Inaugural WingFoil Racing Marathon Worlds Day 1: 2.5m waves put riders to the test
by Jemima Crathorne 6 Jun 2024 06:27 AEST
5-8 June 2024
2024 WingFoil Racing Marathon Worlds - Bastien Escofet [FRA] is the early leader © IWSA media
If you thought one marathon was hard enough... try doing 6! That's the challenge that 40 wingfoilers from around the world have signed up to this week with the final test being the legendary Round Texel race. The 100km endurance finale will count for double points towards the overall world title. The 45th edition of the brilliant Dutch tradition is programmed to run on Saturday 8th alongside catamarans and windsurfers.
Among the 40 international competitors is a substantial Dutch contingent, including double Olympic Champion Dorian Van Rijsselberghe and triple World Champion Lilian De Geus, who are bringing their RS:X expertise to the rapidly developing world of wingfoiling. Alongside them are returning Round Texel champions Ingrid Bakker and Chucho Nonnot, hoping to defend their 2023 titles and to claim the even bigger prize of WingFoil Racing Marathon World Champion.
Nonnot aims to beat his Round Texel record of 2 hours and 45 minutes. Familiar with the island's challenging conditions, he explains, "You really have to adapt to the conditions and know the place very well, as the wind can be completely different on the other side of the island. It's very technical, with the current, and less strategic in relation to other riders, as it's just you and the ocean." This style of racing is a true test of endurance and mindset. "It's quite enduring - you need a camelback and some sugar. Sometimes you look up and realize that you're pretty far out and alone in the ocean!"
"Last year I won 'accidentally'" laughed Baaker, who had only been wingfoiling for a mere 7 months at the time. She knew from her previous catamaran racing experience of the Round Texel race "that it could be a tough one", so her strategy was to "lay down every half an hour to eat and drink to keep energy levels up"... she did that for 5 hours! One year on, now with faster equipment, better tuning and much more experience, she hopes to repeat her success within 3 hours. On top of complicated currents and varying wind conditions around the Island, Baaker anticipates some walking for one of the shallower sections of the race.
Battle of the Frenchmen
Texel turned it on for the first marathon race of the event. Waves of 2.5 meters and gusts of 18 knots, combined with a strong current, created testing conditions for the competitors. Ultimately, it was the French who triumphed in the men's race, with a close three-way battle between Julien Rattotti, Bastien Escofet, and Oscar Leclair. All three riders led the race at points, each crashing at various points of the course with Escofet taking the ultimate win - "It's amazing to win; the conditions are really really tough, there's a lot of current, big swell and a lot of steep chop, so the foil just breaches and.... bang! I crashed at the end of the first reach and was a bit in the mix, but managed to come back on the downwind. I took the win as Rattotti crashed before the top wind mark." Meanwhile, Rattotti found the unfamiliar conditions created an interesting and intense racing challenge. The mental demands of the 30+ minute races are proving to push rider's mindsets to the limit, "you have to be focused for the entire race. You must be present at every moment, you can't afford to be thinking about anything else" explains Rattotti, grateful for the opportunity to get back-to-back marathon racing practice this week. You really can't take your eye of the ball for this kind of racing, especially with Rattotti's strategy of pushing for the entire race.
The Talented Mariska Wildenberg
Snowkiter, kitefoil racer and now wingfoil racer! Mariska is no stranger to wind powered competition. The courageous Dutchwoman thrived in today's tough conditions, despite taking a few attempts to head out through the large shore break. "There were big waves, but I think I'm used to it, because I ride a lot on the ocean and I like it like this. I like the strong wind and big waves" Wildenberg exclaims with a smile on her face, unphased by the conditions. In this event, equipment is completely open, allowing Wildenberg to use the same hydrofoil that she used to race for the Formula Kite discipline; she delights in the high speeds that the small foil provides.
Equipment choice will certainly be interesting throughout the week as a lot can change in a 30 minute window; do riders go for a big wing and hope to 'hold on' if the wind increases, or do you play it safe with a smaller wing? Events like these are critical to the ever-developing equipment, giving riders more opportunity to push their gear to the limit than in traditional course racing.
You can track racing live here, with two marathon races scheduled per day. The winners will be crowned on Saturday 8 June, following the 45th edition of the Round Texel race.
Results Men
1. Bastien Escofet FRA 1 p
2. Julien Rattotti FRA 2 p
3. Oscar Leclair FRA 3 p
Results Women
1. Mariska Wildenberg NED 1 p
2. Maddalena Spanu ITA 2 p
3. Bowien Van Der Linden NED 3 p
For more information and full results visit wingfoilracing.com/2024marathonworlds.