Race Series

The photo above was recently taken in Hamburg which hosted the first international Stand Up Paddle Race Competition. Competitors from all around the world took part in two flat water-based events, a 1000m Sprint and a 10000m Endurance Event. It was agreed that all future national race events would follow the same format.

BSUPA (British Stand Up Paddle Association) was formed a couple of years ago and has tried to bring some structure to paddle boarding in the UK, hosting some well-attended wave competitions alongside 1000m & 10000m race events at a variety of locations. Until now many people have tried flat water paddle boarding and after the initial delight of being able to explore (often on their own) have been left wondering so now what?

We're proud to announce our involvement in Starboard's Regional Race Series. The aim of the initiative is to introduce a competitive element to flat water paddling in our region. We're looking for peoples' input. It can be whatever people want it to be. Great if you have your own specialist racing equipment, if not we can hire you a board and paddle to take part in group training sessions and future race events. We'll establish a paddle league with the best times and rankings for our local paddlers and hope that some of our faster participants will go on to compete in the BSUPA Race Events in 2010.

You don't have to travel far to see the popularity of paddle boarding as a race event. Our American cousins have whole-heartedly embraced the sport in various formats including white water, waves, recreational, fitness and serious racing. Check out the you tube video below to see how the sport has evolved in the States. It is our hope that we'll bring events like this to our region in the years to come.