As Sebastian Szubski rounded Land’s End this week, Billy finally became convinced that the 40 day record was going to fall. It’s been as tight as anything between Sebastian’s progress and Dougal’s 40 day record up to this point, but there shouldn’t be much left that can stop Sebastian now.
The biggest moment of Sebastian’s progress last week was his 100km+ crossing of Lyme Bay. Billy and Betsy were dot-watching (along with many others) when Sebastian went out of GPS range moving only 2mph. Thankfully, he came back online a short while later, but with a mysterious zig-zag to his track… Betsy shares Sebastian’s personal account of exactly what happened during the crossing, and the context for why.
The action was tight at the Berg River Marathon, with legend Hank McGregor winning his 14th title, but Hank wasn’t the only legend on the course… And in the women’s race, an unfortunate spill early on Day 2 turned into a shock 8 minute lead – this lucky mistake seems to have determined the outcome of 1st and 2nd between Jenna Nisbett / Nix Birkett at the epic 4 day ultra marathon race in South Africa.
In Romania, it was Hungary who came away with the most medals. No surprise there. But there were a few surprising results. Young GB athletes Freddie Heard / Ollie Mazur talk about the event and their K4 race in their own words on Paddlecast.
The winner of the Korea APP SUP race was no surprise (the reigning king himself, Shuri “Shrimpy” Araki) but the course had some unusual twists that gave this speed demon more of a challenge.
In Spain, more than thirty K4s from local clubs and top European national teams gathered to race amongst beautiful scenery. And a particularly strong GB men’s crew made it onto the podium in Valladolid. Joe Petersen, from that podium crew, shares more about the event and his team’s racing in his own words.
This week, the only race to make the Yukon River Quest look short has just started: The Yukon 1000. A hybrid between classic ultra paddling racing and ‘do you know how to bear-bag and staunch a wound in the wilderness’ type adventure race, the event has attracted a wide variety of entrants this year including a pro MMA fighter, a surfer, a rower, a mountaineer, a paracanoe athlete, and more.
This episode includes visuals, but is audio-first unlike previous episodes which have included full video – love it? Hate it? Neutral? Leave a comment or send a message with your thoughts.
1:20 Sebastian Szubski’s Round Britain Record Attempt
17:57 Berg River Marathon Recap
23:59 Junior & U23 European Sprint Championships Recap
In their own words: Freddie Heard / Ollie Mazur on their K4 5th place race
34:15 Korea APP SUP Race Recap
37:08 K4 Marathon Racing in Valladolid & Sanabria: Recap
In his own words: Joe Petersen, 3rd place in Valladolid
42:37 Yukon 1000 Preview
*Correction – Craig and Scott completed this race on SUP in 2023, not 2024
47:57 The Warm Down: Sebastian Brendel’s retirement, and Avon Descent (Australia) river levels
Useful links:
Sebastian’s tracker: https://eur-share.explore.garmin.com/sebakayak
Sebastian’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sebasz81/
Berg River Canoe Marathon: https://www.facebook.com/BergRiverCanoeMarathon
Yukon 1000 documentary film: https://www.yukon1000documentary.com/
Yukon 1000 race tracker: https://www.yukon1000.org/2025-race-tracker/
Sebastian Brendel / Isaquias Queiroz tribute post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLv0-xcNiQr/