US Nationals Time Trial and Down River Results

The first day of races is over and both the men and the women finished up on top. The first race was the Time Trial the course was a grueling 5.5 to 6 minutes long. The men raced first and finished up with a time of 5:24. They were closely followed by the team from Breckenridge, CO and then by the Oregon Rafting Team. The women raced second, completing the course in 6:03. The women's team from Salida finished in a close second, and the Oregon women in third. After the Time Trial, we had a couple of hours to kill, which we spent watching some of the other events like cataraft volleyball and a mass start inflatable kayak slalom race through a large rapid. In the Down River event, the men again raced first. The team pulled out into the lead quickly and was able to hold onto it all the way through the finish, 6 miles and several rapids downstream. The women's downriver event was definitely the most exciting event of the day. The race started and the team from Salida got out in front. At the first turn, our women were able to make a brilliant pass on the outside and took the lead, which they held until just below the first rapid. The Salida team made their pass on a right hand turn and pulled in front. From there to the end of the race, the two teams frequently battled for position. Our women's training paid off in the last mile of the race and they were able to make the final pass of the day and win the event. It was nerves all around for all of the spectators throughout the event and we could not have been more excited for the outcome!  Tomorrow we wrap things up with the Slalom and Head-to-Head races. We'll report back in the evening.