Tag: feature

News, Race Reports

Spring 2023 Recap

by Cdn Pdl LeagueLeave a Comment on Spring 2023 Recap

Wow, there were some tight finishes this spring! And we saw some serious speed. The Spring Classic and 500m sprint have closed, and we’ve moved into longer sprints and longer distance challenges as the season progresses. Keep up the good work and hard effort!

Monthly Prize Draw

Here’s the draw for the first round of races, picked randomly from everyone who submitted results in the month. We’ll also send out a little something for everyone that completes all 2023 events…

Infinity SUP swag: Chris Prince

Spring Classic Results

See full results

Ontario, B.C. and Alberta topped the podium in the men’s race, and Quebec also snuck into the top 10 – we love to see it. Tim Oliver and Mike Darbyshire finished 1 second apart, a rivalry we’ll surely see all season. Dan Miller took the third spot with a strong sub-6:00 pace.

In the female division, Alexia Morgans from B.C. topped the pack with a very strong 6:39 pace over the 4 km box. Lisa Beaudoin continues to get stronger taking the 2nd spot, and B.C. (Kimberly Kenyon) rounded out the podium. Great efforts across the board by the girls/ladies this spring – there is some serious speed out there, and we keep seeing improvement, which we love.

Other Final Results

The 500m sprint also finished with some very tight results. Tim and Mike paddled to a dead even finish, while Alexia topped the women’s podium again. Check out the final results:

500m Sprint

National Rankings 2023

It’s still early days, and a few paddlers have already logged downwind and distance challenges, but we see a few tight battles shaping up in the 2023 season ranking. Here is where we stand heading into July (results will change in real time as races get posted).

On the female side, Lisa Beaudoin is off to a flying start:

From the Water
News, Race Reports

September 2022 Final Recap

by Cdn Pdl LeagueLeave a Comment on September 2022 Final Recap

Helluva season paddlers! The schedule got very, very busy late in the season and many of you pushed through right to the end. Congratulations to everyone that posted times this year, and especially to those that completed all events!

Monthly Prize Draw

Here’s the draw for September, picked randomly from everyone who submitted results in the month. We’ll also send out a little something for everyone that completed all 2022 events…

Rally Beer Co. beers: Ariel Amaral
Infinity SUP swag: Megan Cynowa

Endurance Championship Results

See full results

Probably the toughest challenge of the year, with 4 x 15 km paddles spread out over three days. It was certainly a tough one to pull off both physically and logistically. So, here is the full top ten, with everyone deserving mad credit:

Check out the Race Reports section to see first-hand accounts of the action. Incredible efforts!

Other Final Results

Three other races wrapped up at the end of September. Check out the final results:

Paddle Battle final results
Downwind Cup final results
Sprint 2000m final results

National Champions 2022

All individual race results flow into the 2022 national rankings. Danielle Holdsworth topped the female national ranking this year, with a dedicated and strong performance! Here is your top five… love seeing Ontario, Quebec and Alberta all represented!

In the men’s group, congrats to Ryan Blake who’s consistent effort through the year earned him the national title. Two Quebec paddlers were close behind in a tight battle…

From the Water
News, Race Reports

August 2022 Recap

by Cdn Pdl LeagueLeave a Comment on August 2022 Recap

We’re on the home stretch now! Great effort in August. The Canada Cup wrapped up, but a handful of key races remain open, and we have some great battles for the overall 2022 title.

Monthly Prize Draw

Here’s the draw for August, picked randomly from everyone who submitted results in the month:

Rally Beer Co. beers: Bruno Turcotte
Infinity SUP swag: Jake Davidson

Canada Cup Results

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Dan Miller took the Canada Cup 10 km race with a strong 6:24 pace. Jake Davidson and Ryan Blake were close behind in a tight battle for 2nd and 3rd. And, the leaderboard was bulky just a minute or so behind this podium.

Danielle Holdsworth continued to dominate Season 2022 with a 1 hr 7 minute 10 km run. Megan Sheppard and Wendy Tillett continue to jostle for podium spots.

And the much-respected prone and OC1 results:

From the water

We love seeing the photos of your virtual racing… keep them coming! Half the fun of this league is sharing and seeing where everyone paddles. There are some really beautiful spots out there!

News, Race Reports

July 2022 Recap

by Cdn Pdl LeagueLeave a Comment on July 2022 Recap

Good job keeping at it in July. The 1000m sprint and Fastest Five were very different events that have become staples of the Canadian Paddle League season. We’re deep into the summer now with longer sprints and endurance work.

Monthly Prize Draw

Here’s the draw for June, picked from everyone who submitted results in the 1000m Sprint, Fastest Five, Downwind Cup and Endurance Challenge:

Rally Beer Co. beers: Robyn Bell
Infinity SUP swag: Ryan Cuthbert

1000m Results

See full results

The 1000m has got to be one of the premier virtual time trials, and this year saw strong results. Ryan Blake topped the pack breaking the 6:00 mark, with Dan Miller and Dmitri Tsvetkov close behind.

Danielle Holdsworth found the top spot again among the girls. Very strong times for the podium finishers.

Prone and OC1 results:

Fastest Five Results

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Alberta paddler continued to top the list in the Fastest Five, racing down the Bow River! Dan Mill cracked a 4:00/km pace to take the win…

Robyn Bell, whoa, just over 20:00 for 5 km – that is moving! Jana Miceli was not far behind, and Marie-Eve knocked out a super fast time in Quebec.

The prone and OC1 results:

From the water

We love seeing the photos of your virtual racing… keep them coming! Half the fun of this league is sharing and seeing where everyone paddles. There are some really beautiful spots out there!

News, Race Reports

June 2022 Recap

by Cdn Pdl LeagueLeave a Comment on June 2022 Recap

Great effort in June! That was a tough month, with both sprint and endurance races. The 2 hr distance challenge has gotta be the nastiest of the year! Congrats to everyone, and let’s keep it going with some more (fun?) variety in July.

Monthly Prize Draw

Here’s the draw for June, picked from everyone who submitted results in the 1000m Sprint, Fastest Five, Downwind Cup and Endurance Challenge:

Rally Beer Co. beers: Ian Hu
Infinity SUP swag: Michael Taber

Note: We’ll have an extra swag pack for those that complete every 2022 event.

Distance Challenge Results

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Dmitri Tsvetkov knocked out 17.73 km over 2 hrs to claim what we believe is his first Canadian Paddle League title (applause) in what is arguably the toughest event. Sylvain St-Cyr has proven to be an endurance monster and was right on his tail, while Ryan Cuthbert claimed third spot.

Danielle took another one here, with Wendy Tillett and Megan Sheppard rounding out the podium. Tremendous efforts.

Rob Kavcic almost cracked to 20 km mark in his OC1, and Ian Hu and Sharon Purdy continue to grind it out prone. Anyone that has spent 2+ hours paddling prone knows this is no joke!

From the water

We love seeing the photos of your virtual racing… keep them coming! Half the fun of this league is sharing and seeing where everyone paddles. There are some really beautiful spots out there!

News, Race Reports

May 2022 Recap

by Cdn Pdl LeagueLeave a Comment on May 2022 Recap

We had a great strong turnout to start the season, and great effort across the board. SUP, OC1 and prone are all represented, as well as Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and the United States. Let’s keep the momentum going through the season!

Monthly Prize Draw

Here’s the draw for May, picked from everyone who submitted results in the 500m Sprint and Spring Classic:

Rally Beer Co. beers: Ash Adams
Infinity SUP swag: Sharon Purdy

Note: We’re reserving some bigger prizes for the end of season, and an extra swag pack for those that complete every 2022 event!

500m Sprint Results

See full results

Dan Miller topped the men’s sprint race with a strong 2:53 showing. Ryan Blake and Brad Petrus round out the podium.

Danielle Holdsworth continues where she left off last season, atop the leaderboard for the women.

Rob Kavcic takes the OC1 sprint with a 2:44 time (line honours), and Ian Hu and Sharon Purdy logged great prone times.

Spring Classic 4k Results

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Tim Oliver smoked the Spring Classic with a sub-6:00 pace over 4 km. Dan Miller grabbed second spot, while Ash Adams’ 6:14 pace was good for third place.

The female leaderboard is a copy of the 500m race, led by Danielle Holdsworth. Megan Sheppard clocked in 1 second ahead of Wendy Tillett, a race we would love to have seen live!

Final shout-out to the OC1 and prone paddlers:

From the water

We love seeing the photos of your virtual racing… keep them coming! Half the fun of this league is sharing and seeing where everyone paddles. There are some really beautiful spots out there!

News

2021 Season Results

by Cdn Pdl League1 Comment on 2021 Season Results

The final 2021 standings are locked in! Kudos to everyone that participated in a great season of virtual racing and motivation. All final national rankings are up on the site and highlighted below. Also, a special shout-out to 24 of you that committed to and completed every event this year!

Final Prize Draw

Infinity Flash Paddle from Infinity SUP Canada: Megan Sheppard. Congrats!

Note: We’re also sending out some Cdn Pdl League toques to the top-3 national ranking finishers for male/female/SUP/OC1. And, we have a small trophy for all of you that completed every event this year.

True North Strong

Amazing commitment by everyone on this list. We know it’s not easy to hit every event on time, in good conditions, but 24 of you stuck with it for the entire season. Trophies will be sent out to you soon:

Men SUP Results

Dan Miller finished on top of the men’s ranking in 2021 with 942.6 points. A solid performance that came with three outright wins. Sylvain St-Cyr takes second spot, helped by an impressive win in the Endurance Championship. Ryan Blake was a few points behind for third place on season. Alberta, Quebec and Ontario representing on the podium–nice!

See full results

Female SUP Results

Danielle Holdsworth didn’t leave much to the imagination as the season closed out, dominating for the much of the year and leading the pack with 952.3 points. Wendy Tillett’s steady effort earner her second spot in the 2021 national ranking, with Megan Sheppard pushing for third.

See full results

OC1 Results

Rob Kavcic led the men’s OC1 charge, sticking with every event through the season. Marianne Tai edged out Carole Fullerton by just a few points in a tight battle in the female group. It looks like a strong Downwind Cup was the real deciding factor after some very close times between the two!

See full results

Season in Photos

News

September 2021 Recap

by Cdn Pdl League1 Comment on September 2021 Recap
Monthly Prize Draw

What a great finish to the season! You guys went hard to the finish, that’s for certain. Here’s the draw for September, picked from everyone who submitted results in the 2000m, Paddle Battle and Downwind Cup.

Skog a Kust Drysak: Danielle Holdsworth
Rally Beer Co. beers: Lamond Lee
Infinity SUP swag: Chris Buott

Note: An Infinity Flash Paddle by Black Project will be up for grabs in the final 2021 recap/draw (coming soon).

2000m Results

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Dan Miller took the men’s SUP race a 12:13 time, almost cracking the 6:00/km barrier. Ryan Blake continued to move up the leaderboard as the season progressed, taking the silver medal position in the 2000m. Brad Petrus rounds out the podium.

Danielle Holdsworth, doing her business, claimed another top spot in the long sprint with a strong 12:55 time. Kudos to Julia Barnes for putting Alberta on the podium again for the women, and Megan Shepard with a strong effort to take third.

Strong paces all around in the OC1 race, with Rob Kavcic and Marianne Tai taking top honours for the guys and girls.

Paddle Battle Results

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The five-buoy course brought out some nifty designs in the Paddle Battle. While we hoped to meet up in person for a legit BoP-style race in the surf, we never quite got the conditions we wanted on the right day (until two days after the race window closed, of course!). Maybe next season we’ll widen the window so we can really have a memorable event in the surf. In the meantime, Dan Miller topped the podium, continuing a strong September showing. Ian Connor and Brad Petrus round out the podium.

Danielle was at it again in this one, with an impressive pace over 6 km including turns. Tara Imerson found the podium again, while Alanna Gergor gets a shout-out for a strong performance in this one.

OC1s on a buoy course is…interesting. Marianne Tai knocked out a beauty in 34:58, with Carole Fullerton just 12 secs behind. Rob Kavcic topped the guys.

Downwind Cup Results

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The season-long Downwind Cup was a fun one to watch as result trickled in over the past five months. Great effort by everyone that pushed their limits and took their paddling out into the open water. These point-to-point open-water paddles are not easy, so kudos to everyone that took it on, regardless of time.

Ash Adams took the men’s SUP race (point ranking), edging out Rob Kavcic with a smokin’ 5:30 pace over 15 km on Lake Huron. And there’s Dan Miller again stalking the podium.

We knew Jessica Rando was out there, and she showed up with purpose in the Downwind Cup with a 6:17 pace over 12km. Ariel Amaral found the second spot with a fast one on Lake Simcoe, and Wendy Tillett found the podium again.

The OC1s rip in the bumps, and there were some fast times here. Rob K took the pace to 4:47 over 12 km, and Marianne Tai led the girls. Shout-out to Stella Gan who found the podium with a strong pace in the bumps.

Full 2021 national rankings here. Final recap is coming soon.

This year we tried something a bit different with the ‘special event’, adding running shoes and a bike to the mix. Congrats to everyone that pushed through this one. Ryan Blake and Dan Dakin had a very close battle, and it would have been great to see this in person. Alanna Gregor topped the women’s group.

From the water

News

August 2021 Recap

by Cdn Pdl LeagueLeave a Comment on August 2021 Recap
Monthly Prize Draw

Here’s the draw for August, picked from everyone who submitted results in the Canada Cup and Endurance Championship. Note that we pulled a few repeat winners, but we’re putting those names aside for now.

Skog a Kust Drysak: Marianne Tai
Rally Beer Co. beers: Michael Taber
Infinity SUP swag: Trevor Quinton

Note: An Infinity Flash Paddle by Black Project will be up for grabs for everyone that finishes all 2021 events.

Canada Cup Results

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Tim and Dan battled it out again in the 10 km Canada Cup, with Tim topping the leaderboard in 1:02:05. Sylvain St-Cyr found the podium with a very strong 1:05:02 time. This event hurt a bit being straight out and back for most paddlers.

Danielle Holdsworth continues to run away in the female season SUP ranking, taking the Canada Cup in a very strong 1:08:56. That’s a very fast sub-7:00 pace over 10 km. Kimberly Kenyon put B.C. on the podium, and Megan Cynowa took up the U.S. flag. Great showing by all girls in this one!

The OC1 race was tight at the top. Rob K brought it home in under an hour to lead the guys. Marianne Tai almost broke the 1 hr mark to finish atop the girls podium.

Endurance Championship Results

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This was a big one. When we set the endurance format for this season (12-hr all-you-can-paddle), we weren’t quite sure what the response would be. But the distance junkies went out with purpose. Sylvain St-Cyr knocked out 80 km to lead all SUP paddlers (which is probably about twice what we thought people would put down), surely one of the most noteworthy efforts of the season so far. Max Ackford and Ryan Blake each topped 70 km to round out the podium.

Danielle was at it again in this one, posting a 70 km total, while Tara Imerson and Megan Sheppard each broke 50 km. These are impressive efforts to say the least!

Catherine Smyth led the OC pack with nearly 100 km within 12 hrs! Marianne and Carole Fullerton took it past 50 km to round out the podium. It looks like the OC1 boys played it cool in this one (or maybe ran out of time?)

Keep an eye on the full 2021 national rankings here, with two events left to go.

From the water

News

July 2021 Recap

by Cdn Pdl LeagueLeave a Comment on July 2021 Recap

Final 2021 recap here.

Amazing effort all around in July. The sprints are getting faster, and the endurance tests are getting tougher!

Monthly Prize Draw

Here’s the draw for July, picked from everyone who submitted results in the Fastest Five and 1000m Sprint:

Skog a Kust Drysak: Julia Barnes
Rally Beer Co. beers: Dmitri Tsvetkov
Infinity SUP swag: Ryan Blake

Note: An Infinity Flash Paddle by Black Project will be up for grabs for everyone that finishes all 2021 events.

Fastest Five Results

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This was a new concept for Season 2021, and we’re not sure if we love it or hate it! It certainly brought in some variety, where paddlers were able to hunt down the fastest water they could find. Western Canada dominated, with plenty of fast-flowing river current. Andrew Cline topped the podium with a 3:31 average pace for 5 km!

Julia Barnes topped the female SUP podium. In fact, the Bow River was all over the podium with three girls from Alberta finishing on top.

The OC1 race was a bit more spread out. Dan Miller took to the Bow River again; Rob Kavcic found some some downwind conditions; and Carole Fullerton topped the girls’ leaderboard in the Pacific Ocean.

Sprint 1000m Results

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Just in time for the Olympic sprint event, our 1000m was competitive and probably full of pain for many of you. Tim Oliver and Danielle Holdsworth are your gold medalists for men and women, respectively.

Rob Kavcic took the OC1 sprint with a 5:18 time, and we’d love to have seen a live race with Dan Miller just 2 seconds behind!

Don’t forget the prone posse! Keep it coming guys…

From the water

We love seeing the photos of your virtual racing… keep them coming! Half the fun of this league is sharing and seeing where everyone paddles. Here are some shots from July!