Juliette DuHaime – Infinity SUP’s Argentinian SpeedFreak

Juliette DuHaime is one of the Infinity SpeedFreaks, the Elite SUP race team from Infinity and she is frequently found at the business end of competitions around the world. TotalSUP last caught up with Juliette at the end of 2022 and we were super happy to get some more time with this speedy water woman.

Juliette in action at the APP Sprit event in Spain. Image credit APP.

Hi Juliette, nice to have you back on TotalSUP. Before we dive into your plans for the 2023 season let’s do a quick recap, how was your 2022 season?

Hello, thank you so much for this opportunity. Yes, my 2022 season was absolutely amazing! I never thought I would be able to travel to all those places to compete, and definitely would not have happened if it wasn’t for stand-up paddleboarding and the amazing support I got from Infinity. This sport has really changed my life!

I started off my season in Sayulita Mexico and then went to Tahiti, and after that went to the first stop of the APP in Santa Monica, not really knowing what I was going into, and after that race where I finished in the 3rd position overall, everything just kind of escalated and doors started to open.

Then I continued to follow the rest of the tour, going to Spain, South Korea and Paris, while also participating in the ISA in Puerto Rico.

It was one of my best years personally, and it also motivated me tremendously for the 2023 season.

And your 2023 season started with success in Mexico followed up with a training camp in Hawaii? Sounds awful!

Yeah, I went to the same race in Sayulita Mexico where I won both races, and then got the opportunity to go explore Hawaii for the first time which was amazing! I got to train with Jade Howson and surf a lot. Definitely planning on moving there very soon.

When you are training what do you like to focus on, it is all race, race, race or do you like to mix it up with anything else?

I focus mainly on standup paddle racing, but I’ve also gotten to know that I enjoy so much wing foiling, surfing and just doing and learning all different water sports. So actually everything revolves around standup paddle boarding, first I have to train and then I can play.

Fantastic. From there you headed over to Europe for the double-header EuroTour / APP weekend in Spain with the long-distance race on Saturday and the sprints on Sunday. That was a packed weekend with two great results for you, looking back on it how do you think it went?

Oh yeah, that was a very intense weekend!

The long-distance race on Saturday was very choppy and we had side wind the whole time, literally halfway into the race I was just thinking about surviving/crossing the finish line more than what place I was coming in at.

The afternoon and night after the long-distance race, I was trying to start to prepare mentally for the sprint races we were going to have the next day, and when I woke up the next morning my forearms were so shot. I was nervous about how I was going to do in the races because of how my body felt, but I surprisingly ended up in the finals against Fiona, Caroline, and Melanie.

It was a hard battle, but I ended up in 3rd, so I was super stoked!

Image Mario Entero / Euro Tour

When racing do you like to stick to the same board regardless of race type and distance or do you like to match the board to the race?

If I have the opportunity to pick what Infinity model race board I can use, I definitely do. For example, I love the Infinity Blackfish model for pretty much every condition, especially in the waves and short course sprinting, but if I have to race on super flat water, then I prefer to use the Infinity Whiplash, and if I’m doing an ocean open water race, the Infinity Blackfish Dugout is definitely my go to. But sometimes, I can’t choose and I have to use whatever is available.

In your last interview with us, you said your favourite kind of racing was the SUP Sprint event, why is that?

I just love sprinting because to me it’s more exciting and my adrenaline is through the roof, and I just think that my body type is made to sprint. So I would say that sprinting and technical racing are my favourites but, I still do long-distance racing and kind of enjoy it for the most part haha.

Anyone who follows you on your social media channels will know that you regularly post your adventures on there, your Instagram channel is very positive and full of energy. Away from the race scene how do you keep up your enthusiasm?

God. I just feel super blessed and know that He is guiding me through this whole journey and that I’m never alone.

There is just so much I have to be grateful for, and I just love sharing the motivation to everybody and hopefully be able to inspire as many people as possible to realize that, and to follow their dreams, and to know that anything is possible. Especially with Him in your life.

Looking forward to the rest of the SUP Race season what events are you most looking forward to?

So halfway through the year, there are still a few races to go. I am super excited about the ICF in Thailand, but also my upcoming races in the next few weeks in Greece, Portugal and Oregon.

You’ve been an Infinity SpeedFreak for a few seasons now and that squad appears to be like one big extension of the Infinity Family. What is the best thing about being a SpeedFreak?

I love this question.

So, for me being added to the Infinity team was a dream come true. I feel like it’s more than just a team, it’s a family, we all share the same passions and we all are a little weird in our own sense haha. So I think that’s what makes us a cool gang, besides all of us being speedy on the water. And Dave has been so supportive and saw something in me from the beginning and I just can’t thank him enough, because I would not be living this life right now if it wasn’t for his belief in me.

I think the best thing about being a SpeedFreak is having the best boards and sharing really fun and special moments when we are all together.

Your trip to Hawaii was the first time you’ve been there and you loved it, is there another dream destination you cannot wait to visit and if there is which SUP would you want to take if you could only take one from the Infinity range?

I really cannot wait to go to Thailand, but I really would love to one day go to Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand too.

The one board is a hard question… I would probably take the Blackfish dugout as my race board.
But obviously would have to take a B-line sup surfboard and probably a longboard too haha.

On your Instagram feed you shared some travel stress with your EuroTour / APP travels not knowing if your paddle bag had arrived until you got to the oversize bag claim. Was that the worst travel stress you have had, so far? And to contrast that, what has been the best thing that has happened to you on your way to a race?

Yes, I would say that was the most stress full travel I have ever experienced, luckily it kind of worked out, but it was really stressful.

Honestly, there has always been something that has happened to me on all of my travels, it’s never a dull experience, but I don’t know, the best thing is maybe when I have nobody sitting next to me on a long flight, and I can lay down completely. Hahaha.

Sticking with travel, what is the one SUP-related thing you always take on your travels?

Hard to pick just one because I need a few haha but always my QuickBlade paddles and my Black Project fins.

One last question. Infinity Dave was once in a band, if you were a member of that band what would you do?

Maybe sing … but I’m kind of shy so I don’t know how that would really work out lol.

Thank you, Juliette, for taking some time out of your busy schedule for us. Good luck with the rest of your season!

Juliette DuHaime is one of the most versatile SUP Racers on the circuit, competitive in Sprints, Technical Races and long-distance events on her SUP Race boards from Infinity Surfboards. When she is not racing she can also be found surfing, foiling and having fun in the water and her Instagram channel is well worth following for some high-energy inspiration.

Infinity Surfboards are a family-owned and family-run business based in Dana Point, CA, USA.  Juliette’s favourite Blackfish is one of their high-performance race SUPs and is available as a dugout or with a flatter deck in a range of sizes to suit all paddlers and the Whiplash is their flatwater speed machine.

You can see more Infinity Boards in action on their social media channels – Infinity SUP Instagram and Infinity SUP Facebook.

Images from Juliette, @marioentero / EuroTour and the APP World Tour