fitness paddling: exercise, train, race by kayak & canoe

The boat he was be paddling, CA-125, is named for the blood test that can be used to detect ovarian cancer. The kayak was designed and built at Western Washington University's Vehicle Research Institute, CA-125, measures 23' long, 20" wide, and tips the scales at 16.8 lbs! After 7 hours of paddling the kayak developed a crack and started to take water. Brandon switched to a backup Seda Glider. He paddled the heavier kayak for 5 hours and returned back to the CA-125 after the emergency repairs.

What was the hardest part?

The wind...and when the boat broke and they said it couldn't be fixed I began to doubt I could do it ...I kept saying "Where's the boat!?" on every lap.

He was relieved when he heard they were fixing it with expoxy. After five hours in the heavier boat he was becoming frustrated and exhausted by the extra effort to keep pace. During those hours before sunset, surf skiers and boaters wakes would have challenged the lighter craft. It may have actually helped his race to be in the Seda glider during those five hours. During the daytime the gusts reached nearly 20 mph creating the waves that caused CA-125 to crack up.