World Champion Standup Paddler and JDRF celebrity, Fiona Wylde, will be in Wrightsville Beach, NC for the 2019 Carolina Cup on April 27^th. In 2015, the Carolina Cup became the largest and most competitive SUP race in the world.

Fiona Wylde was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) on graduation day, at the age of 17. Three years later at age 20, she is considered among the best female SUP athletes in the world.

Since her diagnosis, she has won an overall APP World Championship title, an honor recognizing her combined victories in international SUP surfing and racing. She has also mounted podiums at some of the biggest elite events around the world, and has won the Columbia Paddle Challenge downwind race for the past two years.

Growing up in Hood River, Oregon and Los Barriles, Mexico, Fiona began windsurf racing at age 11, kitesurfing at age 12 and stand up paddle boarding at the age of 13. Ranking in the top five in the U.S., she balances travel, training and competing, while managing her T1D. She wears a glucose monitor during races and maintains a stringent diet throughout her travels.

On Saturday, April 27^th, Fiona will participate in the grueling 13.1 mile Graveyard Elite Race which starts at 9:40am on the ocean side of the Blockade Runner Hotel.

Visit the Carolina Cup Championship website for more detailed information, including a map of the race.

We hope to see you there to help cheer her on and celebrate with her after the race! She would love to meet fellow T1Ds!