WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA – Dynamic local paddler April Zilg of Team Hobie® powered into eigth place in the grueling 13-mile Elite Graveyard main event at the Carolina Cup to open the 2016 stand up paddleboard racing season.
Teammate Lexi Alston of California – only 14 and already a world class women’s paddler – scored an 11th place finish at her first race against elite competition at long distance.
Hobie men also signaled that this year is one to watch. Bullet Obra of Hawaii, a downwind specialist competing in his first distance race, sprinted across the finish line at the Blockade Runner Hotel in 17th place. Teammate Martin Letourneur of France was right on his heels in 18th.
162 paddlers took on a race staged in difficult conditions that included ripping full moon tidal current and a crusher of a bumper boat surf start. April and Lexi were caught in a crowd of struggling men’s surf launchers – the men’s and women’s fields were sent off at the same time.
“A thirteen-mile race was all about the start. Not much changed afterward,” said April, who paddled solo without the benefit of a draft partner all grueling 13 miles. “It felt like a training day,” said the blond known affectionately around Wrightsville Beach as the Vanilla Gorilla for her aggressive paddling style. “I love this event. As a local I have the biggest cheering squad. Every bridge, every boat, north beach, south beach, the people cheering me on are all woo, go April!”
The smasher of a surf start – the shore pound was crunching – also impeded the Hobie men.
“My start was about as bad as it gets,” said Bullet, who brushed it off and worked to chase down the leaders. “The race was fun and challenging, but not as tough as I expected,” said Bullet, suggesting the inexperienced distance racer now knows he’ll have more in the tank for the next one. With Martin, he surged to the front of the pack on the strength of his surf skills when the field hit the bumps at Mason inlet. Martin battled into the lead for much of the back stretch, but faded after the tough start.
“I wish the race was only one hour and fifteen minutes long. I would have won!” Martin joked.
As the race reached its climax, Martin and Bullet worked together to secure top twenty finishes. “I’m proud we finished first among a group of four. It was a race inside a race,” Martin added.
Hobie Boardsports rep Sean Douglas was thrilled with the team’s performance. “Awesome. Almost as good as it gets,” he said. Last year the tight-knit young team had no paddlers ranked in the top twenty worldwide. Just one event into the stand up paddleboard racing season, they have four top twenty finishes.
“The Carolina Cup Elite Graveyard let us see where we sit in the world. Our Apex 4R race board design is working. Our team has a lot of potential. We’re proud and excited,” he added.
