The newest paddling race in the UK: who’s going to win the first Thames 200 Ultra?

This August Bank Holiday weekend marks the start of the first ever Thames 200 Ultra, the UK’s newest endurance paddling race. Paddling the full length of the Thames, from its navigable start in Lechlade to the last lock in Teddington before the tidal Thames, is having a bit of a moment. British TV naturalist Steve Backshall (aka husband of Olympic flag bearer Helen Glover) set a record in August 2023. Kayaker Billy Butler broke it this past April, dropping the record to 15 hours and 44 minutes. Two Brazilian Olympians set another record, and even the guy who unicycled around the world just paddled the Thames from Source to Sea. It’s 200 km of the best of the Thames, winding through trees and fields, through Oxford and Reading… it’s the UK’s most famous river for good reason.

The inaugural race is already shaping up to be a major event, from the mass start in scenic Lechlade to the festival planned for the finish line in Teddington. Any person-powered craft is welcome, from marathon kayaks to sit-and-switch canoes to stand up paddleboards and even prone boards. Because the race can be done either straight through or as a relay, each team is already busy working out the best tactics. For those worried about meeting time cutoffs on SUP or prone, an early start option is available at 10am on Saturday 24th August. The quicker boats will start at 2pm.

Having the relay option has been a big draw for amateurs and professionals alike. Each of the race’s six legs is no more than about 30 km downstream with the river’s flow, making the distance fairly doable for most paddlers as long as they team up with a few friends. Even elite paddlers felt like 200 km straight through was intimidating. That was the case for Ed Rutherford, who’s signed up to race the Thames 200 Ultra as a relay with the “Royal Retirees”. Ed has competed at twelve International Canoe Federation world cups and world championships, and won a bronze medal in the 5km in 2013. But the standard maximum distance for international canoe marathon racing is just 30km, so Ed doesn’t typically paddle much longer than that. For the T200, having the team relay option made it an easy choice: “I’m not capable of doing the 200k by myself, both in terms of time commitment and physical ability, so the fact that we can break it down and make it a team event is a big appeal. We can approach it as a team and have fun with it.” The “Royal Retirees” crew is one of the favourites to win the relay, but they’re facing some tough competition.

If you’re not tempted yet to sign up for the race this year, you can still follow along! Paddle Daily will be live streaming the race on YouTube. Or you can follow Paddle Daily on Instagram and Facebook for updates ahead of the race and more cool paddling news.