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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Liquidlogic Kayaks


The Liquidlogic Remix from Isaac Levinson on Vimeo.

Liquidlogic makes the highest quality, comfortable, and fully functional kayaks on the market! Get one!
- The Joo

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog, I will be posting updates as cool stuff in my life happens.

Lately the coolest thing to happen was the Green Race, Its always a great event. Tons of people show up to race and spectate. 
The crowd is always fired up, they hiked 1.5 miles to get in!


This year I was really fired up on the Green Race, I moved to Asheville, NC a month before the race to prepare. To get ready I maintained a regimen of flatwater workouts, running to improve my endurance and of course tons of laps on the Green. I did over 30 runs in the month of October thats alot of boat and body abuse! Here is a Go-Pro Video from a Practice run about a week before the race. 


Race day was sunny but brisk. Because last years winner, Andrew Holcombe is injured I was given the number 1 bib. This meant I was the first of 130 races to go. It was such a crazy experience, the crowd was freaking LOUD! Coming through the notch I could not even hear my self huffing and puffing! And trust me, I was.

 Last year I finnish 2nd in the long boat class and 3rd in the short boat class. This year I was on pace to win the long boat class but I had an unfortunate mistake that coast me some valuable time .
I was a little off line coming down the first part of nieces pieces and spun out!
After surfing out of the hole, I then pushed off of a rock to get back on line.
Mistakes like this are what makes the Green Race so challenging, Everything was going so well then BOOM, it was all over. But knowing that I had killer lines in the top half of the 4:30 race. I had to put my head down and hammer to the finnish in order to stay on the podium. 
Back on Track
Hammering it out, just a few slides left!
Racing is not only about winning, its about going out and giving it all you have. I can say for sure, I gave it 100%. Thats what it means to go fast and take chances! That day it was just not in the cards. I finished 2nd with a time of 4:32, My good friend Mike Dawson came out with the win this year with a time of 4:26! He came all the way over from New Zealand and made it happen! Good on ya mate! Churr Churr. (still not really sure what that means) 

After Catching my breath from my long boat run, I walked back up to the start of the race course which is about 3/4's a mile. On the walk back up, I said a quick hello to my family and friends. Its always great to see tons of people enjoying themselves along the river! 
I got to the start with a few minutes to spare, did a few warmup drills to get use to my Remix 69 that I had not paddled in about a month.
Short boat is just a fun thing to do in the Green Race, its truly all about the high performance Long boats, such as the Liquid Logic Stinger and Hungee, the Wavesport Momentum, and of course the Dagger Green Boat. Its just so awesome that there are boats made specifically for this one race! 
Even know the short boat class is for kicks I was determined to win. After coming so close in Long Boat I knew I just had to be smooth! My short boat run was SICK! I hit some sweet lines all the way down the river. I still had a few minor mistakes but it was enough for the WIN! 
Coming into the Go-Left Hot! picture by: Robert Haigh

After the race we partied at the man of the Green River's house. Woody Callaway was one of the first people to run the green back in the day. Now he lives in a sick modern cabin 200 yards from the take out and he still runs the green more then most locals. Just meet him at the "take out" he is always ready! 

Of course I need to thank all my sponsors Liquidlogic Kayaks, Sandiline paddling gear,  Galasport USA for top of the line racing/creek paddles, And Immersion Research for that bomber skirt! Having the right gear makes all the difference! 

See you at the Green Race next year!
JOO














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