Paddlecast

Reigning European Champions Anna Sletsjøe and James “Jimbo” Russell have just a few short days before they have to face the best in Europe to defend their 2025 titles. The 2026 European Marathon Championships start on Wednesday 24th June and continue until Sunday 28th June in Pitesti, Romania on the Pitesti-Bascov course.Anna and James revisit the races they won this time last year to earn their titles, career bests in marathon racing for both paddlers, and share their strategies for how they’ll plan to defend their titles in Romania.In the women’s K1 race, Anna will have tough competition but with the last minute realisation that Melina Andersson is not racing, Anna has a great shot at potentially winning her second title.In the men’s K1 race, Mads Pedersen is racing and based on the form he’s shown in the 5k at recent sprint World Cups and European Sprint Championships, the crown may be his for the taking. But with the course being on a flat lake typically used for sprints, a strong group could make it hard for Mads to pull away as early and clearly as he did at Worlds in Gyor, Hungary last year. Jon Amund Vold’s performance in the 5k at European Sprint Championships the other day showed that it is possible to stick with Mads for at least 5k…The event will begin with the exciting short course format and paracanoe races (men’s KL3 will be very hotly contested), and will also feature some great high kneel canoeing and age group racing. The Senior Women’s and Men’s K2 races will wrap things up on Sunday afternoon, and the men’s race in particular promises fierce competition and a re-match between the Danish crew of Mads Pedersen / Philip Knudsen versus the experienced Hungarian pair of Adrian Boros / Tamas Erdelyi.Betsy will be in Romania covering the racing in-person, so be sure to follow along on the Paddle Daily social media accounts (Instagram and Facebook).#marathoncanoe #sprintcanoe #olympian #europeanchampionships #pitesti

The world’s biggest marathon race is in Estonia, and it’s only been around for 20 years.The Võhandu Marathon starts on Lake Tamula in the city of Võru, and follows the Võhandu River for 100 kilometres to the Võõpsu boat harbor in Põlvamaa. 1,341 boats started the race in 2025, the largest participation yet. The types of paddlers tackling the Võhandu run the gamut from those who’ve never held a paddle before to elite international marathon medallists. The event welcomes inflatable rafts, SUPs, canoes, kayaks… Any human-powered craft that can handle both the lake and the rapids.At the invitation of Team Tetsmann-Baum, Paddlecast co-host Billy Butler flew out to Estonia to race his first Võhandu just two weeks after winning DW. Billy and partner Tom Dawson finished 4th place overall, behind the Czech crews of Petr Mojzisek / Jakub Zavrel and Lukas Horak / Oldrich Dasek and South African Tom Lovemore (K1). The fastest mixed crew was Gautier Rotman / Sabine Rotman from France, while Team Tetsmann-Baum won the women’s race despite an early stroke of bad luck.Linda Tetsmann and Anette Baum teamed up a few years ago after a conversation in the sauna made them realise they both had the same ambition to race the Yukon. In 2023, they won the Yukon 1000 outright, becoming the first women’s crew to do so. Their race was documented as part of Craig Sawyer’s film about the 2023 Yukon 1000, “Push Past Impossible”. That’s just one of many wins and top results they’ve racked up since 2019 across many (most?) of the world’s biggest marathon and ultra marathon paddling races. They’ve raced the Český Krumlov River Marathon, the Yukon River Quest, the Devizes to Westminster, Dordogne Intégrale, Descenso Internacional del Sella, Ardèche Marathon, Loire 725, and more. This year, their main goal is to win the Alabama 650.With their title sponsor, HUUM Sauna, by their side – Linda and Anette are pioneering a new way to race.00:23 Introduction to the Vohandu Marathon, Billy’s race, and race results14:39 Interview with Linda Tetsmann & Anette BaumLearn more about Team Tetsmann-Baum: https://www.tetsmannbaumteam.ee/ Watch “Push Past Impossible”, the documentary about the Yukon 1000: https://www.yukon1000.org/yukon-1000-documentary/Learn more about the Alabama 650, one of the longest paddling races in the world: https://www.alabamascenicrivertrail.com/great-alabama-650/race/ And look for “Team Tetsmann Baum” on social media to follow all of Linda and Anette’s upcoming adventures.#ultrapaddling #teamtetsmannbaum #huumsauna #estonia #vohandumaraton #kayaking #adventureracing

The Thames 200 Ultra may only be in its second year, but it’s already one of the fastest growing ultra paddling races in the world. 2025’s race drew some of the UK’s best marathon talent and offered exciting action all the way to the end with finishing times just minutes apart over 200 km for both the relay race and the non-stop solo race.Billy and Betsy recap the Chelmsford vs. Richmond relay battle, speculate on how the race could have gone differently, and what it would have taken for Richmond to successfully defend their title; and recap the K1 solo fight to the finish between Tom Diaper and Isaac Blackman.Scottish K1 Marathon Championships and Nith Descent, 27-28 SeptemberLooking ahead, the Scottish K1 Marathon Championships and Nith Descent, both in southwest Scotland near Dumfries, are shaping up to hold some fun racing in the last weekend of September. The K1 marathon champs will be held on Loch Ken, with a long course of just 14 km. Anyone is welcome to race, regardless of whether you have an address in Scotland!The Nith Descent on Sunday is looking like the perfect descent race for beginners or advanced paddlers alike. High water means that some of the trickier features will be washed out, and racers will fly down the 16 km course at speed. The race starts in Auldgirth (DG2 0UA) and finishes at the Nithsdale Amateur Rowing Club (NARC), with bridges, rapids including “The Boat Stopper”, and beautiful scenery. The race is open to paddlers in all types of craft including canoe, kayak or river SUP (e.g. K1/K2’s, Plastic, Canadian, Slalom, WWR, Sea Kayaks, Wavehoppers).The whole weekend promises to have a fun party atmosphere.Sign up for Scottish K1 Marathon Championships, Saturday 27th September: https://sca.justgo.com/Workbench/i/r/EventsAndBookings/booking-details/E10532457D9DFAF5F5AEC734E51314BFDAC18884 Sign up for the Nith Descent, Sunday 28th September: https://sca.justgo.com/Workbench/i/r/EventsAndBookings/booking-details/239EAC87B3BA0685034DC82B95ED8D4091C81795/ → NOTE: You do not have to have an address in Scotland to race! Simply create an account on Paddle Scotland (about 2 minutes), add the right ticket type for you, and check out.Breede River Canoe Marathon RecapOver in the Southern Hemisphere, winter is coming to an end and the racing season is hotting up. Kenny Rice joins Paddlecast to talk about what differentiates the Breede from other South African river races, and recaps how his race with Mark Keeling went the other day. The Warm Down: Round Gozo Record & Downwind Drag Race LeaderMatthew Schembri joins Paddlecast to talk about his new record for the fastest circumnavigation of the island of Gozo in Malta. And Billy speculates about just how well some of the top talent in the UK might go in Durban based on Terry Miller’s latest splits that have just topped the 2025 Downwind Drag Race tracker.00:23 - Thames 200 Ultra Race Recap: The Closest Races31:04 - Race Previews: Scottish K1 Marathon Championships & the Starsky Nith Descent47:43 - Breede River Canoe Marathon, featuring Kenny Rice59:42 - The Warm Down: New Record around Gozo featuring Matt Schembri, and Downwind Drag Race’s New LeaderUseful Links:Save the Date for the Thames 200 Ultra 2026: https://www.thames200ultra.comCheck out Starsky’s Products: https://starskykayaking.comAsk Rob about Starsky UK or racing at the Scottish K1 Marathon Championships & Nith Descent: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553185212023 or tornfinfishing@gmail.comWatch the full video of Tom Dawson’s decent of the Nith in August 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4VZcsaDlvA Watch the Breede River Canoe Marathon videos from this year: https://breedemarathon.co.za/video-gallery/ Read more about the Surfski Shack and their Gozo Circumnavigation: https://www.thesurfskishack.com/post/maltese-paddlers-shatter-records-in-round-gozo-circumnavigation Follow Downwind Drag Race on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downwinddragrace/

For a record 4th time, in the “City of Rivers”, Canoe Marathon World Championships starts in Gyor, Hungary this week. The best of the best will battle for “World Champion 2025” titles on the Danube itself to roaring crowds of local fans.In this episode, Billy and Betsy preview the racing in depth. They start by examining the course, how it's changed since the last time Gyor hosted marathon world champs in 2015, and how the action might play out on the water.Then they review the top contenders for the senior women's and senior men's races, go through their recent results and who's in good form, and commit to predictions for final podiums in the K1 races.Will Melina Andersson take her second world championship title after her dominant performance at the World Games in China? Or will Vanda Kiszli take the title back on her home turf, and show everyone she's not done getting golds yet? Or perhaps the European champion Anna Sletsjoe, who beat Kiszli in a sprint finish, will find some of the same magic she had in Portugal and win in an upset...In the men's race, Mads Pedersen is the defending champion and if it goes anything like the World Games did, he's likely to defend his title successfully. But the field is more competitive in Hungary, and word on the street (river) is that Andy Birkett is in better shape than his lack of international racing might indicate... The doubles racing looks just as exciting, and K2 champion Adrian Boros who's K2 race in 2015 has become the stuff of legends, joins Paddlecast to talk about the course, the home turf advantage, and his strategy with partner Tamas Erdelyi to try and wrestle the crown away from the Portuguese on Sunday afternoon.Betsy and Billy also touch on a few more exciting battles from other races, as well as the highlights that can be expected from the paracanoe racing. 2025 will be the first year that paracanoe is "officially" a world championship event, marking a big step forward in a sport that's been much more about sprint than distance. But the cross-over of top Paralympic sprinters like Serhii Yemilianov and now, in her international marathon debut, Jeannette Chippington, gives a small taste of the potential for marathon paracanoe to grow.03:10 Course Preview (featuring Adrian Boros, and on-the-ground reporting from Billy)13:37 Senior Women's Race Top Contenders (K1 and K2)25:38 Senior Men's Race Top Contenders (K1 and K2)49:48 Best Battles57:58 Paracanoe Preview#marathonkayak #gyor2025 #marathoncanoe #worldchampionships

It might be the most iconic marathon race in the world. The Sella Descent starts with hundreds of boats on the beach while paddles, held by paddlers, are locked into a cage not dissimilar to the starting gate at a horse race. As soon as hundreds of thousands of spectators finish singing the Asturian anthem, the gates open, and racers break loose.Easily the biggest event of the year for Asturians and many Spanish paddlers, the race also attracts top level international paddlers from many countries including the UK, South Africa, and even Australia. But with incomparably accurate knowledge of Ribadesella, and the advantage of being one of the strongest marathon kayak countries in the world, it was Spanish teams who dominated the podiums in 2025.Walter Bouzan and Alberto Llera combined experience with youth to not only lead the four-boat front pack for the final 9 minutes of the race but then win an incredibly fast sprint finish against equally strong crews. Hungarian legends Adrian Boros / Tamas Erdelyi took silver, while Spaniards Javier Lopez / Pedro Vazquez took bronze. The top team of Llorens / Plaza made some seriously fast attempts to break into the front three, but just couldn’t quite make it round for a podium spot.Billy asked Walter Bouzan about how his race went, what it was like to train with his new partner Alberto Llera, and what his secrets are to becoming a now 12-time Sella winner.South African Matthew Fenn also joins this episode of Paddlecast to give an international perspective, and compare the shallow Sella to the high-volume South African rivers and how that affects race tactics.In the women’s race, longtime Spanish international marathon paddlers Tania Fernandez Garcia and Tania Alvarez Yates finished first, an impressive 1.5 minutes ahead of the next fastest team. They were joined on the podium by fellow Spaniards Amaia Osaba / Llara Tuset, and Irati Osa / Arantza Toledo. Hungarians Panna Csepe / Panna Sinko just missed out on the podium.This was the second win for “the two Tanias” as a team after their K2 win in 2023, and each of them also has a previous win separately. Because the women’s teams’ start positions are far back in the field, Tania and Tania had to overcome a huge amount of boat traffic to win their race – they started #303 and finished 61st overall.Tania Alvarez joins this episode of Paddlecast to talk about how their race went, her 7 year partnership with Tania Fernandez, what it takes to win the race, and how she’d like to see the race evolve in the future.The Thames 200 Ultra is coming up very soon on 23rd August, and entries are still open! This 200km endurance event offers both straight-through and relay race options, and promises to draw some of the fastest endurance paddlers in the country this year. Stay tuned for the upcoming Paddlecast preview episode!In the last few pieces of news, Billy and Betsy recap two recent UK surfski selection races: Hayling Island and the Moray Firth (Scottish National Championships). The news finishes with a brief recap of the Avon Descent which had its first female SUP finisher this year, and a bit of news in the warm down about a failed expedition that’s worth reading about for the lessons learned.01:10 Sella Descent - The Men’s Race02:35 Walter Bouzan, in his own words10:03 Matthew Fenn, in his own words14:44 Sella Descent - The Women’s Race15:51 Tania Alvarez, in her own words24:06 Brits on the podium at the Sella26:12 Thames 200 Ultra preview30:19 Hayling Island and Moray Firth race recaps36:27 Avon Descent40:51 The Warm DownRelevant links:Thames 200 Ultra sign up and information: https://www.thames200ultra.com/race-entry Tashka Goswell’s account of her Avon Descent: https://www.facebook.com/groups/509865939182902 (search “Tashka Goswell”)Tim Haines’ story about his failed expedition: www.facebook.com/whishik.samak/posts/pfbid02fxQWKYRnMFVQPXUCUVkyW3sta8EePXc8SFw2nsWUJzNUsQygEMXWH7H49QiFFw28l

Once every four years, twenty countries send their fastest marathon kayaker to battle for the World Games title. Quirky yet prestigious, the World Games offers an Olympics-style event for non-Olympic sports. In the Canoe category, the World Games will also feature Canoe Polo and Dragonboat.Chengdu 2025 in China is only the second time that marathon canoe has featured as a full event (rather than invitational) at the World Games, with the first one being in Birmingham Alabama in 2022. And the competition this time around is looking fiercer than ever.Almost all of the world’s best marathon kayakers are in China this weekend to face off for World Games titles that offer a four year reign.In the men’s race, the field is so competitive that leading podium contenders Hamish Lovemore (South Africa) and James “Jimbo” Russell (Great Britain) both listed almost half the athletes as their biggest competition. Nico Paufler (Germany), Ivan Alonso (Spain), and Jose Ramalho (Portugal) are returning to defend their podium spots from 2022. Jon Amund Vold (Denmark) who just took bronze at European Championships will be fighting for a podium spot. And the reigning World Champion, with numerous World Championship titles, Mads Brandt Pederson will be in China to defend his 2022 gold.The women’s race will feature the long-awaited showdown between Vanda Kiszli (Hungary) and Melina Andersson (Sweden). Kiszli has been near undefeated in marathon for the last 5-10 years, and Andersson is one of the few who have been able to beat her… most notably in a shock sprint finish at last year’s World Championships. It’s likely to be these two fighting it out at the front, but the battle for bronze could be very fierce with top contenders including Pernille Hostrup (Denmark), Rebecca Mann (Australia), Susanna Cicali (Italy), Maria Rei (Portugal), 2022 World Games bronze and silver medalist Eva Barrios (Spain), and Saskia Hockley (South Africa) with an outside chance for Kitty Schiphorst (Netherlands). The Dutch dark horse is known for her power in sprint, but only started marathon training six weeks prior to the World Games when her federation asked her to fill the spot at the last minute.But with an unusually short long distance course of 20km with a high frequency of portages (8 portages), will the marathon play out differently than a typical World Championships or European Championships race? Billy and Betsy analyse the results and strengths of the top competitors, including with input from Hamish, Jimbo, and Kitty, to predict who will be in the top three and who has the best chance of taking the win.You can watch the World Games live at https://live.theworldgames.orgSaturday August 9thK1 Women Short Course Heat 1 - 9:20am local, 2:20am London, 9:20pm New YorkK1 Women Short Course Heat 2 - 9:50am local, 2:50am London, 9:50pm New YorkK1 Men Short Course Heat 1 - 10:50am local, 3:50am London, 10:50pm New YorkK1 Men Short Course Heat 2 - 11:50am local, 4:50am London, 11:50pm New YorkK1 Women Short Course Final - 5:00pm local, 10:00am London, 5:00am New YorkK1 Men Short Course Final - 5:40pm local, 10:40am London, 5:40am New YorkSunday August 10thK1 Women Marathon Final - 3:15pm local, 8:15am London, 3:15am New YorkK1 Men Marathon Final - 5:15pm local, 10:15am London, 5:15am New York#marathoncanoe #marathonkayaking #worldgames #worldgamescanoe #planetcanoe #chengdu #worldgames2025

This week's news episode of Paddlecast aired LIVE on YouTube and Facebook.Sebastian Szubski is in the final few days of his circumnavigation of Britain, and he could either beat the 40 day record by several days or it could come down to the wire. It all depends on the next 48 hours. Billy and Betsy give their analysis and predictions on when he'll finish. And you can make your own prediction to enter for prizes.Paddlers are just finishing the Yukon 1000 in the wilderness of Canada and Alaska. And more...*This episode aired live last week (16th July) but was late being published due to delays from the editor (Betsy) going to Scotland to see Sebastian Szubski set a new world record.

Sebastian Szubski has passed the halfway mark on his circumnavigation of Britain, and he’s neck and neck with Dougal Glaisher’s 2023 record of 40 days. He’s ticking off the kilometres like he eats them for breakfast. For any day where he faces a slowdown due to weather, he makes up for it with two 100km+ days. 12-14 hour days in the boat are standard fare for Sebastian these days, with his longest day so far clocking in at 16 hours 33 minutes on the water.Betsy managed to see Sebastian in person when he stopped in Brighton on Monday night, and he said he’s feeling strong both physically and mentally. His biggest challenge (aside from weather) has been getting enough calories. With an impressive amount of muscle mass and so many hours on the water each day, he has to eat a lot to keep on top of his energy levels, which isn’t always easy.Despite having only 9 months of experience in the surfski, Sebastian has been completing major open ocean crossings with no issues. He’s making 80-100km+ crossings look like any other day out paddling. In SUP, the rising stars from Namur’s EuroTour event were the Dutch junior racers who were mixing it up with the seniors for the 11km distance race. Benyam Bossack, Selwyn Pritchard, and Mylo van Bakel finished impressively close to the overall men’s race winner and 2025 seasonal stand-out, Donato Freens, also from the Netherlands. These boys are only 12 - 16 years old, and definitely young paddlers to watch. In the women’s race, the 14 year old Marin Hoeber had even more success in her senior race. Earning another gold for the Netherlands, the young Hoeber won the women’s race ahead of several speedy senior women. Another one to watch.Shoreham hosted a successful UK Surfski Nationals which also included outrigger canoes (OC6’s). It was the most competitive surfski race in the UK this season, with top talent in both the men’s and women’s field. In the para race, Jon White may have been the only entry but he was closing in on some quick marathon paddlers – could he be paving the way for more surfski paracanoe racing? Rosie Edwards won the women’s race by 5 minutes, despite facing a strong competitor in 2nd place, Brynde Kreft. Rosie spoke with Paddlecast about how her race went, and her upcoming plans in the lead-up to Durban Worlds.The 440 mile (700+ km) Yukon River Quest ended early due to wildfires, but racers were pleased to still be able to race 300km to Carmacks. Green Machine, in the voyageur class (C6), won the overall race but with the elite C2 crew of Mike Schlimmer / Steve Landick very close behind. Thor Harley from Team “Green Machine” told Paddlecast about how their team came together and how the race played out in his own words.In Pitesti, Romania, racing is underway for the Junior & U23 European Sprint Championships where several GB paddlers may have good chances to medal. Look out for familiar names from the recent European marathon championships (junior / U23 / senior) and European sprint championships (senior).00:51 Sebastian Szubski’s record attempt for fastest GB circumnavigation by kayak13:07 SUP race recaps for Namur (Euro Tour), Graz River Days (SUP Alps Trophy), and O2Y (Okinawa to Yoron)20:35 UK Surfski Nationals (Spiritfilled Coastal Cup Challenge in Shoreham)31:28 In her own words: women’s winner Rosie Edwards’ race recap34:13 Yukon River Quest race recap36:48 In his own words: Thor Harley from the overall winners in C6 (Voyageur), “Green Machine”48:29 Race Preview: European Junior Sprint Championships53:34 Race Preview: Under 23 European Championships in Solkan, Slovenia54:27 The Warm Down - DW opens to SUPs and surfskis; Walter Bouzan (ESP) is defying ageing; crazy waves at the Danish National Marathon Championships*Note - there are several moments in this episode where Betsy’s video goes blurry due to technical issues. This episode almost didn’t make it to air after some major technical issues, so thank you for your patience!