Dabbling In Paddleism Podcast

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down again with Ilia Smirnov for part 3 of his solo Mississippi Speed Record adventure. We cover so much in this episode from very committing days, alligators, Ilia’s crew support Anna and Alyse, the River Angels community, navigating heavy and dangerous commercial traffic, sleep hygiene, hypothermia, relationships with alcohol, Baton Rouge to Mile Zero, and mother nature’s revenge. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.com to find archives, what’s coming soon, guest book recommendations, and ways to support the show through merch, memberships, and more. There’s so much more to this episode, the final episode of an epic 3 part series, but I’ll let you hear it from Ilia himself on this 70th episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast…

Ilia’s book recommendations:

-This Naked Mind, by Annie Grace

-Never Finished, by David Goggins

-The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz

Ilia’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/ilia.capefear

Business website: www.capefearadventures.com

Personal website: www.uncomfortablewithin.com

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down again with Ilia Smirnov for part 2 of his solo Mississippi Speed Record adventure. We cover so much in this episode from keeping your world small, rhabdomyolysis, crew support, paddling through 26 locks, navigating big city and barge traffic, strategies for communicating with lock masters, finding campsites, run-ins with military police, and the infamous Chain of Rocks. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.com to find archives, what’s coming soon, guest book recommendations, and ways to support the show through merch, memberships, and more. There’s so much more to this episode, part 2 of a 3 part series, but I’ll let you hear it from Ilia himself on this 69th episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast…

Ilia’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/ilia.capefear

Business website: www.capefearadventures.com

Personal website: www.uncomfortablewithin.com

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Ilia Smirnov, endurance and whitewater paddler and paddle shop owner originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, now living in North Carolina who just smashed the solo Mississippi Speed Record. This is the 1st episode of a 3 part epic series as Ilia and I sat down for nearly 6 total hours on 3 separate occasions. We cover so much in this part 1 episode from buying a paddle shop before he ever paddled before, leveling up to whitewater rafting and paddling, the Green River Narrows Race, kayaking the Grand Canyon solo, physical and mental training, vessel choice for the speed record, attachment to ego and controlling the mind, the headwaters of the Mississippi, how going from pristine wilderness to industrialization affects the mind as well as the land, and formidable lake crossings. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.com to find archives, what’s coming soon, guest book recommendations, and ways to support the show through merch, memberships, and more. There’s so much more to this episode, part 1 of a 3 part series, but I’ll let you hear it from Ilia himself on this 68th episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast…

Ilia’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/ilia.capefear

Business website: www.capefearadventures.com

Personal website: www.uncomfortablewithin.com

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Chris Issendorf for take two of their conversation. In this episode we cover the 2026 Ausable River Marathon, row positioning for the Safari, support crews, using Ai to address in race problems, 100 man cheering sections, a drunk alligator hunter, the demons that creep in during an ultra race and strategies to fight them off, a treaturous open bay crossing, hitting rock bottom 1 mile from the finish line, alcohol and athletic performance, the Texas Water Safari paddling community, and chasing the perfect race. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.com to find archives, what’s coming soon, a book club tab with guest curated reading recommendations, and ways to support the show through merch, memberships, and more. There’s so much more to this episode, but I’ll let you hear it from Chris himself on this 67th episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast…

Chris’s book recommendations:

Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown

Canoe Racing, by Peter Heed and Dick Mansfield

Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall

Chris’s coaching platform: issendorfcanoeandkayak.com

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Chris Issendorf, legendary ultramarathon paddler and 1st ever overall solo champion of the Texas Water Safari in 2026. We cover so much in this episode from seeking out hard things in life, learning from failure, paddling technique, the Ausable River Marathon, Chris’s training evolution, finding the perfect solo boat for the Safari, intentional mental training, the importance of training camps, the story behind him racing solo in the 2026 Texas Water Safari, and the pursuit of perfection. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.com to find archives, what’s coming soon, a book club tab with guest curated reading recommendations, and ways to support the show through merch, memberships, and more. Of note, we did this episode in 2 takes because we had so much to talk about and that’s how it’s going to be delivered to you in two episodes. There’s so much more to this show, a 1st of a two part series, but I’ll let you hear it from Chris himself on this 66th episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast…

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down again with David Miller, ultramarathon paddler and owner of Rowdy Racoon Paddling and Racing Solutions. We cover so much in this episode from how to build a kayak, an intro into boat modifications and repair, working with carbon fiber, custom trailers, Rowdy Racoon, balanced yokes, under stern versus over stern rudders, his new invention the Ski Dash, and Party Possum. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.com to find archives, what’s coming soon, guest book recommendations, and ways to support the show through merch, memberships, and more. There’s so much more to this episode, but I’ll let you hear it from David himself on this 65th episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast…

Rowdy Racoon Website: https://www.rowdyracoon.com/

Rowdy Racoon IG: @rowdyracoonracing

David’s FB: https://www.facebook.com/david.m.miller.58

David’s email: [email protected]

Ski Dash weight: 8oz

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Esther Wheeler fresh off of her amazing performance in the Race to Alaska finishing in 21 days, 1 hour, and 30 minutes and more impressively being the first ever female to complete the race solo and she did it under human power only. We cover so much in this episode from the Proving Grounds, otters, orcas, and humpbacks, managing fresh water supply in salt water conditions, navigating tides, currents, and rapidly changing weather conditions, camping safely in extreme tidal conditions, making decisions based on instincts versus technology, generosity from strangers, Cape Caution, taking time to feel emotions, and racing for a once a week shuttle. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.com to find archives, what’s coming soon, guest book recommendations, and ways to support the show through merch, memberships, and more. There’s so much more to this episode, but I’ll let you hear it from Esther herself on this 64th episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast…

Esther’s book recommendations:

-Where the Light Gets In, by Ben Crowe

Race to Alaska website: https://r2ak.com/

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with his brother, firefighter, and ultramarathon paddler, Bradley Thomas who is fresh off a 4th place male solo finish at the 2026 MR340. We cover so much in this episode from never really paddling to spring boarding into the Yukon 1000, the science behind zone 2 training, the challenges of 24 hour shift work when training for ultras, hitting rock bottom 20 miles from the finish line of a 1000 mile race, the MR340, the Race Owl app, creatine karaoke for sleep deprivation, being inspired by crew and the paddling community, the pitfalls of trying something new on race day, and as many Big Lebowski quotes we could manage to fit into one episode. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.com to find archives, what’s coming soon, guest book recommendations, and ways to support the show through merch, memberships, and more. There’s so much more to this episode, but I’ll let you hear it from Bradley himself and this Little Missouri Urban Achiever on this 63rd episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast…

Bradley’s book/podcast recommendations:

-Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer

-The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz

-The Meateater Podcast Episode 641: 15 Years of Living Off the Land in Alaska

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Andrew and Kathren Hansen of Hansen Family Services paddle racing safety support team. Andrew is an ultramarathon paddler, volunteer firefighter, and race safety extraordinaire and his wife Kathren started out crewing for him in ultramarathon races and now is part of his race safety team. Just as a short side note we recorded this in 2 sessions and Kathren joined us for the 2nd recording, so I wasn’t prepared to give her a proper intro like I do all of my guests, so that is the reason why the sole focus is on Andrew at the beginning of the show. We cover so much in this episode from racing against yourself, the California River Quest, the Gorge Downwind Champs, SeaStrike machines, race safety training, and being prepared for the worst and unexpected. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.com to find archives, what’s coming soon, guest book recommendations, and ways to support the show through merch, memberships, and more. There’s so much more to this episode, but I’ll let you hear it from Andrew and Kathren themselves on this 62nd episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast…

Hansen Family Services IG: @Hansen_Family_Services

www.rpams.com

https://k38rescue.com

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Jessie Gladish, Canadian Yukon resident, ultramarathon racer of many disciplines and climates, and director of the 2026 Yukon River Quest. We cover so much in this episode from hiking the Chilkoot Pass at age 7, the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra in minus 48 degree temps, the Iditarod Trail Invitational, hazards of the Arctic in winter, a behind the scenes look at directing the Yukon River Quest, a call for and importance of volunteers, and of course the standard book recommendations. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.com to find archives, what’s coming soon, guest book recommendations, and ways to support the show through merch, memberships, and more.There’s so much more to this episode, but I’ll let you hear it from Jessie herself on this 61st episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast…

Jessie’s book recommendations:

-Polar Dream, by Helen Thayer

-Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell

-Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen

-Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer

-Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer

YRQ IG: @yukonriverquestofficial

Jessie's IG: @jessiegladish

YRQ Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/share/18vyLPUSua/?mibextid=wwXIfr

YRQ website

https://www.yukonriverquest.com