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gallery
August 8, 2017

Jack Schlossberg Completes Crazy Trip Around Manhattan for Charity

By Jack Schlossberg

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Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki

Jack Schlossberg, matriculating Harvard Law student and Caroline Kennedy Met Gala date (he’s also her son), recently made his way around Manhattan on a stand-up paddleboard. Why? He explains below.

With beet juice pulsing through my veins and electrolytes and Gu packs strapped to my back, I took to the East River to begin the Sea Paddle, a 25-mile circumnavigation race around Manhattan. The event itself raises money for charities involved in environmental and autism advocacy work. To fundraise, I offered friends and family a deal: Sponsor me, and I’ll write whatever you want on my shirt. I wouldn’t dare reprint their many slogans in this esteemed publication.

The race began underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, but before the whistle blew, I accidentally fell in the river trying to make some adjustments to my board. It’s true what they say: Nothing tastes quite like the East River.

I signed up for the race because I thought it sounded cool. “Paddle around Manhattan? Sweet, man! How hard could it be?” Of course, when I asked around, everyone said it was really hard and that I’d better start training.

I was whipped into shape by a group that I met through Manhattan Kayak Company, a boathouse located on 44th and 12th Avenue, which offers board storage and lessons in stand-up paddle, kayak, and canoe. I’ve lived on Manhattan my entire life, but it wasn’t until I found MKC this spring that I ever got out on the rivers that surround it.

To train for the Sea Paddle, I spent a lot of time on the Hudson trying desperately to catch up to three women half my height and weight — but I never came close. In fact, I spent the entire race on Saturday watching them get farther and farther ahead of me — this, a familiar feeling for a younger brother of two older sisters.

I can’t remember very much from the race day. The coffee, adrenaline, exhaustion, and Elvis hits blasting in my ears must have inhibited memory formation. It took me just under five hours, and I came in eighth in my division.

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1 / 14 Photos
The moment I realized I was really going to do this. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
I had enough electrolytes to keep a family of nine hydrated for a year. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
It was cleaner than it looks, but not really. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
Hoping no one saw me fall. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
Didn’t realize how many insane people live in New York. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
“A little less conversation, a little more action.” Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
About to need some more Gu. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
A beautiful day for a boat ride. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
Who stole my shirt? Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
Powered by beet juice. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
"Otsukaresama deshita!" (That's Japanese for, roughly, "Thank you for all your hard work!") Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
Secretly wondering how many bagels I can fit in my mouth once this picture is taken. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
"Mom, you’re a beautiful woman, and did you bring the bagels?" Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
I sure do love ‘em. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Andres Kudacki
1 / 14

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