2014 Chief La Diga Silver Comet Sk8 Challenge

Atlanta, Georgia.

This year's challenge brought participants and challengers from a wide range of age groups. The objective was simple: Finish the entire 3 day, 188 mile race, under time. Pushers and paddlers came from all corners of the globe from Los Angeles, California to Paris, France.

Upon landing, we immediately sought food and we ended up having a late breaksfast at the infamous Waffle House in Georgia. After we ate, we found a cheap, but questionable neighborhood motel in College Park, GA. The carpet in the room smelled like cigarettes, dirt, and condoms. It was so dirty that none of us wanted to shower at the place so as soon as sunrise came, we checked out and took off to Whole Foods.

The night before the race, the riders gathered at the La Quinta Inn in Smyrna, Georgia to formally check-in and claim their race numbers. This also gave us the opportunity to ask questions, address concerns, and to meet & greet all the organizers. When all was said and done, everyone went to sleep, anxious for the next day.

5/29/2014 - Smyrna, GA

Riders met at the start of the Silver Comet Trail in the early morning hours. Everyone looked tired, yet excited to get the race started. There were a couple of delays but as soon as everything was taken care of, the riders were off. The leaders from last year, including Andy Andras and Kyle Yan, were at the head of the pack. Newcomers including the WestSSUP team started at the back of the group.

The first day went smoothly. While the others raced, I maintained a brisk paddle and was able to see and absorb most of the beautiful scenery. It seemed a little uphill at first with some nice little downhill runs. Once I reached Rockmart, I was rewarded with a cold foot dip in the river nearby.

At about the 4 hour mark, most of the riders were already finished and were waiting at Rockmart, GA. A close call by John Moriarty had everyone waiting for him in the pouring rain. He had crashed but finished the 38 miles, soaking wet. Great job, John!

Day 1 concluded with everyone eating dinner at a local school auditorium, where some chose to sleep on inflatable beds, provided by the event organizers. A local Walmart was a favorite spot nearby where skaters pushed to grab any goods that they needed for day 2. Once we were settled in, we slept early for the next day of riding.

5/30/2014 - Rockmart, GA

We left Rockmart in the early morning on Saturday May 30. This leg of the race would take us by the infamous Trash Mountain, a local landfill where we had heard that there were many hills. Today as a team, we decided to stay together and maintain a slow and steady pace in order to save our energy for the last day. Fortunately, we met Mark Chenersky, a new friend and rider that stayed with us throughout most of day.

The trail took us through Cedar town, Georgia and through to the state line. As we entered Alabama, we passed several small towns where a watering station was waiting for us in Piedmont, AL; we took a quick break and headed on. Onward we moved into Jacksonville, Alabama where the trail took us through the campus of Jacksonville State University. From there, it was only a few miles away until we arrived in the city of Weaver and ending at Anniston, AL. Day 2 ended with a nice dip into a local motel pool and complimentary dinner. Total mileage for day 2 was 56 miles

5/31/2014 - Anniston, AL

Day 3 started at 0630 EST, so riders had to meet at the starting line at 0530 CST because of the time zone change back into Smyrna. Riders took their positions, with our team starting at the back of the group once again. Personally, this was the hardest day out of the 3. When several riders who've done the CLSCC in previous years stated that it was "all down hill" on the third day, we were convinced that we had it. Little did we know, it was easier for the pushers than the paddlers.

Then at mile 49, I took a little "spill" at the infamous Trash Mountain. Long story short, I fell off my board accelerating at +20 mph, got the wind knocked out of me, and scraped up my right shoulder, arm, and wrist pretty badly. The guys thought I was out of the race for sure and at the time, I thought I was too. "How am I gonna make it back to Rockmart?" When I was able to breath normally again, I got up and tried to stand on my board. I felt ok so I decided to keep going. Once I got to Rockmart, I switched paddles and booked it to the cut off mark. I had 38 miles to go, but those 18 miles to the check off were the hardest.

The last 20 miles, I had the opportunity to ride with Shralper's Union V.P. Andrew Walker. He had nearly dropped out of the race at the cut off point, stating that he had nothing left in his legs. After 168 miles, the last 20 seemed impossible. Luckily, Andrew's girlfriend had his WestSSUP paddle in his follow vehicle. While Jerry and Dee took off, I kept a steady SSUP pace with him. I was almost near exhaustion myself.

With 12 hours and 30 min approaching, we passed the finish line. The rest of the crew were waiting for the rest of us with food and first aid. The look of everyone's face was of excitement, anger, pain, and joy. Although most of us were finished, there were some fallen comrades that could not complete the race. Once they arrived, we headed back to the La Quinta for the awards ceremony.

This trip was a great learning experience for our team that tested our strengths, exposed our weaknesses, and taught us a valuable lesson in LDP. We also met many new people from across the country and reunited with old friends from Miami and abroad. This year's race has left a lasting impression in the world of longboarding, in addition to Street SUP communities worldwide. We invite others to join us in these events to not only test their individual limits, but to also to make new connections and to progress the sport of Street Stand Up Paddle!! Big thanks to all our friends and families for their support!!

-D.C.

Photo credit: Iván Molina Castrillón