Connor Gagliano returns to racing at PaddleFest, after healing from last season’s injury.
Memorial day weekend was packed with events at Paddlefest in Buena Vista, CO. The first I participated in was the Pine Creek Giant Slalom. Held on Pine Creek rapid, the organizers set up poles where you have to go left, right or around while navigating the rapid. It’s about a two minute race course with 6 gates. Going at a smooth pace, I ended up with a time of 2 minutes even, tying for 9th place with Cashion Porter-Shirley and Noel Parker. In the end, I was super stoked on my time and am excited to compete in the race again next year.
The second/last event I competed in was the Numbers Race. Numbers Race is about a 3 mile downstream race through the Numbers section on the Arkansas River. With the newer start line it adds about a mile of flatwater right at the top of the course which killed my race time. I got a time of 16 minutes and 33 seconds, tying me in 14th overall. During the race I thought I did horrible but, in the end, I did better than I expected. Overall, I was not super stoked on my run but definitely a learning experience and feel confident that I will do better next year.
Paddlefest, as a whole, was fun with live music and sweet events all around. Come out next year!
– RMA Team Athlete Connor Gagliano
