Christopher Parker Yukon River Quest , 2019 . Photo : Trevor Tunnington , Ultra Paddle League like the 11 Cities as their first ultra – paddling 200km in five days is more about having a strong mind than superhuman fitness . The British ‘ SUP Soldiers ’ that I paddled the Yukon with had never done a race over 10k when they took on that 715km mind-bender ( granted , those guys are next level ).
I ’ d also highly recommend just doing your own solo or small-group adventure paddle on an interesting stretch of water wherever you live , whether that ’ s paddling around an island or conquering the length of your local river . Take a tent onboard and turn it into an overnight adventure . For me , some of the most interesting stories in the world of paddling happen outside of any official race . We see you have upgraded The Paddle League to The Ultra Paddle League - what do you hope to achieve with this new platform ?
The simple goal is to give the ultras a dedicated platform to promote the events and paddlers . ‘ Showcasing the paddling world ’ s longest races , biggest adventures and grandest stories ’ is our one-line summary . Hopefully , by sharing these stories , we can help grow this side of the sport .
The Ultra Paddle League will feature 14 events in 2022 and hopefully expand to double that in the next few years . I ’ m not promoting it as an ‘ ultra-world tour ’ or anything like that ( good luck if you can do every ultra in one season , haha ); it ’ s more about raising the profile of the events to get more paddlers on the start line , definitely give them more media attention and make them more sustainable . I believe the way to do that is by telling interesting stories .
I hope to see these adventures featured not just in the dedicated paddling media but in major
For me , some of the most interesting stories in the world of paddling happen outside of any official race .
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