Paddle sports have really risen in popularity over recent years as serious solo sports, as well as a fun way to crosstrain and gain endurance in the hot summer months. As more and more athletes hit the water, paddle sports competitions have reached new heights in interest and participation. With this area of endurance sports in an upward trajectory, we wanted to talk to one of the hardest working athletes competing in the sport today — INFINIT Pro Jenn J Lee.

About the Athlete

World Paddle Association World Ranking: 8th

SUP Racer World Ranking: 32nd

2017 Molokai 2 Oahu World Championships: Mixed Gender Relay World Champions, 5th Overall Relay

2011 Molokai 2 Oahu World Championships: 3rd Stock Solo SUP

2013 Molokai 2 Oahu World Championships: 8th Solo SUP

2016 Molokai 2 Oahu World Championships: 2nd Mixed Gender Relay

In 2010 Jenn Lee picked up the sport of Stand-Up-Paddling as a mode of transportation to her job as a surf instructor in Waikiki. With a background in competitive equestrian, snow, water, and combat sports, it was a great fit for her mentally and physically.

Just months after she learned how to paddle she found herself placing 2nd in her age group at Battle of the Paddle, Hawaii. From there she dove head first into the paddling scene by paddling the challenging 40 mile stretch solo from Catalina Island to Dana Point in March during a storm and then followed it up 2 days later by doing it again as a 2 woman relay team and winning the division. Three months later she came in 3rd in Molokai 2 Oahu's Solo Stock SUP Division. Since then Jenn has competed as an elite level female pro SUP Race athlete and is 1 of only 3 women in the world to have completed Molokai 2 Oahu Solo SUP 5 years in a row.

Jenn is known in particular for her mental/physical tenacity and toughness as well as her work ethic. Having been born into a family with a long athletic and military tradition it is no mystery where it comes from. Her best race distances are 1 mile, and races 1-3 hours in length, although many would argue her most inspiring feats have been in the face of adversity at longer distances.

In the past 4 years, with numerous top 10 finishes, Jenn has proven that she is a mainstay in the elite women's SUP scene. In 2017 she and her partner won the Mixed Team Division in Molokai 2 Oahu World Paddleboard Championships and made history by being the first female on a team to place in the top 5 teams overall. In 2018 she looks forward to getting serious in down winding and soloing longer distances. She has also added in competing in OC1, Surfski, and 6 man canoe paddling which she absolutely loves.

Outside of training and racing SUP, Jenn is an avid surfer, SUP surfer, surf and SUP coach as well as a triathlon coach. Her favorite part of her work is getting to teach surfing and SUP to those who serve others. Out of the water Jenn holds an MA from UC Berkeley and enjoys helping rehabilitate sick and injured animals.

Q & A

How did you discover Infinit Nutrition?

My current conditioning coach recommended it. I had transitioned into an all liquid nutrition program for all races with a mixture of table salt, fruit juice, powdered carbohydrate etc. so it wasn’t something completely new but Infinit was so much simpler than my homemade formula and it tasted far better. One try and I was hooked!

Why do you continue to use Infinit as your Go-to?

I really like being able to have different formulas for different training and race/recovery situations. Infinit has allowed me to dial in nutrition in a way that I had not been able to do prior due to daily time constraints. Nutrient timing is so incredibly important to proper recovery. I train with an incredibly busy schedule and the simplicity and great taste of Infinit keep me on track.

How did you dial in your custom formulas?

A fair amount of trial and error, by the third try I had it pretty much figured out what would work. Also, I’m not going to lie, Colin is AMAZING at helping create custom formulas. I sat down on a call with him this year and we hammered out custom formulas for each of my sports and they were all spot on!

What does a typical training day look like for you?

I wake up at 5 AM and am out on the water or am in the gym by 5:30, I get a session in, then come home and prep for the day. Then it’s back in the water at 10 AM coaching surfing and SUP. Then back to land for lunch and prep, following which I’m back in the water for coaching surfing which usually averages 2-3 miles of prone paddling on my 5’6 NSP Fish. After that, it’s a quick bite to eat and a 10 min nap and back again for an hour or two of paddle training either on my own or with my 6 man canoe team. Then it’s a shower and dinner and giving our pets a lot of love and time for bed and ready to do it all over again.

How does Infinit fit into your daily nutrition and what are your go-to formulas?

During a period of hard training I usually start the day with MUD mixed with milk then depending on the type of session upon arriving home I follow it up with recovery or whey protein and orange juice/banana, then I’m in the water for a surf lesson I might grab a scoop of Hydrate or if it’s a SUP lesson bring a hydration pack. I find I don’t hydrate enough unless I have water literally on the go. Then after a surf lesson depending on how hard the training block is I’ll either grab food or have a scoop of recovery immediately and then eat lunch. Back in the water for another lesson and then straight to paddling. I usually have a 1.5-liter bottle with the Hydration blend mixed in and follow practice immediately followed by a scoop of recovery and then dinner. Adding Infinit on this level has helped me recover from the hardest training blocks.

What does a Molokai to Oahu World Championship Race look like?

For me, it’s a 5-7 hour race on the open ocean. Logistics are tough you drop off supplies to your boat 2-3 days in advance. Then everything you take to Molokai has to be paddled or swum to the escort boat from the beach. This is often made more interesting by pretty significant shorebreak. On a SUP its not too bad but racing surfski this year having to get the ski and luggage through pretty decent sized shorebreak taught me all about simplicity. Lucky for my helper I only packed half a bag for her to swim out. Nutrition has to be paddled out as well so the simpler the better! I love being able to fit into a few plastic baggies.

How do you use Infinit in your Molokai to Oahu race plan?

I set my watch to drink every 5 minutes and aim to go through 1 regular sized bladder every 2-2.5 hours. I keep food close but haven’t had to eat during a long solo in years. It's funny because after every successful solo I ceremoniously dump all the food I packed.

Safe to say I’m incredibly grateful for Infinit; it’s clean, simple and tasty. No other brand comes close when it comes to sports nutrition.

Jenn's Community Shared Custom Formulas

Jenn Lee's Surf Blend

Jen Lee's 6 Man Outrigger Molokai

Jenn's 2018 accomplishments 

• Pa’a 1 Man Outrigger Canoe World Championships 13th with a time of 5hrs 45min
• Maui Jim Molokai Challenge (Open Ocean Long Distance World Surfski Championships) 7th with a time of 5hrs 10min
• Currently preparing for Molokai 2 Oahu Stand Up Paddleboard World Championships