OUR PEOPLE'S CHAMPION
- Sarah Thornely
- a few seconds ago
- 1 min read
Following on from our last blog, we continue the theme of Last Paddler Standing, but here we focus on a very good friend, incredible paddler and one of the competitors who has taken part in this race twice. Both times, Bruce 'Iron' Smith, has quietly performed brilliantly and Sarah wrote an article for Aquapaddle on her return, all about Bruce and his LPS journey.
Here is an excerpt:
"Our Home Grown British 'People's Champion'
We’d love to draw your attention to one Bruce ‘Ironsmith’ Smith, a great friend and someone who has been around the SUP racing scene for a good few years.
We met Bruce at the Naish One Design race series in 2018; he was there with his partner Karen Greener and part of the Northern SUP Race Club. What drew us to him was not just the love and warmth between him and Karen but the steadfast way he dealt with the racing. Solid, dependable, fun – we knew we needed to be in Bruce’s camp!
So why did he get involved in SUP racing – Bruce was an elite Ironman and Ultra Distance Runner competing in events like the Marathon des Sables, but a serious ankle injury ended his ability to run and had a profound effect on his mental health. He was spiraling back to a dark place that he had been at already in his life. A chance meeting with biomechanics coach and stand-up paddle enthusiast Anna Little got him on the water, and he at once realised the benefits it could give him. Like many of us, he fell in love with it straight away."
You can read the rest of our article here:
and see all the photos from the race here:
Happy Reading / Happy Paddling
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