Penticton’s own Don Mulhall took third place in a recent 13km Outrigger Canoe Race in Vancouver.
The race saw 52 paddlers from across the Pacifc Northwest race from False Creek into English Bay.
Mulhall finished third in the Male 60+ division with a time of 1 hour 28 minutes and 59 seconds, less than two minutes behind second place finisher Rob Varnel of Pacific Reach.
The race saw weather from flat to rough conditions with strong tides and winds, and the unseasonably cold weather also brought hail and snow.
“From the Start/Finish area everything looked calm and flat, but as you got out into English Bay, the NorthEast wind started to kick up some fairly big waves,” said Mulhall. “I managed to surf them a little, and then hold my position paddling back into the headwind. Having Rob to follow was helpful as he’s a local paddler and knew the water.”
The race is the fifth in the Pacific Northwest Outrigger Racing Association (PNWORCA) Winter Small Boat Race Series.
READ MORE: Penticton’s Don Mulhall gets national recognition for contributions to paddle sports
Mulhall is one of the original founding members of the Penticton Racing Canoe Club, and has been deeply involved in the local paddle sports community ever since, including organizing the Penticton Dragon Boat Festival every year. He is also coach to the Penticton breast cancer survivor dragon boat team Survivorship.
He also worked as race director for the Duel in the Desert from the year it began until 2019, which is the third longest continuously running Iron outrigger canoe race in Canada.
The Penticton Paddle Sports Association is sending a mixed team to compete in the Vancouver March Madness Race later in March.