We’ve just wrapped up the Huntington Beach Pro, where many of the world’s best paddlers battled it out in the penultimate leg of the 2013 Stand Up World Series. Yesterday (Saturday) saw the knockout sprints while today (Sunday) it was the distance race.

After perhaps the most stacked field in World Series history provided plenty of entertainment in the punchy waves, the men’s side of the draw was whittled down to a final 8. With a dropping tide and increasing wind making conditions trickier and trickier for paddlers (but more and more entertaining for the fans) the final could have gone to anyone. But eventually it was overall Series ratings number #2 Kai Lenny who prevailed to claim day one, while 15-year-old Ke’ale Dorries from Australia surprised everyone (except the Aussies) to take out the women’s event and be the first girl other than Annabel (who was absent today) to claim a World Series win this year.

Day two, which has just wrapped, was also greeted with decent surf that made the start of the Distance Race an interesting affair. Despite a set rolling through right after the horn blew, somehow the favourites found their way to the front and controlled most of the race. Series leader Connor Baxter and his main rival Kai Lenny were going back-and-forth in the lead for much of the 10km course, but on the final leg everything was up in the air and suddenly the guys battling for the minor positiosn found themselves near the front.

Casper Steinfath and Kody Kerbox both made great moves from further back in the field up into contention, while Jake Jensen from Australia was probably the closest other paddler to Kai and Connor for the entire race. With the wind increasing and bumps coming into play, the lead switched several times in the final kilometre. As paddlers came in for the final buoy turn among the waves it was still anyone’s race, but a great move by Jake saw him take a solid lead out to the final outside buoy.

The Aussie rounded the outside buoy, charged back into the beach as his rivals battled for second and stayed on his feet to surf a set wave in and take a memorable win. Coming home second was Kai Lenny, with Kody Kerbox, who seemed out of the race earlier on, coming home for a fine third position. Casper Steinfath added a 4th place to his 3rd from yesterday, which should see him take third overall for the event. Mo Freitas filled out the top five while Connor Baxter, unlucky considering he led for much of the race, came home sixth.

Overall Kai Lenny clearly won the event, with a first and a second putting him ahead of Jake Jensen (4th and 1st) and Casper Steinfath (3rd and 4th) for the overall Huntington Beach Pro title.

2013 Huntington Beach Pro SUP Race RESULTS

#	Name	Country	Sprints	Distance	Overall
1	Kai Lenny	Hawaii	0.7	2	2.7
2	Jake Jensen	Australia	4	0.7	4.7
3	Casper Steinfath	Denmark	3	4	7
4	Mo Freitas	Hawaii	5	5	10
5	Kody Kerbox	Hawaii	9	3	12
6	Brenan Rose	US	2	11	13
7	Noa Ginella	Hawaii	11	9	20
8	Zane Schweitzer	Hawaii	13	7	20
9	Connor Baxter	Hawaii	15	6	21
10	Toby Cracknell	Australia	15	8	23
11	Peter Dorries	Australia	8	18	26
12	Josh Riccio	US	17	12	29
13	Riggs Napoleon	Hawaii	17	15	32
14	Paul Jackson	New Zealand	21	17	38
15	Vinicius Martins	Brazil	25	14	39
16	Arthur Daniel	France	25	16	41
17	Slater Trout	US	6	37	43
18	Javier Jimenez	Mexico	7	37	44
19	Beau O’Brian	Australia	9	37	46
19	Kaeo Abbey	Hawaii	25	21	46
21	Daniel Hughes	US	28	19	47
21	Fernando Stalla	Mexico	37	10	47
23	Caio Vaz	Brazil	11	37	48
24	Tamil Martino	Peru	13	37	50
25	Jeremy Branchu	France	28	24	52
26	Arthur Arutkin	France	17	37	54
26	Gaeten Sene	France	17	37	54
28	Tomo Murahashi	Japan	34	22	56
29	Martin Letourneur	France	37	20	57
30	Carlos Bahia	Brazil	21	37	58
30	Vincent Verhoven	France	21	37	58
30	Jacy Shimuhara	Hawaii	21	37	58
33	Florent Dode	France	37	23	60
34	Quintin Chiapperino	Venezuela	28	37	65
35	Pascal Pouget	France	31	37	68
35	Americo Pinheiro	Brazil	31	37	68
35	Dave Boehne	US	31	37	68
38	Ian Vaz	Brazil	34	37	71
38	Yuri Daberkow	Brazil	34	37	7

*****

WOMEN’S RESULTS

Position: Name  Sprint Points / Distance Points (Overall Points)
=1st: Ke’ale Dorries 0.7 / 2 (2.7)
=1st: Halie Harrison 2 / 0.7 (2.7)
3rd: Caroline Angibaud 3 / 8 (11)
4th: Jen Lee 4 / 8 (12)
5th: Vanina Walsh 5 / 8 (13)
6th: Karen Jacobson 6 / 8 (14)
7th: Lena Guimares 7 / 8 (15)

*****