Congratulations to all paddlers on a great 2023 season! We saw solid representation this season from British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and the United States, and some very competitive results.
Full season standings and individual race results are posted at www.canadianpaddleleague.ca
Here are a few quick highlights:
Tightest race: Tim Oliver and Mike Darbyshire paddled to a photo finish in the 500m sprint, each coming in at 2:44 (maybe we’ll have to go to thousandths of a second for our 2024 timing?).
Geographic diversity: The Spring Classic ‘podium’ saw each of Ontario, B.C. and Alberta standing in the top three of the men’s race, which we love to see.
Great performances: We saw eight different individual event winners this year across the men and women fields.
Most wins: Tim Oliver bagged three victories on the year, as did Lisa Beaudoin and Wendy Tillett.
Coolest race: Dan Miller posting a Downwind Cup entry from the Gorge…cool.
Most impressive race: There were a few doozies in the Endurance Championship, but we’ll highlight Wendy Tillett’s 32 km grind around Lake of Two Mountains, getting her entry in just before the deadline. This was a tough one to fit in… life and all.
Best season-long battle: Both the men and women saw their national ranking races come right down to the wire. On the men’s side, it was Bruno Turcotte and Jeffrey Cowen; the females saw Lisa Beaudoin and Wendy Tillett battle right to Thanksgiving weekend.
National Rankings
Congratulations to Lisa Beaudoin for claiming the top spot among females in 2023. She won an impressive three races individually, and posted excellent results across all eight races.
In the men’s field, Bruno Turcotte’s impressive commitment to the race series earned him the 2023 overall title, which included a win in the always-tough Endurance Championship.
Scenes from 2023
