Park takes on challenge of paddling from Tacoma to Port Townsend

By Jim Waller • June 8, 2018 1:30 am

The first question for Oak Harbor’s Drea Park was “What were you thinking?”

Park, in seems, signed up for the Seventy/48 boat race.

Participants are expected to paddle their way 70 miles from Tacoma to Port Townsend within 48 hours starting at 5 p.m. Monday, June 11.

According to the event’s website, the rules are simple: “No motors, no support and no wind. That’s right. Human power only. Pedal, paddle or row. We don’t care. It’s up to you.

“We wanted to compress crazy stupid into 48 hours and make it a different kind of hard. Think of it as powerlifting for 48 hours.”

Competitors can go it alone or form teams, and Park is part of a six-person crew based out of Tacoma.

So, what was she thinking when she decided to inflict this torture upon herself?

“After months of training, going back and forth from Whidbey to Tacoma every weekend and with the race fast approaching, I am starting to ask myself that same question.

“But in all seriousness, I am doing it because I know this is going to be a challenge for me, not just physically but also mentally…and I love challenges.”

Park has never tried something of this magnitude but has been paddling outrigger canoes since she was a teenager in Guam where she was “practically raised out on the water.”

“My husband and I are avid outrigger paddlers and we compete in a lot of long-distance races here in the Pacific Northwest, Canada and Hawaii, but the longest races that I have competed in were only 26 miles.”

The Pacific Northwest Outrigger Canoe Asso-ciation has clubs all over Washington, Oregon and Canada, and Park belongs to several.

Through these clubs she met her Seventy/48 teammates Ken Kroeger, Tanja Reiners, Kanai Hyke, Brian Martin and Anna Simeon. Three hail from Tacoma and two from Bellevue.

Their team name is Team Kikaha O Ke Kai Mahina. Kiakaha O Ke Kai (Dream of the Sea) is the name of the Tacoma club they represent, and Mahina translates to “moonlight,” which is fitting since much of the race will be at night.

Park skips the in-week practices (because of the distance and traffic) but travels to Tacoma for the weekend workouts which begin at 6:30 a.m. and last four to five hours. During the week, Park is in the gym working on cardio and weight training and out in the water in her personal crafts.

Park’s team will use a Tahitian unlimited-style, six-man outrigger canoe called the Matahina for the race.

When Park originally committed to the race, she was going to be joined by her husband Jason Park. He, however, just left for deployment and won’t return until December.

“As I thought about backing out, and this being the first race I am doing where he won’t be either in the canoe with me or at the starting line to see me off or finish line to greet me, I told myself, that I have already committed to this race, I am committed to my crew and I am going to do this because he can’t right now.

“We also have a friends in our paddling ohana (family) who are unable to compete, let alone be able to even do any leisurely paddling, and we are doing this because they can’t.”

Hard to argue with that thought process.