Paddle Daily

04/06/2025

This weekend is stacked with two European paddling championships: Marathon Canoe Racing in Ponte de Lima Portugal, and Wildwater Canoe Racing in Mazzana Italy. The level of competition at the European marathon champs will rival that of the upcoming World Games later this year, and will feature some of the biggest names and rivalries in the sport. In Mazzana, the athletes are watching water levels closely since they started rising over the last couple of days to reach monstrous heights. Keep your eye on GB athlete Kerry Christie, who’s already agreed to talk to Paddlecast after her racing this weekend…

This weekend is stacked with two European paddling championships: Marathon Canoe Racing in Ponte de Lima Portugal, and Wildwater Canoe Racing in Mazzana Italy. The level of competition at the Europ…

02/06/2025

On the one year anniversary of Mike Lambert’s departure to circumnavigate Britain by surfski kayak, his documentary “Pilgrim of the Tides” has been released to watch for free on YouTube. The documentary, produced and directed by Fresh Heart Project, is beautiful and poignant. It shows the grandiosity of Mike’s adventure as much as the heart wrenching story of why he embarked on it. Read Mike's story, and watch "Pilgrim of the Tides":

On the one year anniversary of Mike Lambert’s departure to circumnavigate Britain by surfski kayak, Paddle Daily celebrates the launch of his documentary “Pilgrim of the Tides” by…

07/05/2025

The three crews on the podium at DW 2025 sat down with Billy and Betsy on Paddlecast to share the full, exclusive stories of their incredible races.

Each team spoke in depth on questions including:
- What was really happening in the boat that we didn't see on the live stream?
- How tight was the race, really? Could it have gone differently?
- The shocking story of Brynde Kreft's mid-race illness, and how she pushed through for a podium finish on her first ultra paddling race
- What goes into building a DW-winning partnership?
- Future race plans, DW and otherwise...

Thanks to Tom Sharpe / Anoushka Freeman, Brynde Kreft / Joe Petersen, Jon O'Grady / Billy Butler, and James Prowse for sharing the kinds of stories and insights that every paddler and paddling fan will be thinking about for a long time.

As soon as your ears are free, pop those headphones on (or put YouTube on the TV, or entertain yourself for a long car ride) and take a listen to what's already been described as "the best Paddlecast episode yet".

07/05/2025

The three crews on the podium at DW 2025 (senior doubles overnight) sat down with Billy and Betsy on Paddlecast to share the full, exclusive stories of their incredible races. This is a long one, but you're guaranteed to learn something new. Hearing what was going on behind the scenes makes the phenomenal results of these crews even more impressive.
Each crew goes in depth on questions including:
- What was really happening in the boat that we didn't see on the live stream?
- How tight was the race, really? Could it have gone differently?
- The shocking story of Brynde Kreft's mid-race illness, and how she pushed through for a podium finish on her first ultra paddling race
- What goes into building a DW-winning partnership?
- Future race plans, DW and otherwise...

Thanks to Tom Sharpe / Anoushka Freeman, Brynde Kreft / Joe Petersen, Jon O'Grady / Billy Butler, and James Prowse for sharing the kinds of stories and insights that every paddler and paddling fan will be thinking about for a long time.

As soon as your ears are free, pop those headphones on (or put YouTube on the TV, or entertain yourself for a long car ride) and take a listen to what's already been described as "the best Paddlecast episode yet".

To wrap up Paddlecast’s coverage of the 125 mile ultra paddling Devizes to Westminster race which was the most competitive year in recent memory, Billy and B...

29/04/2025

At the first checkpoint in Pewsey, the first eight crews were within only 5 minutes of each other. By the finish, the order would change repeatedly, and half the crews in the first eight would drop out of the race or drop off the pace, but the three crews that landed on the podium remained just 8 minutes apart.

This year's DW featured some of the most high-level elite paddlers and competitive racing in recent memory, but also suffered one of the highest attrition rates in recent memory. In the latest episode of Paddlecast, Betsy and Billy dissect what factors affected the results, how things could have played out differently, and what the future of the race may hold.

It was the most competitive DW in recent memory: international distance racers with Division 1 paddlers and DW winners in almost all the top boats. This was guaranteed to be tight, and no one could…

21/04/2025

What a race. More to come, but here's your official race results with photos by for Paddle Daily. Tom Sharpe is 3 for 3, Anoushka Freeman got her Westminster win and proved these two were the favourites for good reason. Brynde Kreft and Joe Peterson made it a 2/3 mixed gender crews podium and pushed Tom/Noushie to truly find their own limits in an unbelievably tight race. Billy Butler / Jon O'Grady exceeded even their own expectations and left us wondering if a few small tweaks could have placed them even higher. The race came down to tiniest details, and left each of the top crews completely spent. Even the winning crews dealt with classic DW challenges like unexpected swims and unpleasant stomach issues. The headwind and low flow this year following two exceptionally high flow years meant that many crews seemed to overestimate their speed and missed cut off times. Between the cut offs, injuries, and usual pain of the non-stop DW, more than 50% of crews who started didn't finish. 2024, when DW ran in some of the most dangerous conditions ever seen, had more finishers.
Stay tuned for more stories, and leave a comment with which stories and behind-the-scenes updates you most want to know.
Congratulations to every paddler who looked at this monumental race and put their paddle in the water in Devizes Saturday morning with 125 miles ahead of them. This may have been the most exciting DW ever.
And thanks again to without whom this ambitious coverage would not have been possible.

20/04/2025

Sunday morning from sunrise to Westminster. Catch the epic finish of this iconic 125 mile race!

20/04/2025

Halfway through Devizes to Westminster 2025, Anoushka Freeman and Tom Sharpe are in first place by eight minutes with the next three cews all within one minute of each other. This is the right racing we've been waiting for! How will it all play out on Sunday as they get closer to the finish in Westminster? It could all still change on the Thames. Tune into Live Stream #3 from around 6am to follow the race all the way to the finish. Photos by in Devizes

19/04/2025

All non-stop doubles teams started from Devizes before 6pm, and have now all gone through Newbury. Four of the top six boats started together in two pairs, and started by wash hanging on the pound: Billy Butler / Jon O’Grady and Dan Palmer / David Horkan, and Andy Birkett / Tom Simmons with Bob Poole / Steve Tebett. After a quick start from the Dutch crew of Jouke Witteven and Floor Zegers, it’s the favourites Tom Sharpe / Anoushka Freeman who are in the lead. As of Newbury, the top five crews are only 8 minutes apart 🤯
Dan Palmer / David Horkan have suffered a rudder issue and are about 20 minutes behind their starting pace. Lee Maddocks / Nick Perkins retired just before Aldermaston after Nick injured his knee affecting their portaging.
We’re not even halfway through and it’s still anyone’s game! Join us on Stream #2 the midnight shift to track the tight racing:

The overnight shift... Usually right about when the real drama kicks in. If crews are going to retire or have something go wrong, this is when it happens. Jo...

19/04/2025

The overnight shift... Usually right about when the real drama kicks in. If crews are going to retire or have something go wrong, this is when it happens. Join us around midnight BST.

19/04/2025

Another Easter, another DW live stream! Starting at 1pm with just a couple short breaks overnight, your dedicated Paddle Daily streaming crew will be LIVE from Devizes, Pewsey, Newbury, and more, all the way to Westminster on Sunday morning. This 125 mile race has been going since 1948, it's England's most ICONIC ultra paddling race. Tune in, tune out, tune in again, or stay with us the whole time -- you won't want to miss the action from what's shaping up to be one of the most competitive DWs in history.
Last year's DW winners, Tom Sharpe and Anoushka Freeman, have returned to see if they can make their single a double. Their 2024 rivals Billy Butler / Jon O'Grady are back too, as are Andrew Birkett / Tom Simmons. Butler / O'Grady are looking to improve on their 2024 result of 2nd place, and Birkett / Simmons are after redemption. Since they retired mid-race last year, Birkett / Simmons are back with a mission to finish (and win).
But newcomers Brynde Kreft / Joe Petersen won two head-to-head races against Sharpe / Freeman during the Waterside Series warm ups a few weeks ago, and even bested Simmons / Birkett on Waterside D. It may be Kreft's first DW, but looking at her training, international surfski results, and recent race results will quickly show you that she's a force to be reckoned with, especially teaming up with the Joe Petersen, a top level paddler himself. Dan Palmer / David Horkan are in the mix this year as well -- they may not have the same top speed as the other crews, but they're far and away the winners based on combined DW racing experience. And Dan has never not podiumed... So don't count them out. With an outside chance at the podium as well is Bob Poole / Stephen Tebbett, who've held their cards close by only racing at one Waterside Series race, but Poole is notoriously quick so this crew is worth watching out for. Listen to the Paddlecast episode "DW Preview" for the full rundown of each of these team's strengths and weaknesses, and more.
Who's your bet to win? Submit your predictions for the chance to win a Paddle Daily sticker for your boat: https://forms.gle/FT3rDuZ3GWrbHrPa6

18/04/2025

Starting 1pm Saturday, follow all the top crews racing through the night from Devizes to Westminster! 125 miles of intense, close racing, and hopefully not too much headwind. See you on the live stream.

Another Easter, another DW live stream! Starting at 1pm with just a couple short breaks overnight, your dedicated Paddle Daily streaming crew will be LIVE fr...