It was a classic summers day in Mandurah for the annual Mandurah Duel. Over 240 competitors turned up to race against one another from either the estuary or the ocean - to a common finish line in the middle. Competing along side one another were stand up paddlers, single ski's, double ski's, OC1's, OC2's and even a few larger craft entered like the OC6. 

Out of those 240 competitors, only 15 were stand up paddlers, but that didn't dampen their spirits! All the stand up paddlers finished with great times, and the front runners ended up crossing the line only a few minutes apart over an 1.5hr race. 

The whole concept of the race was a simple one, paddlers started at two points, some in the river, some out in the ocean - and finished up at a point in the middle. Some say the ocean paddlers had an advantage, with the ever reliable Perth sea breeze kicking in and helping to blow the paddlers north up the coastline. Others say that the calmer waters of the estuary were an advantage, because paddlers could get a rhythm up and continue paddling at the same pace the whole way through. In the end it was the ocean paddlers who won, with the leading man crossing the line in 1hr 7mins using an OC1 to get himself there. All of the Stand up paddlers had to enter the ocean course, so we'll never know for sure which route was faster, but it was a fantastic event none the less. 

Here's what competitor Adam Hawksworth had to say about the event: 
That was my first duel and its a great event, well done to Ian for winning the Coreban 12'6". He's only just started sup so he's a worthy winner. There are some strong paddlers coming through. One guy has only been paddling for a few weeks I think! Thanks Barts for putting on a great event.

Seabreeze.com.au's very own Laurie was on hand at the event to snap a heap of pictures. Check them out in the forum thread, as well as some friendly banter between competitors and some first hand reports of the race. 

Next up on the stand up paddling racing calendar is "The Doctor" which runs for 27km's from WA's Rottnest Island. It kicks off next weekend on the 21st of January and runs for the day; several big names will be in attendance like Connor Baxter and Jamie Mitchell as this is the first of the (series A) Oceanpaddler World Series. Stay tuned for more on this event and all the upcoming events from the series this year. 

Results
SUP Open Mens

1: Peter Pridmore
2: Marcus Ardrew
3: Luke Jenkins

SUP Open Womens
1: Theresa Mckirdy

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