Category: Wahe

Easton—Mid-Shore business, Wahe SUP is sponsoring a local team of runners from the Eastern Shore. The team is competing in a relay race where they will collectively endeavor to run a 200-mile course in September.

 Wahe (wa-hey) SUP (stand-up paddleboard) is owned and operated by DeeDee McCue and John Riggio. They are purveyors of holistic fitness and overall well-being. So, it seems fitting that they would provide funding and support for a team of six women as they train to compete in the Ragnar Relay race.

 The name Ragnar might call to name a Viking leader or perhaps some mythic Roman figure, and it certainly will take a Herculean effort to complete the course that starts in Cumberland, MD and winds its way through countryside and small towns to finish in Washington DC.

 “John and I are so happy and honored to support such an awesome and dynamic team of women,” says McCue. “I wish I could run it with them.”

 McCue might wish that she could run the race, but it is sure she would have fairly little time to dedicate to the requisite training to compete the race.

Wahe SUP is gearing up for the summer season and she will be leading every-fitness-level classes on their paddleboards—she even does a SUP yoga class. She and Riggio lead excursions through the picturesque Eastern Shore waterways, and McCue is the owner of the popular yoga studio, Eastern Shore Yoga.

 “We are so grateful for DeeDee’s and John’s support,” says Ragnar runner, Leslie Orndoff. “It is great knowing that they’re in our corner, and we can’t wait to help promote Wahe SUP to all the runners in DC.”

 Ragnar racers decorate their team vans with sponsor’s logos and slogan and participate in a tradition of “magnet slapping.” The gist of the tradition is: teams that are lucky enough to gain sponsorship slap magnets that have the logo and info of their sponsor on it on opposing teams vans. Of course there’s also t-shirts and other methods by which teams can brag about how great their sponsor is.

 “I love the idea of being part of something bigger than just an individual race,” says runner, Kristi Mertaugh. “I like running a new route every year and—thanks to Wahe SUP—this year it’s Cumberland to DC!”