Competitors for the elite, Graveyard Race, stare down the grey sky and choppy surf.
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC, USA, April 25, 2016 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Annabel Anderson of New Zealand captured her fourth consecutive victory in the women’s division of the Carolina Cup elite Graveyard Race on Saturday, April 23. In an incredible achievement, Anderson bested her nearest competitor Candice Appleby of California by over five minutes on the grueling 13.5-mile ocean and flatwater standup paddleboard course.
On the men’s side, Frenchman Titouan Puyo picked up his first Carolina Cup championship, upsetting an impressive field of the world’s best competitors, including last year’s champion Travis Grant. “We’ve seen that coming for a couple of years, he has such amazing talent, he just pulled it together today,” said Chris Parker, SUP expert and race analyst with SUPRacer.com. “For anybody to paddle away from Connor Baxter, Danny Ching, and Travis Grant at the end of a race is unheard of. That was a huge result for him.”
“We definitely had the fastest conditions and the highest level of competition,” said John Beausang, Carolina Cup co-founder and owner of SUP’s Mullet Magazine. “It was extraordinary. We had far more competitors in the Graveyard race this year. This is the best Carolina Cup.”
Chris Curry of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina and 15-year old Maddie Miller of Jupiter, Florida took the top spots in the Money Island 7-mile flatwater competition. Justin Markel of Havre de Grace, Maryland, and Karen Kennedy of Miami, Florida championed the Harbor Island 3.5-mile race.
The 6th annual West Marine Carolina Cup, based at host hotel Blockade Runner Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach, was the first major stop on the 2016 world SUP race circuit. The Cup is organized by the Wrightsville Beach Paddle Club and sanctioned by the World Paddle Association. #supcarolinacup #carolinacup
Read more: http://ncpressrelease.org/frenchman-and-new-zealander-capture-elite-victories-in-2016-carolina-cup/
Picked up across the country in major market media: The San Diego Union Tribune