REGISTER HERE ON PADDLE GURU

7:00 am – Registration

8:30 am – Race Meeting

9:00am – Long Course (NO SUP) Approx. 9 miles

9:30am – Board  Race Approx. 5 Miles

10:00am – Grom Race (12U only) Approx. 1000M

11:00 – Short Course  Approx. 4  miles

Please join us to celebrate a man who’s strength and determination inspired everyone who was around him. To celebrate a man who’s hard work will continue to be admired for years to come. To celebrate a man who’s legacy will always live on in the paddling world. Start the Season off by getting “Off the Couch” and onto the water! A fun race for all human powered vessels including rowing, SUP, Prone, Outrigger, K1, Surfski, and Kayaks. 

Sam was a huge part of our NAC family since the beginning. As many of you know, Sam was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a disease he fought with every day. CF is a life-threatening genetic disease that causes the body to produce thick, sticky mucus, which clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections limiting the ability to breathe over time. Sam was a fighter and excuses weren’t an option when we were around him. Doctors determined that inhaling saltwater mist had a powerful effect on rehydrating the lining of the lungs and allowed CF patients to more easily eliminate bacteria-contaminated mucus. Sam surpassed the average age of people with CF by decades. It was being around the salt water that kept him going.

Sam taught us to love and respect the ocean. He taught us that winning wasn’t everything and that if you weren’t having fun you weren’t doing it right. He taught us that the NAC is stronger as a team than as individuals. Sam is a legend. He was one of the first coxswains at NAC and he is one of the only athletes that has competed in every watercraft that NAC has to offer at a national level. We will always have a special place in our hearts for Sam. We will always remember the positive impact he had on everyone that came into contact with him. 

                                 United we stand, divided we fall. Together we are what we can’t be alone.  

We came to NAC, Sam made it our home.

  

Sam Couch III Challenge Award

The Sam Couch award is given to the first junior boy and first junior girl to cross the finish line in the long course. It is a perpetual trophy meant to encourage young athletes, and paddlers to challenge themselves. The award is presented during the award ceremony after the races. 

2016 Jr. Winners: Rell Wolfe & Kala Diaz

2015 Jr. Winners:  Harrison Deisroth and Rell Wolfe

Rell&Harrison
2014 Jr. Winner: Nick Salcedo