CANMORE – A four-peat champion and caped crusader were top dogs at Sunday’s (July 14) 2019 KCPO SUP Cup in Canmore.
The annual stand up paddleboard race got underway at Quarry Lake and competitors did their best to balance and navigate the “W” shaped, 2,000-metre course.
With a superhero look, wearing a shiny turquoise cape around his neck, Calgary’s Chris Prince crossed the finish line in first at a time of 13:08.
“I’d say wearing a cape really helped me get home,” Prince said. “I'd just like to say that everything’s better in a cape … this event is about fun, not necessarily the winner of the race, so I just want to bring a bit of the enjoyment to it, too.”
He said the course was challenging, especially making clean turns on the lake.
Finishing second was Penhold’s Robb Hobbs and in third was Edmonton’s Jared Hewko.
The top local was Brandon Olsthoorn, finishing fourth overall.
Jolena Hove, from Gunn, Alberta, finished first in the women’s category at a time of 14:10.1. It was Hove’s fourth consecutive victory at the Canmore SUP Cup and she said the competitive edge has increased in the race.
“The pressure is on because it’s becoming a very popular sport and the ladies are getting closer and closer to me every year,” Hove said, owner of Paddle Culture. “Hopefully next year I can make it five years in a row and I love coming out here.”
During this year’s event, proceeds went towards Project All In, which is a foundation designed to start a conversation about mental wellness between first responders.
Chad Guenter, of KCPO, or Keep Calm Paddle On and All In Coin co-founder, said being the title sponsor the event gets people talking about the foundation.
“The general theme is that mental illness isn’t fought alone,” said Guenter. “First responders that battle PTSD, depression, [among others], those proceeds go to a program for a coin – one side is asking for help and the other help debrief calls.
“The nice thing about our program is that an $8 donation will help a first responder, it will put a coin in the hands of someone that needs it.”
For more information, please visit projectallin.ca.
