Six weeks of non-stop racing around Europe is almost over – who will come out on top?
Between the ICF World Cups, the EuroTour, and the newly announced European SUP League, it’s been near impossible for even the biggest SUP racing fans to keep track of all the action this spring. And for the racers themselves, the questions have been: which races are worth competing in? How many can I realistically make […]
“Racing the Quit Monkey”: Paolo Marconi’s New Book is about more than SUP racing
Paolo Marconi is one of the “original” stand up paddleboard racers. The first year he raced internationally, 2011, was the year that SUP Racer was founded. That’s fourteen years of top level SUP racing. So when it comes to talking about what it means to be a stand up paddleboard racer, there’s not many who […]
Two SUP Pioneers finish the Devizes to Westminster canoe race
2025 became the first year that the iconic Devizes to Westminster canoe race finally invited stand up paddleboarders to race. This nearly 125 mile race has been running for canoes and kayaks since 1948, but the race organisers have recently recognised that it's time for the race to evolve.
Who has the right of way at a turn buoy?
After a few too many why-is-their-board-between-my-legs moments and controversial DQs during the technical racing at ICF worlds in November, a new rule may bring clarity to who has right of way at buoy turns.
Will the ICF’s Junior Races Survive the New One Design Mandate?
In a flurry of rule changes for 2025, the new One Design mandate for SUP juniors was dropped like a lead balloon. All juniors, athletes under age 18, will be required to use a single “One Design” hard board for SUP at ICF competitions. Their stated reasoning? Accessibility. But athletes are concerned, and some juniors have already decided not to race ICF events because of One Design.
The 2025 season starts with a splash
The 2025 sprint season kicked off last weekend in a pool in Dusseldorf. An indoor pool may not sound like the most exciting location for a race, but the SUP event made a splash as part of the larger Düsseldorf Boat Show. And really, in January, where could be better for the athletes than a toasty warm pool facing off their biggest rivals in head to head sprint technicals?
The boundary of possible: what happened at Last Paddler Standing 2024
Forty-eight hours after the race started on a beautiful but breezy Saturday morning, the wind was picking up at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida. It had already been the windiest, coldest Last Paddler Standing ever: when temperature dropped to 50°F (10°C) on the first night, strong racers who made it through the first day […]