Two paddleboarders prove that SUPs belong at the Devizes to Westminster, England’s most iconic ultra paddling event

SUP Racer’s coverage of the Devizes to Westminster race is made possible through the support of Tango Charlie Lights, paddling lights and accessories designed for paddlers by a paddler. Go to tangocharlielights.com.au to find the right lights for you.

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.

In the first official trial year for SUPs, two intrepid paddlers stood up to the challenge: SUP coach and SUP rep to Paddle Wales, Emily King, and the multidisciplinary ultra paddler from Ireland, Paddy McCormack.

Battling Tough Conditions

Emily King and Paddy McCormack set off from Devizes on Good Friday, 18th April, fighting a headwind on the Kennet & Avon Canal for 34 miles. On top of the headwind, the racers faced 22 portages just on Day 1. Emily almost lost count, and described it as “lock, after lock, after lock…” But she still had 55 portages left to traverse over the next two days.

On Saturday, they woke up to do it again: 36 miles, now moving from the canal onto the Thames river, fighting the same raging headwind of 20mph, which often gusted even stronger. At the end of the day on Saturday, Emily said: “I can’t tell you how hard that was just to keep going. And it just got worse, and worse, and worse.”

At the second to last lock, her husband and supporter, Al, told Emily she had just one hour to paddle 10km and make the race’s time cut-off for the day. Missing the cut-off meant risking not only disqualification from her own race, but potentially leaving the event organisers sceptical that SUPs would be able to succeed in DW in future years. Emily knew she had to dig deep: “Honestly, I’ve never paddled so hard in my entire life. And I managed to get four minutes below the cut-off time.”

The course: 118 miles on the Kennet & Avon Canal and the Thames River, finishing in central London

Day 1 (Good Friday) Devizes to Newbury 34 miles

Day 2 (Easter Saturday) Newbury to Marlow 36 miles

Day 3 (Easter Sunday) Marlow to Ham 38 miles

Day 4 (Easter Monday) Ham to Barn Elm Boathouse 10 miles*

*previously the DW 4 day stages race finished at Westminster in front of Parliament and Big Ben, but the finish has now been moved a few miles upriver for safety and cost reasons; the non-stop race for tandem crews still finishes in Westminster when conditions allow

Nearing the Finish

After Paddy and Emily successfully made it through the third and longest day, the finish line was nearly in sight. Day 4 finally brought calm weather and a “short” 10 mile race to the end. Emily King even managed to put in a sprint finish in front of the cheering crowd at Barn Elm Boathouse where the scenery on the Thames begins to make you realise you’re in London.

For the two SUP racers, this year was a test — could Paddy and Emily complete the race safely and make each day’s strict time cut-offs? Their individual success or failure would shape the future of SUPs at DW, informing whether this legendary canoe race would invite SUPs back again, and perhaps even create new awards for a burgeoning SUP class.

Emily successfully hit every time cut-off, even after being blown backward at points on the course, and Paddy finished the race mid-pack amongst solo kayakers, Canadian canoeists, and junior tandem paddlers. Over the four days, Paddy finished in an exceptional time of 23:17:44 and Emily was well under the 30 hour mark in 28:11:22. Full results are available here.

Will stand up paddleboards return to DW in 2026?

The race organisers told SUP Racer that they were pleased with how the trial went, and will be seeking feedback from Paddy and Emily in the coming weeks to determine path forward. For paddlers everywhere, canoeists, kayakers, and paddleboarders, this is an historic moment where one of the oldest, most traditional canoe races in the world has started to embrace the newest paddlesport.

As Paddy McCormack so neatly put it after his finish: “Everyone’s a paddler at the end of the day.”

THE FIRST SUP CATEGORY, BUT NOT THE FIRST SUPs

*Updated* While Emily and Paddy were the first SUPs to race in an designated category for SUPs after many years where SUPs were explicitly banned from entering the DW, they were not the first SUPs to complete the race. In 2009, John Hibbard and Anthony Cooper convinced the race organisers at the time to allow them down the course. Hibbard said their hope at the time was that the race would open up for more SUPs after the 2009 run, but it didn’t happen.

Hibbard wrote in a blog at the time: “Hopefully our times are a respectable target for anyone following in our footsteps.” And they certainly were — John Hibbard finished the course in 26 hours and 6 minutes, while Anthony Cooper did it in 27 hours and 32 minutes. Not only were those times completed on a slightly longer course that finished in Westminster rather than Barnes, but the equipment at the time was not up to the racing standards seen today. John says: “I remember being an equal mix of fun and pain! We had huge paddle blades back then and 17kg boards, which contributed to the pain bit!”

Since this year’s SUP event was an official trial with significant collaboration between the paddleboarders and the organisers, hopefully 2026 will finally bring the official SUP category into the race for good.

Watch Paddy & Emily’s finishes, and HEAR THEIR post-race chats with SUP Racer

For more on what motivated Emily to take on this monumental challenge and how she approached her training and preparation, listen to Betsy and Billy’s pre-race interview with her on Paddlecast, available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.