Teens win Santa Cruz Down Wind Ryder Cup SUP races

Two 18-year-olds — Matt Becker and Jack Bark — won their respective divisions in the third annual Santa Cruz Down Wind Ryder Cup, a paddleboard race from Davenport to Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz, over the weekend.

Becker was victorious in the stand-up paddleboard division, finishing the 14.5-mile trek in 2 hours, 15 seconds on a 14-foot board. The event, which had prime conditions including 16- to 20-knot winds, saw 70 elite and novice paddlers from Hawaii and California come out.

“This was the most amazing race ever,” Bark was quoted saying in a press release. “I got the best bumps of my life out there and had a blast. I’m so stoked. I can’t wait for next year.

Bark won the prone division on a 12-footer in 2:09:49.

The contest was organized by the Santa Cruz-based Ghost Ryders Waterman Club and presented by the Quiksilver Waterman Collection.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets

Santa Cruz’s Terri Schneider 10th fastest woman in Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon

Adventure racer and triathlete Terri Schneider clocked the 10th fastest finish among women at the 21st annual Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon on Sunday.

Schneider, 51, crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 50 minutes, 14 seconds. The longtime Santa Cruz resident completed the three-quarter-mile swim in 22:18, the 16-mile bike in 48 minutes flat and the five-mile run in 37:57. She was first in her age group, 10th among women and 102 overall, according to preliminary results on the USA Productions website.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets

Santa Cruz’s Johan Schimmel makes top 25 of “World’s Toughest Half” ironman

Santa Cruz resident Johan Schimmel finished 24th in the Auburn International Triathlon half ironman on Sunday, braving wind and temperatures that hit the high 80s en route to also taking second in his age group.

Schimmel, 49, ranked 14th in both the swim and the bike. He finished the 1.2-mile swim in 36 minutes, 33.8 seconds and completed the 56-mile bike in 3:08:16.3. He finished the 13.1-mile run in 3:11:32.8 for an overall time of 5:59:18.1.

Chris Pollak won in 4:58:42.4.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets

Kiran MacKinnon one of two riders to break record at Spring Thaw Downhill Mountain Bike Race

Kiran MacKinnon, a Soquel High alum, flew through his race at the 21st annual Spring Thaw Downhill Mountain Bike Race in Ashland, Ore., on Sunday to be one of two riders to break the course record.

With a time of 3 minutes, 59.66 seconds, MacKinnon [Santa Cruz Bicycles] placed second behind Ashland’s Nathan Riddle, who was just five-one hundredths of a second faster. The previous record was four minutes flat.

MacKinnon is next scheduled to compete at the Pro GRT Chile Challenge on June 10 in Angelfire, New Mexico.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets