What draws 900 persons between 12 and 65 years from 14 nations at the same time to the same place? Correct, its windsurfing. In 2009 it’s the ninth edition of the “Defi Wind” from May 21 to 24, 2009, the biggest everybody-windsurfing-race of the world.

700, 800, 900 Windsurfers at the same time

What has started as a bet in the year 2001, now has developed into a major sports event of the upper league. In windsurfing the Defi Wind gathers every year the largest number of windsurfers at one place worldwide. This indicates that the windsurfing community lives and grows. Since 2006 the organizers began to follow a clearly defined main target: 1000 participants in 2010. Therefore, in 2009 there will start 900 “Defieurs”, as they are calling themselves. Even today the organizers could break the 1500 starters’ barrier, because only few days after the start of the registration they have already reached over 1400 requests. Such high numbers of participants challenge the organizers extraordinarily. At the Defi Wind all start at the same time.

Whoever brakes will quickly fall back some hundred positions

All registered competitors start at the same time at the same race, just like at a large city marathon, but very much faster. 1000 participants at once may sound little spectacular at first, being compared with, for example, the big marathon events, when ten thousands of competitors start at the same time. However, 1000 windsurfer at once, who should glide simultaneously per flight start over an imaginary line, represents a technical challenge for the organizers every year anew. Thus, all the surfers dash forward at full speed and parallel to the coast line towards a 200 HP motor boat, that also races at full speed along the scratch line right in the direction of the beach. No sooner than the boat has passed, the participants are allowed to cross the line. Whoever brakes will quickly fall back some hundred positions. But that doesn’t matter at the “Le Défi”, because what counts here in the first place is the Olympic spirit “to take part is everything” and to get through it. Because, just as among runners, in the normal everyday life of windsurfers, the marathon is the exception.