Paddlecast

*Note - there are a few moments of small audio issues in this episode due to technical/internet issues while recording, but it should still be listenable. Please bear with us and thanks for your patience.

It's the most famous canoe race in Africa, and one of the most famous races in the world -- so much so that there's a whole film about it, "Beyond the River."The Dusi River Canoe Marathon is legendary for dangerous rapids, brutally long portages, hot temperatures, and top paddling talent. In 2026, the Dusi is celebrating its 75th edition.

Christie Mackenzie and Saskia Hockly have teamed up to go for the win in the women's race, and joined us on Paddlecast to talk through the race itself, their preparation and training approach, and who the top crews will be in 2026. Christie has raced the Dusi 10 times, and won 4 gold medals in K1 with another 3 silver medals in K2 (and 1 silver in K1). She's hoping that racing with Saskia will be the key to finally winning in K2. Saskia currently holds the surfski doubles (SS2) World Championship title with Matt Fenn from last October's racing in Durban, and she won a K2 silver medal with Christie at the Marathon Canoe World Championships in 2024. Their plan to win? Christie brings the Dusi experience, driving all the right lines through the rapids, and Saskia brings the flat water speed and endurance. Their biggest competition will be Abby Solms / Robyn Groenink. Abby is one of the most decorated women in Dusi history with three K2 wins and one K1 win. She has gotten the better of Christie before, but Christie is determined to take the win this year.In the men's race, Andy Birkett and Matt Fenn are back after their 2024 win together to try and repeat for another win. If they succeed, Andy Birkett will break the record for the most Dusi wins ever held by one person: 16. Two crews will also be challenging for the win though. The experienced crew of Sbonelo Khwela and Msawenkosi Mtolo finished 2nd to Andy / Matt in 2024, and this could be the year they take the top spot. Sandile Mtolo and Bongani Ntinga are also top competitors: they're a younger crew who showed their strength at the recent Bishopstowe to Dusi Bridge, a Dusi pre-race, where they particularly shined in their running speed.

Starting in Pietermaritzburg and finishing in the Blue Lagoon in Durban, the Dusi covers 120 kilometres over 3 days. Each day brings different obstacles and challenges, from 2 - 4 kilometre portages where paddlers must run with the boat on their shoulders, to rapids where a small mistake can easily wrap a boat, to long stretches of flat water where fatigue and pain become impossible to ignore.

00:11 Episode preview & introductions

04:57 Race walkthrough, day 1 to day 3

22:51 Christie / Saskia’s partnership and “secret sauce”

26:56 - How do you train & prepare for the Dusi?

30:57 - Race preview, top contenders to win the women’s race

36:42 - Race preview, top contenders to win the men’s race

Follow the Dusi via the race’s website and social media:

Dusi Race Website: https://dusi.co.za/

Dusi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dusicanoemarathon/

Dusi Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DusiCanoeMarathon

Dusi YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDusiCanoe

And follow Christie and Saskia here:

https://www.instagram.com/cjmac_kenzie/

https://www.instagram.com/saskia._hockly/

#dusirivercanoemarathon #southafrica #marathoncanoe

2024 brought some of the highest highs and lowest lows for Britain’s international sprint kayak racing programme. The high: it was Team GB’s most successful Paralympics ever with a record 8 medals. The low: for the first time ever, not a single GB athlete qualified to race canoe sprint at the Paris Olympics.

So in January 2025, Paddle UK brought on Ekaitz Saies. Ekaitz raced internationally for Spain for 15 years, won world titles in 2009 and 2011, earned a PhD in Sport Psychology, and coached Spanish Olympic athletes to unprecedented success before moving to the UK. In August, he officially stepped into his new role as Paddle UK Performance Director for Paracanoe and Canoe Sprint. In other words: he’s the person in charge of making sure GB is well represented in Los Angeles in 2028.

There’s a lot of pressure on Ekaitz to turn things around for non-para sprint in the UK, but with his background in sport psychology and culture-first approach to performance, he seems well-equipped to rise to the challenge. When he first started at Paddle UK, the cultural differences (paddling culture – going from paella to beans on toast is a whole other thing) were the first thing that stood out.

“One of the first things was to try and create a better connection between the world class programme and the community… I didn’t feel there was a healthy environment to really strive for excellence.” Ekaitz delves into differences in everything from how the calendar is managed (how many people are involved, having different committees for different disciplines), to the typical length of races, how many people are usually in a training group, professionalisation of coaching, and why the best paddlers in the world change their technique when the go from sprint to marathon and vice versa.

What can fans expect from Team GB in 2026? Keep your eyes on that women’s K4, because Ekaitz thinks they have that magical chemistry and more potential than GB has ever had on the women’s side. But 2026 will also bring new challenges, and not just for Team GB. The Olympic qualification system for LA is changing to be based on the ICF’s World Rankings. It means that World Cups have suddenly just become much more important, and there’s a third World Cup this year in Canada. The team is moving to a periodised approach with multiple peaks, and will feel more pressure to perform earlier in the season. For some less well-funded teams or teams with longer flights needed to travel to Europe/Canada, the higher costs might also mean bringing a smaller squad of only the top athletes. The level of competition at the World Cups will be higher, but participation rates may be lower.

To hear more from Ekaitz, you can follow him on Instagram at @ekaitzsaies, and order his new book The Champions Mindset from foxperformance.co.uk. Check out The Paddle Games at https://www.instagram.com/paddle_games.

#olympics #canoesprint #teamgb #performancepaddling 

https://foxperformance.co.uk/product/the-champions-mindset-book

00:23 Introduction of Ekaitz

02:01 What is the Performance Director role?

03:40 Paddling culture differences moving from Spain to the UK

24:57 GB potential, success & achieving stretch goals in 2025

29:27 2026 goals & new challenges with the Olympic qualification system

36:08 100% Physical, 100% Mental: The role of sport psychology in winning

45:20 The Champions Mindset

49:09 The Paddle Games

56:08 Billy & Betsy debrief on the conversation with Ekaitz

NOTE: This was recorded in July 2024 before certain equipment upgrades and the audio quality isn’t great, thanks for bearing with us.

"The toughest canoe race in the world". That's how the Texas Water Safari bills itself. So if it’s the toughest race in a canoe, how much harder is it on a stand up paddleboard?

SUP ultra paddler John Knippers decided to find out for himself. And in doing so, he broke the record for the fastest SUP to complete the Texas Water Safari. His record from July 2024 still stands: 81 hours and 57 minutes. That’s just under 3.5 days with heat, mud, alligators, log jams, hardly any sleep, lost equipment, broken equipment, and too many near-death experiences to count.

The only story crazier than John’s TWS safari? The story of how he got into ultra paddling. It starts in March 2001, when John survived a shooting. While standing in his front yard, John was shot five times in the face and hands. Miraculously, he survived. And while the road to recovery was painful, he came through it with his eyesight and hands intact, and it gave him a new perspective on life. After he recovered from the shooting, John moved to Colorado, then Hawaii, and back to Oklahoma.

Through a winding road including a homemade salsa business. boat cleaning, a chance meeting at his local convenience store, and urologist, John found stand up paddleboard racing. His first race was a 10 miler, later Chattajack, MR340, a life changing trip with Scott Baste through the Boundary Waters, and he’s been hooked on the ultras ever since.

The Texas Water Safari record (2024) isn’t John’s only SUP ultra record. He also holds the record for being the first and fastest person to complete the Alabama 650 on a SUP. That’s 650 miles paddling the length of Alabama, in the southeastern US, and his record for that race is 8 days, 9 hours, 16 minutes. And he’s a frequent 48’er at Last Paddler Standing. John was the “assist” to Paolo Marconi’s win at the first ever edition of LPS in 2022, the backyard ultra where paddleboarders have to complete a 3.3 mile loop every hour on the hour until they can’t anymore. He’s raced every year since then, including in the most recent edition which was streamed on the Paddler Media (SUP Racer) YouTube channel.

John is one of those characters where as soon as you get to chatting, it feels like you’ve been transported to the woods, and you’re talking story over a campfire. It’s best to settle in for the journey.

Because this was recorded back in July 2024 (before the relaunch of Paddlecast and notable equipment upgrades), the audio quality isn’t great. But it’s well worth a listen to hear John’s stories in his own words.

To John – thanks again for making the time, and sorry it’s taken so long to publish this conversation.

Paddlecast has taken a little hiatus over the holidays (winter in Europe), but Billy and Betsy are already working on Season 2: 2026. Be sure to subscribe if you aren’t already subscribed, and keep an eye on your feed for new episodes coming soon.

#standuppaddle #supracer #texaswatersafari #ultrapaddling

00:00:10 Introduction & context

00:03:41 John’s paddling journey

00:40:00 The Texas Water Safari

01:26:33 Is TWS actually the hardest race?

01:30:53 Why should someone do TWS on a SUP?

It's time to look back on 2025 in paddling. Across disciplines, paddlers from around the world have stepped up to make huge gains on the water, hit new personal bests, shock the world by demolishing their competitors, and accomplish feats that seemed impossible.

On Season 1 of Paddlecast, Betsy and Billy have been blown away by what paddlers have achieved this year, often exceeding all expectations. To wrap up the year and first season of the podcast, they look back and consider the best candidates for the new Paddlecast Paddler of the Year awards across Surfski, Marathon, and Sprint. Plus the Paddle of the Year Award for the most outstanding single paddle of the year (a race, adventure, or record).

Categories:

• Surfski Paddler of the Year
• Marathon Paddler of the Year
• Sprint Paddler of the Year
• Paddle of the Year

Considerations: For “Paddler of the Year” for Surfski, Marathon, & Sprint racing –

PERFORMANCE: How did this paddler perform at key races in their respective discipline?

PROGRESS: Has this paddler made a notable step up in 2025 compared to previous years?

POTENTIAL: Does this paddler have untapped potential? Is this someone whose paddling career you can't wait to follow next season and beyond?

For “Paddle of the Year” – From any discipline or disciplines, this goes to the paddler or paddlers who completed the most outstanding single paddle of the year. A performance that seemed impossible until they did it. On this adventure, record, or race, the paddler or team pushed their own limits and the limits of paddlesports.

Competition: Two components will determine how the awards are decided –

Fan input. Paddling fans from around the world submitted nominations via social media with the paddlers they think should win the awards for 2025.

A Paddlecast debate. On this special episode of Paddlecast, co-hosts Billy and Betsy look at the nominations, results, and debate who should win the awards.

Nominations for Surfski Paddler of the Year: Kira Bester, Rosie Edwards, Cory Hill, Nick Notten, Brynde Kreft, Jon White, Nix Birkett

Nominations for Marathon Paddler of the Year: Will Short, Melina Andersson, Mads Pedersen, Jose Ramalho, Tania Fernandez / Tania Alvarez (“The Two Tanias”)

Nominations for Sprint Paddler of the Year: Hamish Lovemore, Josef Dostal, Martin Fuksa, Natalia Drobot, Victoria Yarchevska, Anna Pulawska, Zsoka Csikos, Hope Gordon

Nominations for Paddle of the Year: Sebastian Szubski’s Record-Breaking Circumnavigation of Britain, Danielle Richards’ Molokai Record, Mads Pedersen’s Early Breakaway & Win at Marathon World Championships in Gyor, Toby Brook’s Record on the Paddling Leg at Coast 2 Coast NZ, Tanja Ecker’s SUP Record at Loire 725 (*CORRECTION - Tanja’s record was completed in 2024, not 2025; her video account of the record was published in 2025)

00:00:22 Paddler of the Year Categories & “Rules”

00:02:44 Surfski Paddler of the Year

00:17:41 Marathon Paddler of the Year

00:34:00 Sprint Paddler of the Year

54:33 Paddle of the Year

1:05:24 What’s going to be the most exciting paddling in 2026?

01:10:30 The Warm Down: First Women to Complete the Wilson’s Challenge of 10 Millers Runs in a DayUseful Links:

Joakim Lindberg’s Reel: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRxfA34iEmQ/

*CORRECTION - Eivind Vold raced a 2:39 marathon, not Jon Amund Vold as stated in the episode. Check it out here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DR-Nr9PiOPQ/?img_index=1

For many paddlers in the northern hemisphere, it’s that time of the season to put your head down, hats and pogies on, and just focus on strength and mileage. But in warmer climes, the racing is heating up. Today, Paddlecast heads to Hong Kong, Australia, and Reunion to catch up on 20 Beaches, Mox the Dragon Run, and the ICF World Cup in Reunion.

Jon White joins Billy and Betsy to talk about his current surfski tour as well as answer a few questions about how he approaches races, goals, and kit as a para paddler. Jon is a triple amputee, but with a healthy dose of creativity and determination, he’s pushing the limits of what’s possible for para paddlesport. Jon has completed the 125 mile Devizes to Westminster twice, he’s raced at the top level in surfski and marathon internationally including winning gold medals at this year’s European and World Marathon Championships, and he’s eyeing up one of the highly coveted spots on Team GB for the LA 2028 Olympics in sprint.

After chatting with Jon about everything from how he took 10 minutes off his time at Mox the Dragon run to how he steers kayaks without feet, Billy and Betsy preview the fierce competition expected at the Shaw & Partners WA Race Week. It’s a chance to see some of the greatest rivalries in the sport this season, including Pat Dolan vs. Cory Hill, and Kira Bester vs. Danielle Richards vs. Jemma Smith. Since neither Pat nor Jemma raced at the World Championships in Durban a few weeks ago, the titles this week could go to anyone.

Finally, World #3 Rosie Edwards hops on to talk about the ICF World Cup in Reunion, which she says is now one of her new favourite places to paddle. Rosie won the SS2 race there with Matt Fenn, and finished 2nd in singles in the official World Cup event behind Kira Bester and ahead of Jade Wilson.After you listen, go check out the full preview of Race Week on paddledaily.com.

1:10 Interview with Multidisciplinary Paracanoe Champion Jon White

36:24 Race Week Preview

41:36 ICF World Cup in Reunion with Rosie Edwards

Useful Links:

https://paddledaily.com/

https://www.instagram.com/jonwhite50/

https://www.instagram.com/rosie_edwards04/

https://www.instagram.com/moxthedragonrun/

https://www.instagram.com/larunocean/

https://www.canoeicf.com/news/four-icf-canoe-ocean-racing-world-cups-approved-2026
https://oceanpaddler.com/ocean-events/wa-race-week/

The ICF Stand Up Paddleboarding World Championships in Abu Dhabi last weekend featured record-breaking performances, first time world champions, and shocking upsets.

Paddling icon and multiple SUP World Champion Michael Booth, of Booth Training and Boothcast, joins Paddlecast to talk all about the racing. Boothy, SUP Racer’s 2019 #1 man in the world rankings, flew to Abu Dhabi to race the long distance race on Sunday. He won world titles for the same event in 2019 and 2022. But in a special treat for everyone spectating, Boothy also hopped into the commentary box on Saturday to cover the technical races.

On this episode of Paddlecast, Boothy, Billy, and Betsy (say that five times fast) talk about the best moments of the tech and distance racing, who stood out and impressed Boothy the most, how Boothy’s long distance race went (6th place!), the biggest gap in his own 2025 training plan (ironically, time on his paddleboard), his plans for WA Race Week, why SUP draft trains look confusing to kayakers, THAT moment between Shuri and Rai, and whether 10 km is really a long distance race. And more.

Then Billy and Betsy talk with Bevan Manson, the recent winner (and organiser) of the world’s longest surfski race: the 100 Miler Harbour to Harbour Challenge from Richard’s Bay to Durban. In its first edition last year, 6 paddlers attempted and finished this immense challenge. This year, 12 attempted and 9 finished. Bevan was the fastest finisher in 10 hours and 43 minutes. The race was inspired by Quinton Rutherford, who competed and organised this year but is better known as the holder of the Guinness World Record for the Longest Distance Paddled on the Ocean in 24 Hours. He achieved that (227 km) in 2020. It was Bevan Manson who went on to then unofficially break the same record, completing 243 km in 2022. Next up for these guys, other than luring more intrepid paddlers to sign up for the 100 Miler Harbour to Harbour in 2026? “Project 300”...

Finally, Billy and Betsy share a brief preview of the Ardèche (International Marathon of the Gorges of the Ardèche). The most likely winners? Team Cooking Candies. That is, if the Cook doesn’t get held up by hippos again.

01:02 Welcome Michael Booth

03:50 Best Moments of the Tech Races

07:46 The Junior Racing Scene (& Age Group Racing)

12:06 ISA Worlds in El Salvador

14:08 The ICF Long Distance Race

18:09 Wash Hanging in SUP / Draft Train Formations

20:24 The End of the Men’s Distance Race (Shuri vs. Rai)

27:45 Is 10km “Long Distance”

33:39 Top End Speed after 35 years old

35:13 Which SUP competitors have impressed Boothy the most this year?

38:41 Shaw & Partners WA Race Week

40:42 When will Boothy start racing the ultras?

42:44 100 Miler Harbour to Harbour Challenge

44:24 100 Miler Interview with Winner & Organiser Bevan Manson

56:00 Previewing the Ardèche Canoe Marathon

#canoemarathon #ardeche #harbourtoharbour #surfski #standuppaddle #supracing #abudhabi2025 #michaelbooth #boothcast

Useful Links:

https://www.surfski.wiki/races/distance_records

https://www.instagram.com/100_miler_harbour_to_harbour/ 

https://harbourtoharbour2025.maprogress.com/#

https://outdoors-international.com/how-dangerous-are-hippos/

Durban was everything we dreamed of and more. Billy and Betsy dive into: what was going on with that shore break? Who handled it well, should the course run through such an intense shorey, and how viral did those videos go?

But more importantly, what was going through the minds of some of the top paddlers when they were on the water? It was a long course of 34km in less wind what many paddlers hoped for, and there was plenty of action between the buoys that didn’t make the live stream.

Newly crowned 2x world champion Kira Bester and 2025 U23 world champion Rosie Edwards join Paddlecast to talk through how the women’s race went from the front, recapping the key moments in their own words.

For the men’s race, 4x world champion Cory Hill and 2025 vice world champion Pierre Vilella tell the story of the front of the men’s race in their own words.

Billy & Betsy talk about their stand-outs, focusing on some impressive young paddlers including junior world champions Sam Mocke and Andrea Jimenez, as well as U23 stand-outs Rosie Edwards, Bernardo Pereira, and Matt Coetzer.

In her interview with Paddlecast, Kira Bester describes exactly how she was feeling in that moment when she won her world title, and who she was really racing for this year. Rosie Edwards explains just how shocked she was at her result, and why she thinks she paddled so well in Durban. Pierre Vilella, whose silver medal shocked many fans including a commentary team that called him Gordan Harbrecht for the first few minutes of the race, discusses how surprised he was, how his training group helps him, and why he thinks his recent venture into marathon racing was key to his stellar result.

16 year old Sam Mocke makes his podcast debut, almost as exciting as winning his second junior world title with plenty of time left in the junior category. He talks about which paddlers, Mocke family and otherwise, he looks up to as role models and inspiration. Sam outlines exactly just how ambitious he is with his goals for the future of his paddling career, far beyond more world titles…

Finally, Billy & Betsy mention a few more fantastic races that have been happening over the last couple of weeks while they’ve been focused on Durban, including:

The Krumlovsky

Liffey Descent

Great Alabama 650

Paddle Games

Pete Marlin

20 Beaches

Links to catch up on those races are included below.

Thanks to Carbonology UK for sponsoring this episode of Paddlecast! Carbonology is one of the world’s leading surfski brands, and notably it’s the brand of choice for the now 2x world champion Kira Bester, who has won both her world titles racing the Carbonology Flash X LV (Low Volume) ski. Paddlecast co-host Billy has spent plenty of time in Carbonology skis as well, including the intermediate-level Zest which was his first ski and a perfect introduction to surfski paddling for those coming from a strong sprint or marathon racing background.

Head over to carbonologysport.co.uk to check out their skis and other equipment. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

00:22 Introduction & why Billy didn't race

02:28 Women's Race Recap with Kira & Rosie

09:04 The Shorey

14:31 Men's Race Recap with Cory & Pierre

27:15 The Largest Start Line Ever at Worlds

29:40 Stand-Out Paddlers

Highlighting up-and-coming paddlers who performed exceptionally well or better than expected

35:28 Interview with Kira Bester

40:28 Interview with Rosie Edwards

43:38 Interview with Pierre Vilella

50:59 Interview with Sam Mocke

1:00:47 Interview with Cory Hill

Useful links: https://www.facebook.com/krumlovskymaraton

https://www.facebook.com/liffeydescent

https://www.facebook.com/GreatAlabama650

https://www.instagram.com/paddle_games

https://petemarlin.co.za/2025-results

https://20beaches.com.au

#surfski #surfskikayak #worldchampionship #durban2025 #visitsouthafrica #kayaking #surflifesaving #paddlesportsa #planetcanoe

It’s a double episode for Durban: Billy and Betsy make their predictions for who are the best candidates to win this year’s Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in Durban, South Africa. And then reigning surfski world champion Kira Bester joins the conversation to talk about the conditions in Durban, two possible courses, and who she thinks could win.

The ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships will be held in Durban, South Africa from the 17th-19th October 2025. The hype has been building for more than a year now, and virtually all of the top names in surfski will be racing in the home of surfski racing.

Kira Bester went out to test the course with Jade Wilson in July, and says she’s hoping for Course A, DUC to Westbrook. But racers will need to be wary of potential challenges including a possible buoy at Umhlanga, whales and sharks, and a brutal shore break at the finish. The DUC to Westbrook course is ideal for the prevailing south westerlies, but swell and current add two more dimensions that could make for a more technical course.

In the women’s race, Kira might be the favourite as defending champion from 2024, but her biggest competition will probably come from Michelle Burn (South Africa) and Danielle Richards nee McKenzie (New Zealand). Michelle is local to Durban and learned to downwind along the race course, so her local knowledge could put her over the edge except that Kira has already been out scoping the course thoroughly. Danielle is a previous world champion and didn’t race at surfski worlds in 2024 – Kira has looked up to her since she was little, and describes her as an “absolute weapon”. But Kira has been training hard, and is hoping to win by a clear margin…

The men’s race looks as tight as anything, and hard to predict. Defending champion Gordon Harbrecht (GER) is a podium favourite, along with last year’s runner up Cory Hill (AUS) and local Hank McGregor (RSA). But there’s plenty of other top names including more former world champions who could challenge for the Top 5 or maybe even the podium. From South Africa, that list includes: Nicky Notten, Matt Fenn, Kenny Rice, Uli Hart, Mark Keeling, and the young Matt Coetzer. Notten is looking particularly strong after impressive racing at Marathon World Championships in Gyor Hungary a few weeks ago, and sources say his training is going well…

The doubles race (SS2) is looking like one of the best yet, with the main category being mixed gender racing. 2024’s world champs will be back again, the young crew of Georgia Singe / Uli Hart (RSA). And some top European crews are looking strong, including Walter Bouzan / Judit Verges (ESP) and Pierre Vilella / Thais Delrieux (FRA). But a bunch of other top names from South Africa are entering as well – Kira shares the inside scoop during her interview…

Thanks to Carbonology UK for sponsoring this episode of Paddlecast! Carbonology is one of the world’s leading surfski brands, and notably it’s the brand of choice for reigning world champion Kira Bester, who won her title last year racing the Carbonology Flash X LV (Low Volume) ski. Carbonology produces a great variety of options, not just for World Champions and elite paddlers, but also for beginner and intermediate paddlers and even for kids. Head over to carbonologysport.co.uk and contact [email protected] to learn more.

00:23 Introduction & Durban race preview

08:08 Top contenders to win the women’s race

21:15 Top contenders to win the men’s race

35:22 Previewing the SS2 mixed doubles race

39:23 Kira Bester interview

Useful Links:

Downwind Drag Race: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPRrBTQjZh1/

Downwind Diaries by South Africa Surf Ski: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcsCh_bzoUK9YOStqIzCStWRiq4hq2Iod

Paddler’s Pod interview with Durban race director Colin Simpkins: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7atqvyEhQ0OZY31wvvu8cU?si=IFTt_cVpTBKLMfQzM-KQHA&t=1712&pi=Tenkv2W2SC2LV 

Kira Bester on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kira.besterpaddling/

Ireland's most decorated paddler, Jenny Egan-Simmons, joins Paddlecast to talk everything Liffey.

The Liffey Descent is one of the world’s longest running paddling races and the most iconic race in Ireland. Paddlers from Ireland, the UK, Europe, South Africa, and around the world flock to Dublin to race 30 kilometres, 1 portage, and 10 weirs. Notable former winners include reigning marathon world champion Mads Brandt Pedersen of Denmark, and South Africans Hamish Lovemore and Clint Cook.

Aside from lush scenery and a raucously good local atmosphere, what differentiates the Liffey Descent is that it’s “a race of precision”. To get over each of the ten weirs successfully, paddlers often have a couple of options, but their positioning and approach has to be near perfect to avoid swimming or breaking the boat.

And because the race runs on a water release, practising the weirs ahead of time in race-day conditions is typically impossible.

The best thing to do is tap into the knowledge of someone local, perhaps a longtime member of the famous Salmon Leap Canoe Club that sits along the course. Even better, someone who’s raced before, or even won…

So as perhaps the most perfectly qualified paddler to talk about the Liffey Descent, here is Jenny Egan-Simmons on Paddlecast. Ireland’s most decorated canoeist, Jenny has won 20 international world championship and world cup level medals in both canoe sprint and canoe marathon. She also has 10 Liffey wins (11 if you count the one of three junior doubles races where she didn’t beat all the boys), was the first girl to win the junior boys doubles category, and has two Liffey records: Senior Mixed Doubles and Women’s K1.

The hardest part of the Liffey Descent is having a clean race. Meaning to finish the race with no swims, and the same boat you started with still intact. In this episode of Paddlecast, Jenny takes Billy and Betsy through the entire race from the start, to Straffan Weir, through “The Jungle”, over rapids and under bridges, and through the best approach to every weir and obstacle on the course. How can you race the Liffey clean? Listen to Jenny Egan-Simmons.

Special thanks to Jenny for joining us on Paddlecast, and best of luck to all the racers taking on the Liffey Descent this year!

#liffeydescent #riverliffey #visitireland #canoeingireland #jennyegansimmons #descentracing #canoemarathon #riverracing #liffeydescentweirguide #weirguide

00:22 Introducing The Liffey Descent & Jenny Egan-Simmons

Liffey Descent Weir Guide: How to Race a Clean Liffey

15:00 The Start & Straffan Weir

18:00 The Jungle

20:27 Temple Mills Weir, Vanessa Weir, Celbridge Rapids, Ghost Weir, Leixlip Lake, The Portage, Leixlip Rapids, Salmon Leap Bridge

23:24 Sluice Weir

27:28 Lucan Village & Weir

30:29 Anna Liffey Weir

31:45 Big V Weirs: Wren’s Nest Weir & Palmerstown Weir

35:34 Chapelizod Weir

36:48 Reflections on the Liffey, Top Contenders for 2025, The Future of the Liffey, & The Paddling Scene in Ireland

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 September

Looking 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 Recap

Over 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 Leader

Matthew 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 Races

31:04 - Race Previews: Scottish K1 Marathon Championships & the Starsky Nith Descent

47:43 - Breede River Canoe Marathon, featuring Kenny Rice

59:42 - The Warm Down: New Record around Gozo featuring Matt Schembri, and Downwind Drag Race’s New Leader

Useful Links:

Save the Date for the Thames 200 Ultra 2026: https://www.thames200ultra.com

Check out Starsky’s Products: https://starskykayaking.com

Ask Rob about Starsky UK or racing at the Scottish K1 Marathon Championships & Nith Descent: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553185212023 or [email protected]

Watch 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/