Recently Chris from SUP Racer asked me “Why do you do it?” Why do I paddle these ultra endurance races and expeditions? What’s the motivation?
With races like the Yukon River Quest, easily one of the longest races and most demanding races in the world at 715km (444 miles), you really have to ask yourself this question: “Why?” → READ MORE
After overcoming extreme sleep deprivation and the sheer remoteness of the Canadian wilderness, endurance king Bart de Zwart reached the northern frontier town of Dawson at 2:16am local time Saturday morning to officially complete the 2017 Yukon River Quest, crossing the line after 52 hours and 16 minutes of paddling to set a new race record and claim line honours for the small but very bold stand up paddling division.
Following more than two and a half days of racing, which included the 52 hours on the water plus an additional 10 hours of mandatory minimum rest at the two break points (7 and 3 hours, respectively), Bart finished this ultra-ultra-marathon two and a half hours faster than his winning time from last year. → READ MORE
The 2017 Yukon River Quest, arguably the toughest, craziest and most extraordinary race in the world of paddling, is set to begin today in the Canadian wilderness, with eight bold and adventurous stand up paddlers joining dozens of canoe and kayak competitors for the 715km (444 mile) odyssey along the infamous Yukon River.
With finishing times estimated between a staggering 50 and 84 hours (the latter being the official cut off), the Yukon River Quest is by far the longest annual paddle race* anywhere on planet Earth. → READ MORE
In brief: James van Drunen and Emma Reijmerink have taken out the 2017 “Battle of the Coast” in the Netherlands–aka the Dutch National Championship event that serves as the qualifier for the ISA Worlds in Denmark later this year.
With strong winds in the coastal town of Zandvoort helping the event live up to its “Battle” name, James, the rising junior prospect from Team Mistral, took out both the beach race and downwinder ahead of seasoned veterans Bart de Zwart and Martijn van Deth, while Emma made it a clean sweep ahead of Petronella van Malsen. → READ MORE
The long-reigning king of endurance paddling, Bart de Zwart, has achieved another major milestone in his extraordinary paddling career, setting a new 24 hour world record in Switzerland this week after overcoming a late-night storm and strong winds that almost forced him to abandon his quest.
The humble Dutchman, famous for his incredible paddling expeditions and crossings (not to mention winning virtually every endurance race in the sport), completed a mammoth 193.8kms (123.4 miles) after paddling all day and all night around a lake near the Swiss town of Erlach. → READ MORE
Larry Cain has won Tennessee’s 31 mile Chattajack race, aka the “Inland Molokai”, for the third year in a row, outlasting Bart de Zwart in a repeat of last year’s result to claim victory in 5 hours, 14 minutes.
After the 2015 race was decided in a sprint to the line, the 1984 Olympic canoeing Gold Medalist broke free well before the finish to secure a big win, coming home 11 minutes clear of his Starboard teammate. → READ MORE
Bart de Zwart has continued to cement his reputation as one of the craziest most inspiring paddlers in the world, taking out the 92km Great Glen Paddle in Scotland last weekend and setting yet another ultra long distance race record in the process.
To put the race in perspective, Bart won in 10 hours 50 minutes, which was a record fast time for this course; some of the other paddlers were out there for 15 or 16 hours.
Click through to read Bart’s race recap… → READ MORE
The undisputed king of ultra long distance paddling, Bart de Zwart, has done it again. Not long after his victories in the Yukon (715km) and Missouri (547km), and literally straight off the back of his 200+ km effort in the Netherlands last week, Bart has just taken out the Muskoka River X race in Ontario, Canada. Again. → READ MORE
In brief: Fresh off his tour of the 11 cities in Holland, Mr. Endurance Bart de Zwart is already on to his next challenge: the Muskoka River X race in Canada this weekend.
This will be the fourth event in a six-race series of the world’s longest stand up paddle races that Bart is completing this year. His tour started in June with the beyond-comprehension 715km epic voyage along the Yukon River in Canada, before hitting an even greater challenge, the absolute non-stop MR340 race along the Missouri River (547kms). → READ MORE
Boss Man’s note: Yesterday I previewed the SUP 11 City Tour, aka “The Ultimate Challenge”, the classic five day stage race that begins tomorrow in the Netherlands. It’s one of the grandest events in the world of stand up paddling.
But while I’ve had a bit of experience with this race myself, absolutely nobody can match the experience of Bart de Zwart, the four-time champion who tomorrow will line up for his eighth-straight 11 City Tour; he’s been there every year since this race began way back in 2009. So on the eve of the race, I asked Bart to share some of his personal insights into what makes this race unique and special. Here’s what he had to say… → READ MORE
Bart de Zwart, Joanne Hamilton-Vale and 14 other bold stand up paddlers have survived extreme heat and a serious lack of sleep to conquer the MR340, a 547km (340 miles) race along the Missouri River.
With just 16 days rest following his epic conquest of the Yukon River, Bart continued his series of ultra long distance events – aka the world’s longest SUP races – by winning the 11th annual MR340, a race he described as the toughest he’s ever done. → READ MORE
Boss Man’s note: It’s only been 16 days since Bart de Zwart became the first ever SUP champion of the almighty Yukon River Quest, the 715km (444 mile) voyage through the Canadian wilderness, yet he’s already on to his second race of the ultra long distance season, the 547km (340 mile) “MR340” in Missouri, which begins tomorrow morning (Tuesday 19th).
On the eve of the race, here’s what the Starboard team rider had to say about his next epic challenge… → READ MORE
What’s it like to paddle 55 hours through the Canadian wilderness, at race pace and with virtually no sleep? Just ask Bart de Zwart, winner of last week’s Yukon River Quest.
Bart, the first ever stand up paddle champion of the world’s longest annual paddle race, has just returned to civilisation, and now you can read his interesting insights into this truly epic voyage. → READ MORE
Get the latest updates and live GPS tracking from the Yukon River Quest, the epic 715km (444 mile) voyage through the Canadian Wilderness.
Bart de Zwart has claimed victory in the SUP division, finishing in 54 hours 41 minutes, just 15 minutes ahead of Norm Hann and Jason Bennett. → READ MORE
“The last unknown is the sleep deprivation – there are many stories of paddlers seeing dancing bears, people walking on water, trees on fire and hearing strange voices.”
That’s Bart de Zwart talking about the Yukon River Quest, an extraordinary race that stretches for 715km (444 miles) through the Canadian wilderness. The 2016 edition begins in less than 24 hours, and for the first time ever stand up paddlers have been allowed to enter. → READ MORE
Discover the unique world of ultra long distance stand up paddle racing with four-time 11 City Tour champion and all-round SUP explorer Bart de Zwart… → READ MORE
Fresh of her victory at the big OluKai race last weekend, Sonni Hönscheid has taken out the 5th Annual BLUESMITHS Paddle Imua charity race on Maui, as heavy rains turned the usual sunny downwinder into a bit of a grind. Australian James Casey, who also finished on the OluKai podium, took out the men’s race ahead of local expert Jeremy Riggs. → READ MORE
If you only watch one short film about a round the world paddling odyssey today, make it this one. Last year, endurance race champion Bart de Zwart and photographer Franz Orsi took off on a rather incredible journey. Spanning five continents and countless adventures, this is surely one of the greatest paddle expeditions ever… → READ MORE
If you’re not too busy for the next 47 minutes and 58 seconds, sit back and watch this very good (and very comprehensive) recap of the 11 City Tour.
Courtesy of indie filmmaker Greg Fulks, this reel does a great job of capturing the spirit of the 11 Cities, one of the longest and toughest races in the sport. The 2015 edition was a particular challenge, with brutal winds and piercing rain hammering competitors at certain points (we’ll never forget the morning of stage 2…). → READ MORE
So who’s up for a long distance race? I mean a really long distance race? I’m not talking about Chattajack or Molokai. Those aren’t even a warm-up. And the 11 Cities? C’mon, you can do that in 24 hours…
If you really want a challenge then a new event has just been crowned the “World’s Longest (Annual) SUP Race” – the Yukon River Quest in the far north of Canada. At 715kms (that’s 444 miles), the Yukon River Quest is less of a race and more of a downright mission through the sub-Arctic wilderness. → READ MORE
