 2nd for the whole second half of the race all the way up until the second to last uphill climb where Jeremiah was able to take up 2nd and finishing strong. Jeremiah utilized a push/paddle/pump strategy which allowed him to be able to use every aspect of his body and maintain a high output while spreading the fatigue evenly across his body using the different techniques. Unofficial time: Daniel Engel 54mins, Jeremiah Pascua 56mins, Dylan Patton 56.15
The WestSSUP crew were not the only street paddlers registered in the event. John Stallone of Kern County was there with his Guillermo adjustable paddle and Croozerboard Guillermo Board. This race was John's first longboard race as it was also a first for WestSSUP Riders Darrin Pascua and Justin Pascua in the days 10k event. John was able to best the twin brothers to their 10k goal. The only two street paddlers that competed in the half marathon were WestSSUP rider Deejay Pascua and Daniel Cambay. Deejay finished 5th overall with an unofficial time of 1hr. 4mins. and Daniel with a time of 1hr. 9 mins.
The course was along the Kern River Bikepath. It had alot of inclines and a headwind in both directions. It was also warm and dry and had a Mad Max type feel. HomeGrown should consider a Mad Max theme in the events upcoming years because it would really fit the scenery.
The Awards ceremony and raffle were held at the Old Coral Cafe. They served free tacos and nice prizes and awards were given. At about 3:30 everyone parted ways. The Homegrown and Leftcoast crews went to an undisclosed location for a downhill session. WestSSUP had a 3 hour drive to get back to base. The event was fun filled and the people were warm and friendly. The vibe was high and everyone got along great. Next year will be bigger and better and we can't wait. Shout out to Homegrown Longboards, LeftCoast Longboard Crew and The Shralpers Union. One Love!!!!!! D.P.
