The KXTWatermana 2K18 is back and is ready to start! This year it is Huahine, a small tropical island part of French Polynesia that will host the biggest waterman challenge in the world. This year there is an even greater unknown and unexpected programme planned whether it be on a SUP, prone paddleboard, in open water swimming and on land “Expect NOTHING, be ready for EVERYTHING”. There is a mouth watering week of activities planned that will push athletes to their extremes. All set to start in a few weeks from the 26th November to the 2nd December 2018.
Huahine is 200 miles West from the main island of Tahiti. A deep, crystal-clear lagoon surrounds the two islands, there are white sandy beaches, and a lake in the north making it perfectly set up to host all aspects of sport, that will make up the KXT Watermana 2K18.
The event will be decided last minute by organiser and Tahitian resident Stephane Lambert, each year he comes up with an original format and alters the rules to make each race different and exciting. This year Stephane has an exciting menu of activities lined up starting with the warm up, prone paddle boarding, SUP, swimming, V1, V6, Big SUP, and Life saving. But it will not be straight forward! Expect NOTHING, be ready for EVERYTHING
Are you excited? Are you ready? Here are the details for Watermana 2K18!
The Programme
The event will take place in the week beginning 26th November and over 6 days!
Monday 26th November: Warm UP event (Testing of athletes land and water abilities)
Tuesday 27th November: Da Kine Prone Paddleboarding 24 KM
Wednesday 28th November: Virus Waterman Combo
Thursday 29th November: KXT Swim Series, Stop and Go 10 KM
Friday 30th November: 425pro SUP series 44 KM
Saturday 1st December: Watermana 44 KM Va’a Hoe Stop and Go*
*The Va’a race on Saturday 1st December will not count towards individual athletes rankings for the Watermana 2K18. The race is open to all, including non Watermana competitors. The registration is 2 000 xpf, and includes a race shirt and meal is including in the fee. There will be Va’a boats available in Huahine for the watermen athletes who wish to participate in relay format for this race. Watermana athletes that wish to do the race individually must arrange to ship their V1.
The Va’a Hoe Programme
Starts 8 am At Fare
Stage 1 Fare to Hotel Royal 7 KM
Stage 2 Hotel Royal to Hana iti 3 KM
Stage 3 Hana iti to Parea 7 KM
Stage 4 Parea to Motu Topati 10 KM
Stage 5 Motu topati to Fare 17 KM
Shipping Information – Boards and equipment will be shipped on Tuesday November 20th from Papeete to Huahine with the Watermana staff on the Hawaiki Nui on Tuesday. The containers will be available for boarding from 9 am to 11 am at the Fare Ute pier on Hawaiki Nui Watermana (The boards will return to Papeete on December 5th).
Registration for 6 days of competition is 30 0000 xpf. This includes return shipping of boards, board storage in Huahine, accommodation from the 24th November to the 3rd December at the Fare Amira’a, evening meals, and race shirt. (For couples and families houses are available for rent). Each day there is a specific theme and surprise events to look forward too!
Quick Look at the Athletes
A good mix of athletes will all merge on Huahine to test their limits. This will be a week of individual and team endurance events mixing up SUP, Prone, open water swimming, Tahitian outrigger canoeing and other surprise events. Who a whole range of athletes with strengths in all manner of sports will be present from swimmers, to prone paddleboarders, to SUPrs. Plus an impressive range of nationalities will also be present from French, American, Tahitian, to Spanish. So who will we see push themselves to their limits?
Slater Trout, team rider for Infinity SUP and 2015 ISA World Champion will be in action straight from a year of competing on the APP world Tour racing.
Prone Paddle boarder Deon Lourens is all set to go, recording an impressive 4th place at the recent Pacific Paddle Games and finishing the distance race Catalina Classic, he will be prepared to push himself to the limits.
Spanish Swimmer and now SUP athlete Jurgi Zulaika, he may be equipped to outlast in swimming and SUP.
Emmanuelle (“Manue”) Bescheron, women’s winner of the Watermana 2017 with an impressive international track record in surf life saving.
Joseph Gueguen, a top 10 French athlete from Brittany but also an excellent swimmer and prone paddler. He won this year’s Watermen Challenges, a 2-stop water quadrathon circuit
Sandrine Berthe, French and Fanatic paddler who will be looking to capitalise on her win on the Waterman Challenge 2018 set in France, she recently finished the Catalina Classic in 4th place in the prone category. Sandrine is also the 2017 winner of ZE RACE in the prone category, making her set up for day 2 of the Watermana event!
Marie Esnaola from Grenoble, France, champion beach life saving athlete she is primed to take it all on, swimming, prone boarding and endurance, Marie may have it all to Expect NOTHING, and be ready for EVERYTHING!
There are alot more athletes present who all have an impressive CV on land and in water! But we can not forget the Tahitian watermen! With a strong and deep connection to the ocean we will see a large group of Tahitian watermen present to join the fun. The winners of the 2017 and 2018 of the Waterman Tahiti tour, 425pro athleteBruno Tauhiro and Damien Troquenet will also be present to take compete for the crown of Watermana 2K18, as well up-and-coming 425pro waterman Henere Harrys, fresh from his success at the PPG in October. The list is expected to grow as we move closer to the date, watch this space for more news on the Watermana 2K18!
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