Each September for the past five years I have come north to the city of Leeuwarden, the heart of the Frysan countryside, to either attempt to race or to volunteer for the SUP 11 Cities Tour. Even though the event in its current incarnation began only eight years ago, there has been mention of ice skaters visiting all eleven cities of Friesland since the winter of 1760. The Eleven Cities Tour, or Elfstedentocht, took official form in 1890 with the establishment of the Association of the Eleven Frisian Cities who organized tours for leisure skaters and a race for the more serious athlete. Starboard athlete Anne Marie Reichman-Totah had a vision for a modern five day, 220 kilometer event to replicate the Eleven City tradition and to celebrate the history of this picturesque region that has since grown to include hundreds of participants representing 27 countries.
