An Incident at Chattajack

TL;DR: I broke up a fight at Chattajack and I can't stop thinking about it.


When I wrote my Chattajack 2019 recap, I left out the drama of the day.

As I've read more about activism and social justice, I've become more willing to speak my mind. I'm less apologetic and more forceful. Basically, I've internalized a lot of the empowerment/confidence messaging of 4th wave feminism, but I often wonder how I'd act in public if faced with a situation where this kind of strength is really needed. Where confrontation comes to a head.

I got to see it in action last Saturday.

At the start of any paddle race, there are collisions. It's the nature of the start line; with so many crafts at so many different speeds, people just get run into sometimes. At Chattajack, there were a handful, which were mostly taken lightly and as par for the course.

One collision involved Matt's team (K2N) and an OC2.

An OC6 is faster than an OC2, just based on manpower. It's also a much larger boat. K2N found themselves between a bridge piling and an OC2 at the start line, and rather than yield, the OC2 got in their way. The OC6's ama went over the OC2's tail and got stuck for about 10 seconds. The equivalent (for the OC2) would be getting jostled and stuck behind a group of people at the start of a marathon.

(We've since seen video and know that rather than paddle out of the situation, the OC2 steersman tried to lift the ama and deliberately tip K2N's boat, which could have resulted in a broken boat, major injury if someone got trapped between the boat and bridge, or even a drowning. The only reason they didn't succeed is that two K2N rowers realized what was happening and leaned the opposite direction to counter the lift. The gravity of the situation can't be understated. Basically, this was a much bigger deal than we originally thought for K2N.)

There was a lot of swearing and personal attacks hurled between boats before the OC6 peeled off and got on its way.

Matt's team finished in just over 4 hours but we hung around the marina for a long time trying to get things situated. About 5 hours after the start, the enraged OC2's second paddler found us at the marina. He came stomping up to Robert, K2N's steersman, and got in his face. This guy was lanky and tall, taller than Robert and much taller than me. At first, we spectators thought he was joking. It was just so ludicrous to see a 60-something guy trying to fight a friend of ours.

He screamed about how Robert was in the wrong for steering into their boat, literally asking, "Do you think you were right and I was wrong?!" to which Robert replied, "What do you think happened?" (I later learned this all came down to ego more than anything else, because this guy apparently travels to paddle races all the time and works for the Pentagon. He clearly didn't like that Robert stood his ground.)

Robert refused to apologize because he wasn't in the wrong.

The guy threatened to report the team to the race director, a threat at which we all rolled our eyes. Collisions happen. No boats were damaged. What's the fuss?

I told him I had photo evidence of the incident and he laughed in my face before stalking off, perhaps to attempt to find the race director.

Remember that marathon analogy? If you finished the race and then immediately went searching for the group of people who had jostled/blocked you briefly at the start line, that's basically what this guy did. He didn't take the time to celebrate or take pride in his own race; he was single-mindedly searching for the team who got in his way five hours earlier.

Anyway, I thought that it over, but this guy approached us AGAIN twenty minutes or more later, as we stood at my car. He was still yelling and circling Robert like he wanted to get physical.

Matt and I both tried to defuse the situation. I said, "Emotions are running high, but nothing was damaged, it's in the past." Matt said, "Everyone is here to have a good time. It was 10 seconds 31 miles ago."

The guy wouldn't let up. He and Robert were facing off. Suddenly, he made a move like he was going to shove Robert.

Without thinking, I jumped in between them and got in the guy's face. I was so close I had to tilt my head up to look him in the eye, and I felt my body brush his before he moved back. His expression shifted, surprise replacing some of the pugnacious rage. In my best Teacher Voice, commanding and loud but not quite yelling, I said, "STOP IT. YOU ARE A GROWN MAN. WALK AWAY."

I think I may have even wagged a finger in his face.

My entire body was pulsing with adrenaline. I was shaking. The guy finally backed off, shouting, "So is he!" and walked away. I followed him a few steps to make sure he really left.

Afterward, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I had taken a risk, assuming he wouldn't push or hit me because I'm a woman. But I also hadn't actually made a conscious decision to make a move between them. That leap into the middle of the argument happened on instinct.

Now I know that I actually have internalized the messaging that we shouldn't let entitled jerks walk all over us and heap abuse on us. I, of course, thought of a million other things I wanted to yell at him after the fact. But that's not the point. That wasn't a learning moment for that guy; no one is open to hearing about how they'd benefit from therapy and anger management in the midst of an apoplectic tantrum.

But I have thought a lot about the fact that he apparently works at the Pentagon. I have a lot of disdain for men who treat people with such disrespect and cruelty, and I don't think men like that should be representing our country in the military. Obviously, I'm not naive; there's a reason men like him get into those positions of power. But I do wonder what his superiors would say to him almost getting into a physical altercation with a civilian at a recreational sporting event.

I hope when he looks back at his race weekend, he remembers the short little woman who got in his face and shamed him for acting like an immature bully.

I hope, given time, he realizes just what it says about him that I had to do just that.

Maybe someday he'll learn from that. Maybe not. But I learned something about myself, and I'm proud.

ABK

Chattajack 2019 - the 5th Year!

Ever since Matt did his first Chattajck in 2015, he has been determined to complete the race five consecutive years. Paddlers who finish the race within the course time limit for five consecutive years get a special hand-designed belt buckle, and Matt coveted that buckle.

Over the years, he's faced a variety of challenges in completing the course, but he's always prevailed, despite freezing cold, high winds, and driving rain. He's raced on stand-up boards of various lengths, his OC1, and now an OC6.

For those that are new here, Chattajack is a 31+ mile race on the Tennessee River. After I ran my first marathon, Matt was intrigued and wanted to find a similar challenge for SUP. Boy, did he!

Bill, Jim, Cindy, Dalton, Robert, Matt: Team Ka Nalu Nui

Saturday the 26th dawned wet and warm. We'd arrived in Tennessee the previous Thursday and had endured a couple days of constant rain. Everyone hoped the rain would let up on Saturday; it didn't quite stop, but it was lighter.

Pre-race run!

Pre-race selfie!

This year, Matt raced in an OC6 (an outrigger canoe with six paddlers). His team (Ka Nalu Nui, called K2N) consisted of his paddling friends Robert, Cindy, Jim, Bill, and Dalton. Each seat in an OC6 has an assigned task. Matt's job, in seat 1, was to set the pace.

Placing the boat in the water.

Heading out for the start

The OC's start later than the SUP paddlers because they are faster crafts, so they start a little later, at 9am instead of 8:30. This meant I had time to get a little run in before seeing them off at the start line.

There was a bit of a collision at the start - K2N's ama (the smaller piece that helps balance the boat) got caught on a smaller OC2's back end. There were heated words exchanged. I'm going to skim over how this ended up causing some drama later, because I actually think it warrants its own post.

Anyway, after the collision (which are par for the course in paddle racers and of which there were quite a few that morning!) K2N got their momentum and got moving!

I saw them at mile 10, Suck Creek, as planned. (In fact, I made it to all my viewing stops this year without any drama or getting lost, which was really good because they were so much faster than when Matt paddles solo that if I had gotten lost, I probably would have missed them. I barely had to wait for them at all along the course!)

Anyway, they were looking strong and in good spirits, paddling away! The rain had stopped and it was breezy but not too windy - excellent outdoor activity weather. They were the first OC6, and I didn't see another anywhere close behind.

Next, I drove to mile 20, Raccoon Mountain. I always get lost getting to this stop, but not this year! As I waited for them to arrive, I noticed the rain and wind had picked up a bit. I saw them after about 15 minutes.

They still looked strong, but a little more subdued. At mile 10 they had still been fresh and peppy; I could tell the race was starting to get tough. Matt told me later that they had started to get some headwinds around mile 15 or so (gusts around 30+ mph), which are always tough to paddle through, but then those headwinds turned into tailwinds and they got to ride some waves and basically enjoy some fun, downwinder-style waters.

I made a pit-stop at Raccoon Mountain's visitor center to use the restroom, then hurried down to mile 24, Sullivan's Landing. This is the spot where the viewing point is farthest from the boats, as they stick to the opposite side of the river. With our new camera, though, I was able to finally get some good views of them. Also, the gigantic boat made spotting them much easier.

I could tell the wind and picked up, but the temperatures were still mild and the rain was barely spitting. Overall, I'd say it was some of the best weather we've ever had for Chattajack.

From Sullivan's Landing, it was on to the last stop: mile 31, Hale's Bar. I arrived so early they were still setting up the finish line! No one had finished yet! That's never happened before!

I got comfortable on the dock. As usual, Quack joined me. There was a bit of entertainment as the first finishers came in, especially because someone had tied a random fishing boat along the dock where the final sprint takes place, and a volunteer had to hop in the boat and paddle it out of the way so the surf skis could get by unobstructed.

This volunteer paddling a fishing boat with a SUP paddle deserves an award

After about twenty minutes of waiting, Matt's team turned the corner and came into view.

They dug deep and paddled hard for that final 300 yard sprint. I took photos, then, as usual, ran along the dock beside them screaming wildly.

Bill's girlfriend got video of their finish:
Obviously, they were exhausted, but so ecstatic! They'd finished right around their expected time (4 hours 8 minutes) and in first place by over 10 minutes. They also placed first in the sprint (which is timed separately as a second mini-race at the end of the main race).

After getting the boat out of the water and situated on the trailer (and dealing with more drama from that collision early in the race), we headed back to the Airbnb to shower and relax.

View this post on Instagram

What a day yesterday. Still taking it all in. ✅ First place OC6. ✅ Fastest sprint finish after 32 miles (separate award). ✅ 5 year belt buckle earned for 5 consecutive successful @chattajack races. After finishing 3rd and 2nd in past years, I feel like I’ve hit for the cycle by adding the above awards this time. The conditions were awesome. 30+ mph winds. Sometimes headwind, but more often downwind. We were catching bumps on the river in a 40 something foot OC6 😍 Our final sprint was apparently a bit sloppy with some missed switches and not always in sync, but in our defense, the crowd on the dock was going wild, we just paddled 32 miles, and we could barely hear the switch calls. It was an amazing feeling and we still had a convincing win in the sprint awards. Big thank yous to all my teammates for killing it while having fun, @abk_runs for being the best one-woman support crew and cheering squad on the course, @_super_robert_ and Ka Nalu Nui for organizing it, my college buddy “Quack” for his yearly post-race help and support, and Brent at Dunedin OCC for lending us a fast @puakeadesigns unlimited OC6 and hauling it up here. More to come later! . . . . . . . . #paddlerace #race #fitness #itsaboutlifestyle #stokeonthewater #chattajack2019 #chattajack #oc6 #outriggercanoe #puakea #puakeadesigns #puakeamalolo #malolooc6 #outriggerzone #crosstraining #canoeracing #canoerace #outrigger #hippostick #hippostickherd #puakeaohana

A post shared by Matt Kearney (@stokeonthewater) on Oct 27, 2019 at 4:17pm PDT

At the awards ceremony that night, Matt got that shiny, special belt buckle. K2N snagged their first place awards (handprinted posters) and first place sprint awards, too (custom hats). Matt also got to see his paddling idol and friend Danny Ching, who raced Chattajack for the first time this year and won first in his division.

Matt and Karl with their buckles.

The top 3 OC6 teams

Matt and Danny

On Sunday before heading home, we stopped at Point Park for some photos and had lunch with Quack.

2/3 of team K2N

View this post on Instagram

#Chattaswag At first, this race started as a bucket list race for me. But it was so awesome I had to do it again the next year. But I still figured I would just do it now and then since it is a big far away race and tough to do every year. But a few years ago, during the award ceremony for probably my second @chattajack in 2016, they gave out these super nice custom belt buckle awards to a small group who had done the race successfully in 5 consecutive years. I knew right then that I was going to have to do the same thing 😅 . I knew it would be no small feat. Racers I knew had to start their 3-4 chattajack streaks over due to having to drop out mid race from hypothermia, missing cutoff times at the end by mere minutes, life getting in the way, injuries, etc. 5 consecutive *successful* finishes is tough. This year, my final year of the streak, I decided to do OC6 to do yet another craft at the race. But I knew and stressed out all along about relying on so many other people to complete my streak. You see, even if one person dropped out mid-race, and the rest of us finished without them, we would all be disqualified. If someone got sick or injured on the way to Chattanooga, we would be in a tough spot. And I even brought my SUP up as a backup in case the OC6s were delayed or damaged in an accident on the way up. I made sure my teammates brought extra warm clothes to store in the canoe so hypothermia couldn’t derail us. In the end of course, my teammates were all badasses and I didn’t have to worry about them, just myself. And it was amazing to experience the thrill and accomplishment of Chattajack as a team for once. And to have a bunch of friends in the same boat helping me accomplish this streak was special too . There’s a strong chance I take a break from this race next year. After all, no 10-year belt buckle has been announced yet 🤣 And @abk_runs says its her turn for a big far away race which is definitely true. She’s been an amazing supporter these last 5 years. Thank you to @kimfriberg83 and @ben.friberg for organizing this life changing event 🙌

A post shared by Matt Kearney (@stokeonthewater) on Oct 28, 2019 at 2:13pm PDT

This was a great year to cap Matt's five-year streak. Good weather. A strong team. Solid logistics. We couldn't have asked for better!

ABK

Chattajack 2018

Chattajack has come and gone; this year was Matt's fourth consecutive time completing the 31+ mile paddle race. This year was a little different because he raced his OC1 (outrigger canoe) rather than a stand-up paddleboard. The new craft offered some new pros and some new challenges, too.

We spent all of last Thursday driving up to Chattanooga, Tennessee. One nice thing about this race is that it makes seeing Quack and Anne Marie a yearly tradition. This year we also got to meet Lucy:

This is definitely the first and may be the only time I ever feature cat videos on my blog. Enjoy.

The weather was rainy and cold, and I opted to sleep in Friday rather than attempt to run through the rain while Matt partook in a pre-race paddle clinic led by Johnny Puakea, the designer of the Puakea outrigger canoe (which Matt paddles) and one of the best paddle coaches in the world. (He's usually in Hawaii, so Matt had to take advantage of the chance to meet him and get some tips.)

Matt (green jacket) learning from the best.

Checking in and putting the finishing touches on his OC1.

The rain and cold weather had us hoping the current from the dam would be faster, but Saturday dawned with a diminished flow.

Race morning!

Surfskis and outriggers have a later start time than other paddle-craft, so we arrived at 7:30 for the safety meeting as usual, but had to wait until 8:30am for Matt to get on the water. He didn't actually start until 9am (EST).

Matt is the guy in the pink hat carrying a giant boat down the dock in this video.

Paddling to the start line.

Matt knew he'd be faster this year, as the OC1 is a faster craft than a SUP board. This meant that despite the later start, we could still anticipate a finishing time around 2pm (CT).

And they're off!

This year, I was driving my own car and I was by myself. This made catching Matt along the route much less stressful. As usual, I caught him at the 10 mile mark, Suck Creek, about 90 minutes into the race. He was in a line of OC1s that had formed a draft train.

Matt hadn't gotten to practice drafting other OC1s much because his local paddling friends don't have them, so I was pleased that he'd found a train and seemed to be doing well.

He's the second in line.

The next stop was mile 20, Raccoon Mountain. I'd missed this stop last year and was determined to get to it because it's so close to the water and a great vantage point. Despite knowing how absolutely difficult it was to find, and leaving plenty early to get there, I still nearly missed Matt at this stop.

Basically, the Sherpa guide doesn't clarify that you need to drive toward the Raccoon Mountain boat ramp. If you go toward the tourist center or pump station, you end up UP the mountain and far from the river. With rain and fog added to the mix, I was pretty turned around and lost at this point. My GPS took me off the interstate an exit early, and when I fixed it and hopped back on, I'd already lost 10 minutes. Then I made two wrong turns on the mountain itself and got all the way to the "top" before realizing I needed to find the boat ramp.

While I was panicking about missing him, Matt was chatting merrily with fellow paddlers on the course.

I was nearly in tears at the thought of missing Matt here again, but I found the boat ramp and parked within literally minutes of his passing. I was out of the car and running around in the parking lot when I saw him.

I yelled, "GO MATT GO! I GOT LOST THREE TIMES BUT I FOUND YOU THIS YEAR!"
To which he shouted back, "WHERE'S YOUR CAR?!"

I guess he could easily spot my blue mini from the water at times, and that's how he knew I was successfully spectating if he couldn't hear me shout. At Raccoon Mountain, he just saw me running around like a crazed chicken. At least I made him laugh!

At this point, he was on his own, but still seemed to be going at a good pace. Filled with relief, and knowing the next stop was easy to find and not far away, I was able to take a breather and head down to mile 24, Sullivan's landing.

Sullivan's Landing, another boat ramp well across the gorge from where the paddlers pass, is the furthest viewing point I stopped at. Still, I was able to spot Matt without binoculars (I will try to get some next year I think!) and shout across to him. (He told me later he was able to hear me and see my car.)

The "view" from Sullivan's Landing

On my way to the finish line, my GPS got all turned around again, but I made it to Hales Bar shortly after Quack. We were able to see Matt's friend Justin finish (he was on a surfski, the fastest of the paddle crafts), and his friend Murray. Finally, we saw Matt come around the corner.

As I've mentioned in past Chattajack posts, the race ends with a separately-tracked final sprint. Racers can place in the race and in the sprint. Matt came to the final buoy turn with another OC1 just ahead and a SUP racer between them. The other OC1 kept attempting to block Matt from getting around him, even trying to knock him into the floating dock.

Luckily, they had to split around the SUP'er, which gave Matt some freedom from the overzealous (and over-competitive) OC1. As usual, I ran beside him down the dock, shouting and encouraging him. (It sounds like I'm coaching him to give birth...the video below is not for the easily motion-sickened because it was filmed by accident and is ALL OVER the place.)

Matt was able to pull ahead of the other OC1 at the finish. His time was 5:20:xx.

Pure beast-mode.

He was in better shape than in some of the past years - no major blisters, no hypothermia - but his arms were cramping pretty badly. Not only had the flow dropped, but the wind had risen, and once again he battled headwinds and whitecaps for most of the race.

After getting him back to Quack's, cleaned up, fed, and rested, we headed back out for the awards ceremony. Matt didn't place this year, but he wanted to get his commemorative glass and trade survival stories with his various paddling friends. (I realized this year that Matt knows basically the entire Florida paddling community and is too popular to be married to this anti-social homebody.)

We got ice cream with Justin and his family before calling it a night.

Over all, it was a good race and a good visit to Tennessee. Next year Matt will earn the much-coveted belt buckle given to racers who have completed five consecutive years of Chattajack. After that, he says he'll take a break from this monster challenge...but who knows...there's a 10-year belt buckle out there, too.

ABK

Friday...Seven? & A Race Discount

I don't know what the linkup "theme" is this week so I'm not linking up. But I finally caught up on as many blog posts as I could and I just wanted to write a little something before I return to my regularly scheduled posts. (That means I won't have a "weekly recap" on Sunday because I literally have not run this week.)

1. Let's start there. I literally have not run since the Tuesday before we left for Chattanooga. We were so busy while there that I just couldn't be bothered; I was there to cheer on Matt, not get my run on. After the 10 hour drive home, I've been so sore and tired I just want to rest.

We did climb Rock City the day after the race, so that kind of counts as a workout.

This video shows Matt, me, and Quack making our way through "fat man squeeze", a super narrow rock tunnel.

Volleyball has started this week, so I'm getting my "workouts" in that way. My upper body is in so much pain!

2. That said, Saturday I have a 5k that I plan to run for fun and to support my colleagues who are running it. As I mentioned before, this is their first race ever and I just want to enjoy it with them!

3. It's avocado season! Our tree is dropping avocados like crazy. Last night I made curry and topped it with some slices. We have so many we have to give them away or they'll go bad; even refrigerating them doesn't help because we have about a dozen a day to go through!

Florida avocados are huge and flavorful; they're basically twice the size of the Haas variety.

4. Matt does not understand what "rest and recovery" means. We got home Monday from Chattanooga and he went out for a paddle on Tuesday and Wednesday.

I don't know, this is just an excuse to post more pictures of us from Rock City.

5. I voted! Mailing in my ballot was a lot less fun than going to the polls but at least I know that even if volleyball goes late on November 8, my vote has been counted!

CONFIRMED!

6. Kristina and I were chatting about A1A a few weeks ago. I wanted to run it with Elizabeth but the price and travel factors were deterrents. Still, we considered it. I love it so much that to me, the cost is totally worth it; you get what you pay for. Kristina messaged me to make me aware of a 20% off code they were offering, and then just this Thursday she hooked me up with a comped race admission in exchange for a blog post about the race! I mean, I can't say no to that.

You guys know I was disappointed to miss this race because I've run it twice now and have loved it both times; I'm so glad I can run it again this year!

So I plan to pay half of Elizabeth's race entry (as a birthday gift to her - she and I share a birthday!) and that way we can both run it. I also have a code to share with all of you for 15% off (once the 20% deal ends this week), so if you're in Fort Lauderdale in February and want to run an amazing 5k, half, or full, use ALI at checkout!

7. Matt put together a surfing video when hurricane Hermine was bringing in some fun waves a few months ago. He entered that video into a film festival and was chosen as a finalist!

His film will be shown on the big screen at a real movie theatre and he has a chance to win $1000. We'll dress up and walk the red carpet. Seriously, how many talents can one person have?!

So that's life after Chattajack. What's new with you?

ABK