Travis Grant Wins Kumano SUP Marathon & Takes 2nd Place in Battle of the Paddle 2014 Distance Race

As he travels the globe competing in SUP, surfing and outrigger canoe races, Australian waterman and Molokai2Oahu world champion Travis Grant finds it hard to get complete nutrition that will keep his immune system on track for peak performance. When it comes to elite events like the recent Kumano SUP Marathon, which he won, and the Battle of The Paddle 2014 distance race, in which Grant took second, he turns to UB Super protein superfood nutritional shakes for organic vitamins, complete protein, fulvic minerals and more. “At Battle of the Paddle and Kumano SUP Marathon I needed a meal replacement that was easy, convenient and gave me pure ingredients fast,” Grant said. “That’s what UB Super gave me, and it didn’t feel like I was missing out on a meal because I was content after drinking it.” It was an all star field that lined up for the distance event at BOP California’s new Salt Creek Beach Park location, including Slater Trout, Chase Kosterlitz and Mo Freitas. But despite all the young guns looking to make an impact, it was two veterans and former winners who started moving away from the field: Grant and Danny Ching. In the end, Ching came home in a time of 1:17:35 to claim his sixth BOP title. Finishing fast, Grant was just 40 seconds behind, with fellow Australian Beau O’Brian in third. The surf at Salt Creek was more challenging than at Dana Point’s Donehey Beach, which had hosted the Battle of the Paddle the previous five years. This gave some competitors problems in the crowded field, but with a well-rounded water sports background Grant relished the change of scenery and conditions. “I like it when the ocean’s rolling and it’s not just flat water,” he said. “At Battle of the Paddle you need luck as well as skill and have to balance pushing hard with paddling defensively to avoid trouble, like when you’re driving on a busy road.” Grant’s precision drove him to yet another podium finish, to go with his second place from Molokai2Oahu’s 32-mile crossing of the ‘Channel of Bones” (fellow UB Super Ambassador Connor Baxter won in a new event record) and another second at the 2014 OluKai Ho’olaule’a race. The pro paddleboarder, who was instrumental in the design of Quickblade’s revolutionary new Trifecta paddle, is proving his versatility as a waterman as the 2015 season comes to a close. Since BOP, he has logged several thousand miles for SUP events and outrigger races. First up was the prestigious 62nd Annual Molokai Hoe outrigger canoe race, in which Grant finished ninth with the Outrigger Canoe Club of Hawaii team in what he called “terrible channel conditions.” With little time to recover, Grant flew to Japan, which has one of the fastest growing SUP scenes on the planet. Lining up against 170 other racers at the Kumano SUP Marathon, the Australian pulled away from the pack, and came in first ahead of a fast finishing Kenny Kaneko. To close out his hectic 2015 race calendar, Grant will be back in a 6-man outrigger canoe in Tahiti for the 2014 Hawaiki’nui Va’a Race, a three day battle featuring some of the world’s top paddlers. Throughout all this globetrotting, Grant continues to rely on UB Super for pre- and post-race fuel. “When I need to recover quickly between events and get complete nutrition on the road, drinking UB Super is a no-brainer,” he said.