Published in the August 9, 2017 edition
THE THIRD ANNUAL Lake Quannapowitt Paddle Battle took place on Sunday morning. The boarders battled tough winds at the start of the race.
WAKEFIELD — The third Annual Quannapowitt Paddle Battle, a Stand Up Paddleboard race, was held on Sunday, August 6 on Lake Quannapowitt. The event drew racers from Wakefield and surrounding communities with some racers coming from as far away as New Hampshire.
“It was a gorgeous, sunny day to be on the Lake”, said Sue Pronco of Focused Fitness with Sue, the organizer and co-sponsor of the event. “I could have done with a little less wind, though” she laughed. “The racers definitely got a good workout on the first part of the course.”
The Paddle Battle has grown in many ways over the last few years.
“This event started as a way to not only get more people introduced to Stand Up Paddleboarding but to create some momentum around using the lake for healthy sporting and recreational purposes,” said Pronco. “We added a one mile ‘Try-It’ option this year and I was excited to have a number of people register in that category.”
The course was a loop of the lake following the shoreline in a counter clockwise manner. There was a large group of onlookers both on the Wakefield Common and on the water in boats, canoes and kayaks watching the race.
The top male finisher with time of 26:35 was Terence O’Malley from Seabrook, New Hampshire, and the top female finisher was Marielle Yost of Lexington with a time of 37:46.
In full recognition that the event was a success because of all the help and support received, the race organizers would like to thank the following people and organizations: Town of Wakefield, Wakefield Recreation, Friends of Lake Quannapowitt, The Quannapowitt Yacht Club, WCAT, Paul W. Marks Company, Hamel Contracting Inc., LL Bean Outdoor Discovery School, the Pronco/Murphy/Marks/Costonis/Raymond/Lueger/Powers families, Boating in Boston, Melrose Family YMCA, Bertucci’s, Richardson’s Ice Cream, Athleta, hint water, North Shore Centre for Laser, Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, SUP East Coast Style and the WMHS Football Team.
