Endurance Paddleboarding: Digging Deep for Race 2 The Castle 2025

In April 2025, I took part in Race 2 The Castle alongside over 280 other paddlers. The endurance course covers 40km down the River Trent, from Nottingham to Newark Castle, winding through the scenic, lush countryside of the Trent Valley – a route that’s as beautiful as it is challenging.

This was my second time racing down the River Trent, but while the course was familiar, my journey felt entirely new. This year, I trained with real intention – not just to finish, but to feel stronger throughout. I structured my training around four paddles a week, focusing on a mix of interval work, endurance sessions, technique drills, and distance building.

I paddled on my Red Future Series 14'0" Elite raceboard – incredibly fast, stable, and perfectly suited to both the distance and the river environment. It handled tough conditions with ease and gave me the confidence to keep pushing, both on race day and during the months of training that led up to it.

There’s something about committing to a long-distance paddle that truly tests your limits – not just on the day, but in every early morning training session. It’s on those cold, windy days, when the conditions are unforgiving and motivation is low, that the real work happens. You push through the doubt, dig deep, and keep going – because that’s what it takes when it counts.

Training for something like this isn’t just about distance. It’s about mindset. Learning to stay calm, to stay fuelled and focused when your body starts to fatigue. You learn to keep going – knowing you’ve done it before, alone, without crowds cheering you on.

I crossed the finish line in just under 5 hours and 15 minutes, but Race 2 The Castle was more than just a race. It was a celebration and culmination of everything that happened before the start line.

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