Paddlecast

The world’s biggest marathon race is in Estonia, and it’s only been around for 20 years.
The Võhandu Marathon starts on Lake Tamula in the city of Võru, and follows the Võhandu River for 100 kilometres to the Võõpsu boat harbor in Põlvamaa. 1,341 boats started the race in 2025, the largest participation yet. The types of paddlers tackling the Võhandu run the gamut from those who’ve never held a paddle before to elite international marathon medallists. The event welcomes inflatable rafts, SUPs, canoes, kayaks… Any human-powered craft that can handle both the lake and the rapids.
At the invitation of Team Tetsmann-Baum, Paddlecast co-host Billy Butler flew out to Estonia to race his first Võhandu just two weeks after winning DW. Billy and partner Tom Dawson finished 4th place overall, behind the Czech crews of Petr Mojzisek / Jakub Zavrel and Lukas Horak / Oldrich Dasek and South African Tom Lovemore (K1). The fastest mixed crew was Gautier Rotman / Sabine Rotman from France, while Team Tetsmann-Baum won the women’s race despite an early stroke of bad luck.
Linda Tetsmann and Anette Baum teamed up a few years ago after a conversation in the sauna made them realise they both had the same ambition to race the Yukon. In 2023, they won the Yukon 1000 outright, becoming the first women’s crew to do so. Their race was documented as part of Craig Sawyer’s film about the 2023 Yukon 1000, “Push Past Impossible”. That’s just one of many wins and top results they’ve racked up since 2019 across many (most?) of the world’s biggest marathon and ultra marathon paddling races. They’ve raced the Český Krumlov River Marathon, the Yukon River Quest, the Devizes to Westminster, Dordogne Intégrale, Descenso Internacional del Sella, Ardèche Marathon, Loire 725, and more. This year, their main goal is to win the Alabama 650.
With their title sponsor, HUUM Sauna, by their side – Linda and Anette are pioneering a new way to race.
00:23 Introduction to the Vohandu Marathon, Billy’s race, and race results
14:39 Interview with Linda Tetsmann & Anette Baum

Learn more about Team Tetsmann-Baum: https://www.tetsmannbaumteam.ee/
Watch “Push Past Impossible”, the documentary about the Yukon 1000: https://www.yukon1000.org/yukon-1000-documentary/
Learn more about the Alabama 650, one of the longest paddling races in the world: https://www.alabamascenicrivertrail.com/great-alabama-650/race/
And look for “Team Tetsmann Baum” on social media to follow all of Linda and Anette’s upcoming adventures.

#ultrapaddling #teamtetsmannbaum #huumsauna #estonia #vohandumaraton #kayaking #adventureracing

"The canoeist's Everest." "The hardest thing I've ever done." "I can do anything now". There's a million ways to describe the feeling of walking up the steps at Westminster Bridge having completed 125 miles of paddling. But every paddler who's done it knows the same feeling. On Easter Sunday, more than 80 intrepid paddlers experienced the feeling of finishing the 125 mile, non-stop Devizes to Westminster canoe race.
Billy Butler and Jon O'Grady took the overall win in their third attempt together as a crew: they finished 2nd in 2024 and 3rd in 2025, so this win has been a long time coming. "It's about time we pulled something out the bag," said Jon. "I think it proves to people that if you work hard at it, you can get it," said Billy. The win was hard-fought against the second place crew of Alex Lane / Magnus Gregory, who led the race from Pewsey to Marlow after gaining 5 minutes on Billy / Jon during the portage-heavy stretch of canal. It was Magnus' first DW attempt and first finish. Asked how he felt at Westminster, he emphatically replied: "Awful!" Alex and Magnus are one of several top mixed crews to finish Top 3 in the last few years, and rumour has it that Alex is already considering another run at DW in 2027 -- or at least she'll think about it after she completes the running ultra race she has planned later this year.
George Durden / James Walkinton of Elmbridge Canoe Club and Chelmsford Canoe Club finished in 3rd place following a stunning performance on the Tideway that was quick enough to overtake 4th place, Luke Escott / James Webster of Bradford on Avon Canoe Club. George and James started the race relatively slow, just focused on getting to the finish in their first non-stop DW attempt. But when they got to Teddington, they found enough energy in reserve that they paddled an exceptional time of 1 hour 50 minutes from Teddington to Westminster.
All three crews join this double episode (triple?) of Paddlecast to talk about what was going on behind the scenes: Alex was recovering from a torn hamstring, Magnus used his 221 sprint blades to race, Jon thought briefly at Elmbridge that his shoulder might stop them from finishing the race, and George / James almost decided not to enter because the lean in their boat was so bad.
0:00:24 DW Race Recap & Results vs Predictions
0:22:26 - Billy Butler / Jon O’Grady Interview (1st Place)
0:56:06 - Alex Lane / Magnus Gregory Interview (2nd Place, 1st Mixed)
1:37:24 - George Durden / James Walkinton Interview (3rd Place)
Devizes to Westminster 2026: Notable Results
1st: Billy Butler / Jon O’Grady, 16:46:17 *1st Veteran
2nd: Alex Lane / Magnus Gregory, 17:08:41 *1st Mixed
3rd: George Durden / James Walkinton, 17:28:38
4th: Luke Escott / James Webster, 17:44:14
5th: Tom Dawson / Aritz Martiartu, 18:41:56
6th: Jouke Witteveen / Floor Zegers, 18:55:45 *Dutch Record
7th: Mike Thornton / Shirine Voller, 19:08:20 *1st Canoe *2nd Mixed
8th: Laurence Plant / Cath Drummond, 19:50:38 *3rd Mixed
Alex Bowyer / Elle Bowyer, 21:33:09 *Mixed Services Record
Anja Whelan / Rebecca Bird, 22:15:00 *1st Women’s/Ladies

125 miles (200 km) from a small town in the countryside to the centre of one of the biggest cities in the world. DW 2026 is finally here!
The competition will be fierce, with returners and newly formed crews fighting hard for the win. In the race for the overall win, a Top 5 crews have become clear in recent weeks, with an outside chance for a 6th crew.
Billy Butler / Jon O'Grady finished 2nd in 2024, and 3rd in 2025, and they're betting on third time lucky to finally take their first win together this year (Billy has a previous win with Jim King from 2017).
Their biggest rivals will be Alex Lane / Magnus Gregory, both former international marathon paddlers who've shown that they're the crew to beat based on their results at this year's Newbury Canoe Club Waterside Series. Alex was the second woman to win DW outright when she finished first with Dan Seaford in 2019, and she also holds the overall women's race record since 2017 with Kat Burbeck (Wilson).
George Durden and James Walkinton finished 1st and 2nd in K1 at the 2025 DW Stages race last year, and decided to hop into the same boat this year to make their bid at a podium finish. It will be the first non-stop DW for both of them, but they've consistently finished as one of the quickest crews on the Waterside Series, and have a great shot at the podium and maybe even the overall win.
Luke Escott / James Webster have shown top results at the Watersides and are looking to get their first Westminster finish, and the Dutch crew of Jouke Witteveen and Floor Zegers are back for their third year in a row to see if they can capture the International win again. Jouke is already in the 1,000 mile club at DW, but wants to make it 1,000 miles specifically winning the international trophy.
There's an outside chance for Tom Dawson with partner Aritz from Spain, who haven't raced together in the UK this year, but could be surprise top contenders if everything goes there way.
The women's race has been heating up over the Waterside Series with a rivalry developing between Shuna Neave / Sarah Vernau and Anja Whelan / Rebecca Bird. Shuna and Sarah have been clearly leading the Waterside races and Shuna has plenty of DW experience, but Anja and Rebecca jumped in speed at Waterside C to finish only 2 minutes behind Shuna and Sarah, so it could be very tight.
The mixed race this year seems to be filled with couples, making it the "love boat" race. Alex and Magnus are far and ahead the favourites to win, but the race for 2nd and 3rd is shaping up to be very close. Overall winner for the last two years, Anoushka Freeman has opted for a different type of race this year teaming up with her partner, Rob Perry who has taken up paddling just to race DW. They've been training hard for months, and recently won the mixed crew Waterside Series crown.Right behind them have been Simon Tilbury-Clarke / Jessica Long and Alex Bowyer / Elle Bowyer, who were separated by just seconds at Waterside C. Both are strong, experienced DW crews who should have a good battle to the finish. It's too tight to call between these crews!
How to watch Devizes to Westminster (DW) 2026: Paddler Media's live stream will be live at the start in Devizes on Saturday afternoon, and live again on Sunday morning following the crews until they finish at Westminster. Watch on YouTube by going to the "Live" section of the Paddler Media channel. The tide window at Teddington this year is 5 am - 7:30 am, with high tide at 5:30.

00:24 - About the Devizes to Westminster & this year’s conditions
9:29 - Predictions for the Top 5 Crews: Alex Lane / Magnus Gregory, Billy Butler / Jon O’Grady, George Durden / James Walkinton, Luke Escott / James Webster, Jouke Witteveen / Floor Zegers, and with an outside chance: Tom Dawson / Aritz Martiartu
42:10 - Women’s Race Preview
46:44 - Mixed Race (“The Love Boat Race”) Preview
#devizestowestminster #devizestowestminster2026 #marathoncanoe

*Note - there are a few moments of small audio issues in this episode due to technical/internet issues while recording, but it should still be listenable. Please bear with us and thanks for your patience.
It's the most famous canoe race in Africa, and one of the most famous races in the world -- so much so that there's a whole film about it, "Beyond the River."The Dusi River Canoe Marathon is legendary for dangerous rapids, brutally long portages, hot temperatures, and top paddling talent. In 2026, the Dusi is celebrating its 75th edition.
Christie Mackenzie and Saskia Hockly have teamed up to go for the win in the women's race, and joined us on Paddlecast to talk through the race itself, their preparation and training approach, and who the top crews will be in 2026. Christie has raced the Dusi 10 times, and won 4 gold medals in K1 with another 3 silver medals in K2 (and 1 silver in K1). She's hoping that racing with Saskia will be the key to finally winning in K2. Saskia currently holds the surfski doubles (SS2) World Championship title with Matt Fenn from last October's racing in Durban, and she won a K2 silver medal with Christie at the Marathon Canoe World Championships in 2024. Their plan to win? Christie brings the Dusi experience, driving all the right lines through the rapids, and Saskia brings the flat water speed and endurance. Their biggest competition will be Abby Solms / Robyn Groenink. Abby is one of the most decorated women in Dusi history with three K2 wins and one K1 win. She has gotten the better of Christie before, but Christie is determined to take the win this year.In the men's race, Andy Birkett and Matt Fenn are back after their 2024 win together to try and repeat for another win. If they succeed, Andy Birkett will break the record for the most Dusi wins ever held by one person: 16. Two crews will also be challenging for the win though. The experienced crew of Sbonelo Khwela and Msawenkosi Mtolo finished 2nd to Andy / Matt in 2024, and this could be the year they take the top spot. Sandile Mtolo and Bongani Ntinga are also top competitors: they're a younger crew who showed their strength at the recent Bishopstowe to Dusi Bridge, a Dusi pre-race, where they particularly shined in their running speed.
Starting in Pietermaritzburg and finishing in the Blue Lagoon in Durban, the Dusi covers 120 kilometres over 3 days. Each day brings different obstacles and challenges, from 2 - 4 kilometre portages where paddlers must run with the boat on their shoulders, to rapids where a small mistake can easily wrap a boat, to long stretches of flat water where fatigue and pain become impossible to ignore.
00:11 Episode preview & introductions
04:57 Race walkthrough, day 1 to day 3
22:51 Christie / Saskia’s partnership and “secret sauce”
26:56 - How do you train & prepare for the Dusi?
30:57 - Race preview, top contenders to win the women’s race
36:42 - Race preview, top contenders to win the men’s race
Follow the Dusi via the race’s website and social media:
Dusi Race Website: https://dusi.co.za/
Dusi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dusicanoemarathon/
Dusi Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DusiCanoeMarathon
Dusi YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDusiCanoe
And follow Christie and Saskia here:
https://www.instagram.com/cjmac_kenzie/
https://www.instagram.com/saskia._hockly/
#dusirivercanoemarathon #southafrica #marathoncanoe

2024 brought some of the highest highs and lowest lows for Britain’s international sprint kayak racing programme. The high: it was Team GB’s most successful Paralympics ever with a record 8 medals. The low: for the first time ever, not a single GB athlete qualified to race canoe sprint at the Paris Olympics.
So in January 2025, Paddle UK brought on Ekaitz Saies. Ekaitz raced internationally for Spain for 15 years, won world titles in 2009 and 2011, earned a PhD in Sport Psychology, and coached Spanish Olympic athletes to unprecedented success before moving to the UK. In August, he officially stepped into his new role as Paddle UK Performance Director for Paracanoe and Canoe Sprint. In other words: he’s the person in charge of making sure GB is well represented in Los Angeles in 2028.
There’s a lot of pressure on Ekaitz to turn things around for non-para sprint in the UK, but with his background in sport psychology and culture-first approach to performance, he seems well-equipped to rise to the challenge. When he first started at Paddle UK, the cultural differences (paddling culture – going from paella to beans on toast is a whole other thing) were the first thing that stood out.
“One of the first things was to try and create a better connection between the world class programme and the community… I didn’t feel there was a healthy environment to really strive for excellence.” Ekaitz delves into differences in everything from how the calendar is managed (how many people are involved, having different committees for different disciplines), to the typical length of races, how many people are usually in a training group, professionalisation of coaching, and why the best paddlers in the world change their technique when the go from sprint to marathon and vice versa.
What can fans expect from Team GB in 2026? Keep your eyes on that women’s K4, because Ekaitz thinks they have that magical chemistry and more potential than GB has ever had on the women’s side. But 2026 will also bring new challenges, and not just for Team GB. The Olympic qualification system for LA is changing to be based on the ICF’s World Rankings. It means that World Cups have suddenly just become much more important, and there’s a third World Cup this year in Canada. The team is moving to a periodised approach with multiple peaks, and will feel more pressure to perform earlier in the season. For some less well-funded teams or teams with longer flights needed to travel to Europe/Canada, the higher costs might also mean bringing a smaller squad of only the top athletes. The level of competition at the World Cups will be higher, but participation rates may be lower.
To hear more from Ekaitz, you can follow him on Instagram at @ekaitzsaies, and order his new book The Champions Mindset from foxperformance.co.uk. Check out The Paddle Games at https://www.instagram.com/paddle_games.
#olympics #canoesprint #teamgb #performancepaddling 

https://foxperformance.co.uk/product/the-champions-mindset-book
00:23 Introduction of Ekaitz
02:01 What is the Performance Director role?
03:40 Paddling culture differences moving from Spain to the UK
24:57 GB potential, success & achieving stretch goals in 2025
29:27 2026 goals & new challenges with the Olympic qualification system
36:08 100% Physical, 100% Mental: The role of sport psychology in winning
45:20 The Champions Mindset
49:09 The Paddle Games
56:08 Billy & Betsy debrief on the conversation with Ekaitz