2025 Paddle Australia Canoe Marathon & SUP Championships
Ten competitors (7 canoe marathon, 3 SUPs) travelled to Perth to compete in the 2025 Canoe Marathon & SUP Championships, hosted by the Ascot Kayak Club on the beautiful Swan River. The four-day event was very well organised, and the facilities were excellent. The organisers made a massive effort to make the event a success, including the construction of portage ramps. The inclusion of the SUPs events, especially the sprint and technical courses, enhanced the experience for spectators. All the QLD team members performed admirably, enjoyed the experience, and are already looking forward to next year’s event in Canberra.
A big thank you to John Wilkie who transported our craft and showed us all how it’s done on the water!
CANOE MARATHON
The canoe marathon included four events: short course, long course, mixed doubles, and doubles. Distances varied according to class (ICF / General) and age group. The following won medals:
Short course
Hayden Simper (M U14 General) – 3rd
Leila Moody (W U16 ICF)– 2nd – congratulations for nailing her first portage!
Taylah Smith-Miller (W U16/U18 General) -2nd
Josh Parkinson (M Open ICF) – 1st place but no medal due to insufficient number of competitors – ripped off!)
Barry Hayden (M 60-64 ICF) – 3rd
Kim Ankenbauer (W 65-74 ICF) – 3rd
Long course
Hayden Simper (M U14 General) – 1st
Leila Moody (W U16 ICF)– 3rd
Taylah Miller-Smith (W U16 General) -3rd
Kim Ankenbauer (W 65-74 ICF) – 2nd
Doubles
Hayden Simper / Gregory Small (WA) (M U14 General) 1st
Special mention to Frank O’Rourke (and Sue but she was competing for Vic) for also working as an Official during the event. He and Sue competed in the mixed doubles, with Frank representing QLD and Sue representing Vic. Thank you for choosing to wear the maroon, Frank!
SUP REPORT
A small Queensland SUP team took part in the 2025 PA SUP Championships and, although outnumbered by WA paddlers, the team fought hard.
We’d like to thank our WA hosts for the incredible organisation of the National SUP Championships and creating such a great atmosphere and spirit. WA SUP is in a strong growth phase and the participation of WA paddlers, including many relatively new to the sport, was exciting to see. We also enjoyed meeting some of the legends of the sport, some of whom competed in both kayak events and SUP on the same day. We’re fortunate in the eastern states to have access to more events and generally have a larger competitive paddling group, although not all the ‘regulars’ at nationals could make the trip to Perth this time. We look forward to returning the hospitality and paddlers from WA are welcome in Queensland any time. Special mention is made of paddler Daojia Ng from Singapore who made the trip and brought his international experience.
There are three main disciplines in SUP racing, all of which require a lot of versatility. The 50+ age category is usually the most strongly contested.
Results
Juan Cruz
(60+ age category) 1st places: SUP Sprint (200m), SUP Marathon (11.5km) and SUP Technical race
Mens overall: 4th places in SUP Marathon, SUP Technical and SUP Sprint (by 0.01s!)
Graham Shield
(50+ age category) 3rd Place SUP Marathon, 8th place SUP Technical race.
Janet Buchan
(60+ age category) Ist places in SUP Sprint (200m), SUP Marathon (11.5km) and SUP Technical race.
Womens’ Overall placings: 2nd place in SUP Sprint (200m) and SUP Technical race. 3rd place in SUP Marathon.
To view a selection of images of the team in action click here