Paddlecast

*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

NOTE: This was recorded in July 2024 before certain equipment upgrades and the audio quality isn’t great, thanks for bearing with us.
"The toughest canoe race in the world". That's how the Texas Water Safari bills itself. So if it’s the toughest race in a canoe, how much harder is it on a stand up paddleboard?
SUP ultra paddler John Knippers decided to find out for himself. And in doing so, he broke the record for the fastest SUP to complete the Texas Water Safari. His record from July 2024 still stands: 81 hours and 57 minutes. That’s just under 3.5 days with heat, mud, alligators, log jams, hardly any sleep, lost equipment, broken equipment, and too many near-death experiences to count.
The only story crazier than John’s TWS safari? The story of how he got into ultra paddling. It starts in March 2001, when John survived a shooting. While standing in his front yard, John was shot five times in the face and hands. Miraculously, he survived. And while the road to recovery was painful, he came through it with his eyesight and hands intact, and it gave him a new perspective on life. After he recovered from the shooting, John moved to Colorado, then Hawaii, and back to Oklahoma.
Through a winding road including a homemade salsa business. boat cleaning, a chance meeting at his local convenience store, and urologist, John found stand up paddleboard racing. His first race was a 10 miler, later Chattajack, MR340, a life changing trip with Scott Baste through the Boundary Waters, and he’s been hooked on the ultras ever since.
The Texas Water Safari record (2024) isn’t John’s only SUP ultra record. He also holds the record for being the first and fastest person to complete the Alabama 650 on a SUP. That’s 650 miles paddling the length of Alabama, in the southeastern US, and his record for that race is 8 days, 9 hours, 16 minutes. And he’s a frequent 48’er at Last Paddler Standing. John was the “assist” to Paolo Marconi’s win at the first ever edition of LPS in 2022, the backyard ultra where paddleboarders have to complete a 3.3 mile loop every hour on the hour until they can’t anymore. He’s raced every year since then, including in the most recent edition which was streamed on the Paddler Media (SUP Racer) YouTube channel.
John is one of those characters where as soon as you get to chatting, it feels like you’ve been transported to the woods, and you’re talking story over a campfire. It’s best to settle in for the journey.
Because this was recorded back in July 2024 (before the relaunch of Paddlecast and notable equipment upgrades), the audio quality isn’t great. But it’s well worth a listen to hear John’s stories in his own words.
To John – thanks again for making the time, and sorry it’s taken so long to publish this conversation.
Paddlecast has taken a little hiatus over the holidays (winter in Europe), but Billy and Betsy are already working on Season 2: 2026. Be sure to subscribe if you aren’t already subscribed, and keep an eye on your feed for new episodes coming soon.
#standuppaddle #supracer #texaswatersafari #ultrapaddling
00:00:10 Introduction & context
00:03:41 John’s paddling journey
00:40:00 The Texas Water Safari
01:26:33 Is TWS actually the hardest race?
01:30:53 Why should someone do TWS on a SUP?

It's time to look back on 2025 in paddling. Across disciplines, paddlers from around the world have stepped up to make huge gains on the water, hit new personal bests, shock the world by demolishing their competitors, and accomplish feats that seemed impossible.
On Season 1 of Paddlecast, Betsy and Billy have been blown away by what paddlers have achieved this year, often exceeding all expectations. To wrap up the year and first season of the podcast, they look back and consider the best candidates for the new Paddlecast Paddler of the Year awards across Surfski, Marathon, and Sprint. Plus the Paddle of the Year Award for the most outstanding single paddle of the year (a race, adventure, or record).
Categories:
Surfski Paddler of the Year
Marathon Paddler of the Year
Sprint Paddler of the Year
Paddle of the Year
Considerations: For “Paddler of the Year” for Surfski, Marathon, & Sprint racing –
PERFORMANCE: How did this paddler perform at key races in their respective discipline?
PROGRESS: Has this paddler made a notable step up in 2025 compared to previous years?
POTENTIAL: Does this paddler have untapped potential? Is this someone whose paddling career you can't wait to follow next season and beyond?
For “Paddle of the Year” – From any discipline or disciplines, this goes to the paddler or paddlers who completed the most outstanding single paddle of the year. A performance that seemed impossible until they did it. On this adventure, record, or race, the paddler or team pushed their own limits and the limits of paddlesports.
Competition: Two components will determine how the awards are decided –
Fan input. Paddling fans from around the world submitted nominations via social media with the paddlers they think should win the awards for 2025.
A Paddlecast debate. On this special episode of Paddlecast, co-hosts Billy and Betsy look at the nominations, results, and debate who should win the awards.
Nominations for Surfski Paddler of the Year: Kira Bester, Rosie Edwards, Cory Hill, Nick Notten, Brynde Kreft, Jon White, Nix Birkett
Nominations for Marathon Paddler of the Year: Will Short, Melina Andersson, Mads Pedersen, Jose Ramalho, Tania Fernandez / Tania Alvarez (“The Two Tanias”)
Nominations for Sprint Paddler of the Year: Hamish Lovemore, Josef Dostal, Martin Fuksa, Natalia Drobot, Victoria Yarchevska, Anna Pulawska, Zsoka Csikos, Hope Gordon
Nominations for Paddle of the Year: Sebastian Szubski’s Record-Breaking Circumnavigation of Britain, Danielle Richards’ Molokai Record, Mads Pedersen’s Early Breakaway & Win at Marathon World Championships in Gyor, Toby Brook’s Record on the Paddling Leg at Coast 2 Coast NZ, Tanja Ecker’s SUP Record at Loire 725 (*CORRECTION - Tanja’s record was completed in 2024, not 2025; her video account of the record was published in 2025)
00:00:22 Paddler of the Year Categories & “Rules”
00:02:44 Surfski Paddler of the Year
00:17:41 Marathon Paddler of the Year
00:34:00 Sprint Paddler of the Year
54:33 Paddle of the Year
1:05:24 What’s going to be the most exciting paddling in 2026?
01:10:30 The Warm Down: First Women to Complete the Wilson’s Challenge of 10 Millers Runs in a DayUseful Links:
Joakim Lindberg’s Reel: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRxfA34iEmQ/
*CORRECTION - Eivind Vold raced a 2:39 marathon, not Jon Amund Vold as stated in the episode. Check it out here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DR-Nr9PiOPQ/?img_index=1

For many paddlers in the northern hemisphere, it’s that time of the season to put your head down, hats and pogies on, and just focus on strength and mileage. But in warmer climes, the racing is heating up. Today, Paddlecast heads to Hong Kong, Australia, and Reunion to catch up on 20 Beaches, Mox the Dragon Run, and the ICF World Cup in Reunion.
Jon White joins Billy and Betsy to talk about his current surfski tour as well as answer a few questions about how he approaches races, goals, and kit as a para paddler. Jon is a triple amputee, but with a healthy dose of creativity and determination, he’s pushing the limits of what’s possible for para paddlesport. Jon has completed the 125 mile Devizes to Westminster twice, he’s raced at the top level in surfski and marathon internationally including winning gold medals at this year’s European and World Marathon Championships, and he’s eyeing up one of the highly coveted spots on Team GB for the LA 2028 Olympics in sprint.
After chatting with Jon about everything from how he took 10 minutes off his time at Mox the Dragon run to how he steers kayaks without feet, Billy and Betsy preview the fierce competition expected at the Shaw & Partners WA Race Week. It’s a chance to see some of the greatest rivalries in the sport this season, including Pat Dolan vs. Cory Hill, and Kira Bester vs. Danielle Richards vs. Jemma Smith. Since neither Pat nor Jemma raced at the World Championships in Durban a few weeks ago, the titles this week could go to anyone.
Finally, World #3 Rosie Edwards hops on to talk about the ICF World Cup in Reunion, which she says is now one of her new favourite places to paddle. Rosie won the SS2 race there with Matt Fenn, and finished 2nd in singles in the official World Cup event behind Kira Bester and ahead of Jade Wilson.After you listen, go check out the full preview of Race Week on paddledaily.com.
1:10 Interview with Multidisciplinary Paracanoe Champion Jon White
36:24 Race Week Preview
41:36 ICF World Cup in Reunion with Rosie Edwards
Useful Links:
https://paddledaily.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jonwhite50/
https://www.instagram.com/rosie_edwards04/
https://www.instagram.com/moxthedragonrun/
https://www.instagram.com/larunocean/
https://www.canoeicf.com/news/four-icf-canoe-ocean-racing-world-cups-approved-2026
https://oceanpaddler.com/ocean-events/wa-race-week/