Records will be set and broken this weekend at the Thames 200 Ultra

At the source of the Thames River tomorrow in Lechlade, over 100 paddlers will embark on the inaugural Thames 200 Ultra: a race that covers the entire length of the navigable, non-tidal Thames. James Fletcher is determined to set the first record for prone paddling the length of the Thames. Although James will be paddling, he won’t have a paddle – prone paddling involves using only your hands. Think like when surfers paddle out to catch a wave, laying flat on the board in a “prone” position. To switch things up, James often paddles from his knees – but still using only his hands.

Paddling 200 km straight with only your hands might sound impossible, but if anyone can pull it off, James Fletcher is the person to do it. Since he started paddling prone through surf lifesaving, James has raced all over Scotland and the UK in ultra paddling events and even set a record for the fastest prone paddle of Loch Ness. At the SUP Twelve race this year, Fletcher and the other competitors had half a day to complete as many 3.5 km laps on the sea off Torquay as they possibly could. In twelve hours, James Fletcher paddled 80.5 km on his prone board: more distance than 20+ SUP racers – an impressive feat for a guy without a paddle! He turns up to so many major SUP and multicraft races as the only prone paddler that he’s earned the moniker of “that prone guy” from race commentator Sarah “Supjunkie” Thornely.

Although James is an experienced ultra paddling racer, the Thames 200 Ultra will be his biggest challenge by far. He’s still not sure how his body will handle it, and if he can finish in less than 30 hours which is his goal. A time under 30 hours would be an entire day faster than the current record for SUP – it sounds ambitious, but Fletcher thinks it’s doable. That SUP record will almost certainly fall this weekend too since there’s several top SUP racers signed up as well.

For James, the fact that there’s no blueprint for doing the length of the Thames prone is a bit scary, but it’s part of the appeal for him. He’s looking forward to it: “It’s gonna be pretty brutal, but gonna be good fun I think.”

Read more about James Fletcher and his plans to set a record this weekend on SUP Racer. To follow along as James attempts to set a world record, and track the top contenders racing for the relay and straight-through crowns at the first ever Thames 200 Ultra, join us on the SUP Racer x Paddle Daily Livestream. You can also follow SUP Racer and Paddle Daily on Instagram and Facebook for mid-race updates and more cool paddling news.

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