Peak Paddle Performance Podcast

In this podcast I sit down with Matt Drayer who is part of a small team including Greg Barton, Jesse Lishchuk, and Geoff Pearson who are dedicated to promoting surfski development in the US via the Ocean Racing Committee (ORC) which is part of the competition arm of the American Canoe Association (ACA). Matt and the team have been hard at work over the past year building out a National points based ranking system that allows competitors around the country to submit race results from any surfski race and earn points. They are also launching a pilot program to establish an athlete classification system, that will allow paddlers to progress along a continuum based on race performance over the long term. Last, but not least, the ORC is very much involved working with the International Canoe Federation (ICF) on the Surfski World Championships that are now held annually. This year they will be in Madeira Portugal. In this podcast we cover Matt's background, as well as go into detail on all of the

In this podcast I check in with Brendan to review how the past 10 weeks of training have gone and what I need to focus on in the final four weeks leading up to the Gorge Downwind Champs. If you missed Podcast Episode 43, I would recommend checking it out, and don't forget you can download the training plan there. But if you're limited on time, you'll still learn a lot from this discussion where we cover: What a good threshold interval session looks like Trying to maximize speed/distance per stroke at a given cadence Experimenting with paddle length and stroke length Cadence ladders and simulating downwind Different options for V02 Max work Benefits of Creatine for paddlers Brendan's view on Beta Alanine and Beet Juice Protein requirements and maintaining strength as you age Why training with cadence is so much better than heart rate or speed for measuring level of effort

In this episode of the Peak Paddle Performance Podcast, I reconnect with Dr Brendan O'Neill creator of the Vaaka Cadence Sensor. In 2019 Brendan graciously put together a 14 week cadence based training plan to prepare an intermediate level paddler for racing the 14 mile Gorge Downwind Champs. COVID disrupted everything, and I never got around to publishing the plan as I originally intended. In 2021 I was planning to be back at the Gorge and so dusted off the plan, and loosely followed it. I had great results, so in 2022 I used it again, at around a 65% adherence. In 2022, at the age of 48 and after 15 years of paddling, I set several personal records. This made me a believer in the methods and approach that Brendan outlined, and I thought it would be a disservice not to share his detailed knowledge with the paddling community. This is the first of a few coaching sessions that I'll record with Brendan. You can click the link below to download the training plan and tweak it for your need

In this podcast I interview Giant Fish founder Scott Darling. Scott launched the initial Giant Fish collection of paddling shorts, pants, and tops in the summer of 2020. Right at the height of the Covid pandemic. Of course it wasn't planned that way, but despite all the obstacles, the product spoke for itself, and quickly became a go to piece of kit for paddlers in the Pacific Northwest. It has been growing steadily from there. As a long time dealer and huge fan of both Vaikobi and Mocke, I wasn't thrilled to have a new competitor enter the space. But after meeting Scott for the first time in 2021, and talking with paddlers using his gear, I was definitely intrigued. It took another year before I met Scott again, and this time decided to purchase some shorts and a top. I used the Giant Fish shorts, pants, and tops this past fall and have been very impressed. In the short term, there is probably a negative financial incentive for me to have Scott on the podcast and promote his products. B

We're back with our most frequent and popular podcast guest, the infamous Oscar Chalupsky. It's always informative and exciting to catch up with Oscar and this podcast is not exception. If you haven't read Oscar's book, order it now, it is an absolute must read. If you're like me, you won't put it down until it is finished. I've known Oscar for 10 years, but reading this book, I realized there is still a lot I don't know. Oscar has led an action packed life and this book is his best attempt to tell it all. In addition to discussing his book, we cover much more including: Paddling out through surf breaks - something many paddlers in the US don't get a chance to practice enough Incredible paddling conditions in Brazil The Nelo Paddle race in Malaysia Winning Molokai at 50 The Shaw and Partners Investment in Surfski in general and specifically the Western Australia Race Week The title of this podcast says it all about Oscar. They Said.... You can't paddle with low elbo

On October 8th the Great Lakes paddling community suffered on incomprehensible loss when Nick Walton succumbed to hypothermia in a downwind race on Lake Michigan. Nick was a professional canoe racer and over the past couple of years had discovered a love for surfski racing. You can read his full obituary here I was a participant in the race and have spoke with many of the racers since the incident occurred. This podcast is my best attempt to explain what I know from this very tragic day. There are lessons to be learned from what happened to Nick, and my sincere hope is that these lessons will save many lives in the years to come. My sincere condolences to Nick and his family. Below is the YouTube recording of this podcast. As we get into the podcast I use my Garmin track to show the race route and provide more context to the location where we were racing. https://youtu.be/6HXsndxDasg

This podcast was an experimental downwind jam session. The idea was to setup a Zoom call open to any and all paddlers to join and share their stories and experiences around downwind paddling. We got off to a rough start when the initial call was highjacked by hackers, but were able to regroup and have a great session. I was hopeful that we could share video over the Zoom call and narrate the paddling. That sort of worked, but I missed some key optimization settings in Zoom which resulted in the video recording being choppy, so I haven't yet posted the video to YouTube. We had a great group of participants from the US and Canada and they shared a wealth of experience that I feel will be helpful to those just getting into downwind paddling of any kind. https://youtu.be/YujDuTE-d7o

My guest on the podcast today is long time friend and paddler Rob Hartman. Rob is a husband and father of three girls. He works full time as a software developer, plays the Upright Bass as an accomplished jazz musician, and has long been one of the top masters paddlers in the US. In recent years Rob has competed primarily East of the Mississippi, where he is a top contender in any race he enters. His most recent racing efforts were focused on the Chattajack where he narrowly missed the overall Surfski win when Carter Johnson came off his draft to outsprint him at the finish. In our discussion we talk about Rob's first exposure to kayaking in an old school fiberglass surf kayak. Rob talks about his early days as a teenager fearlessly playing in the cold and crazy surf on Lake Michigan. This ultimately led to a couple of Sea Kayak races, which led to Rob joining the US Canoe and Kayak Team and training and racing with them for a couple of seasons. One of the things that has amazed me the most a

My guest on this podcast is Matt Murphy. Matt is a Naval Architect and Ocean Engineer by trade, who grew up in and on the waters of Northeastern Canada. After school, Matt made his way to Houston, Texas where he currently lives with his wife and four kids. Matt has a very diverse paddling background spanning both racing and multi-week adventures. In this podcast we cover much of Matt's paddling background and the paddling scene in Houston and across Texas, but most importantly we talk about the work Matt has done helping to build the American Canoe Association (ACA) surfski education curriculum. The ACA serves as the National Governing Body for paddlesports (Sprint, Slalom, Paracanoe) for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and as the U.S National Federation to the International Canoe Federation. They have recognized Surfski as a unique discipline and are excited to support it's growth both through competition and education. Matt has worked extensively over the past four yea

In this podcast episode I had a chance to connect with Rod and Barry of ThePaddleChannel. Rod and Barry have progressed from SUP to OC to SURFSKI and their YouTube channel documents, in full transparency, the trials and tribulations of their journey along the way. They are both super passionate about paddling and more so about downwind. Their videos bring a great perspective that should resonate with both new paddlers and those transitioning across paddling disciplines. Many of you may have heard of the Carolina Cup, which is one of the biggest paddle events in the US (possibly just behind the Gorge and Chattajack). This race is put on by the Wrightsville Paddle Club which is about a 45 minute drive North of where Rod and Barry paddle at Carolina Beach. Rod and Barry have an 8 mile downwind that they typically run starting at Fort Fisher and finishing at Carolina Beach or in the Carolina Beach Inlet. This run takes advantage of the the prevailing south/southwest winds that run throughout

In this podcast I'm joined by Reivers Dustin, who at 70 years old, is still every bit as passionate about downwind paddling as anyone I've met. Reivers is highly regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Bellingham surfski community. This story started out with my intent to explore the downwind paddling in Bellingham Bay. Anyone who has raced on the West Coast, knows that there is some serious talent developing in this hotspot and I was excited to learn about the paddling conditions that are making this possible. But in speaking with Reivers, I soon realized the story of Bellingham's success in creating a sustained paddling community, is much more than the downwind conditions. I'll leave the details for the Podcast/YouTube, but to summarize, I believe the five key elements in Bellingham are: An extremely welcoming community of paddlers who go out of their way to introduce newbies. This is supported by a simple but effective message board that greatly facilitates communication and open di

It has been a long hiatus, but the Peak Paddle Performance Podcast is back in action. We're going to try out a new format where we find paddlers enthusiastic about sharing their local downwind routes for the world to see. We'll record via a Zoom meeting with screen share where the guest can walk us through a map view of the paddling hot spots as we geek out on all the wind and wave nuance they've discovered. Additionally we want to collaborate with and cross reference the great work being done by Lizelle Kemp and her team at Downwindable.com. Check out this link for all the downwind routes in SA, many of which Oscar describes in this podcast. In this first episode, we start with the legendary Oscar Chalupsky as he walks us through the iconic Millers Run in Cape Town SA. Oscar gives us a great sense of the overall Cape Town paddling scene and what to expect out on the water. He then heads north to give an overview of his hometown Durban, SA where the water gets warmer, but the surf and swell get

In this podcast I sit down with one of the many dear friends I've met through Surfski Paddling. Greg Greene and I first crossed paths when we battled it out in my first surski race ever in Duluth, Minnesota. Although 20 years my senior Greg managed to take me at the line and despite that first encounter we've been great friends ever since. I wanted to bring Greg onto the podcast because he exemplifies what the surfski journey is all about. Starting the sport in his late 40s and in a town without a surfski community, he also represents a large portion of surfski paddlers in the US. While I want to say that Greg's story is that of the "average paddler" as you'll find out, he has had some incredible experiences that make him both the envy and an inspiration for us all. In this podcast we cover the following and much more: Attempting to paddle his first surfski, the SpeedsterMoving into a Huki and really taking off in the sportDoing the big races in the US including US Surfski Champs, The Gor

In this podcast, the tables are turned and I'm in the hot seat as Buzz Burrell (a long time endurance sports athlete and entrepreneur and new surfski addict) interviews me. We cover a wide range of topics from paddling the Great Lakes through the winter months, to trying to make a surfski business viable in a small market with a short season. Some of the highlights of our conversation include: Paddling conditions on the Great LakesRisks with winter paddling and how I try to mitigate themWhat I've gained from paddling a V8 for 6 months of the yearChallenges of running a surfski businessWhat keeps me going In the end, it was actually quite fun for me to be on the other side of the mic. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as Buzz and I enjoyed the conversation

Today's podcast guest may be best known as the younger brother of paddling legend Dawid Mocke, but Jasper Mocke is in every way a legend in his own right. Jasper is an incredibly talented athlete with several notable accomplishments including World Surfski Champion in 2014, World Champion in K2 Marathon 2014, and 3x Perth Doctor Downwind champion. You may also recognize Jasper as the star of many of the best surfski promotional videos Epic Kayaks has produced, whether it be breaking the Miller's Run downwind record or deftly maneuvering a V14 in big breaking surf conditions. In this podcast Jasper shares his wealth of knowledge and passion for the sport including, but not limited to the following: Jasper the prankster, stand up surfing on a surfskiGetting to watch Dawid as a junior and Oscar, Lee McGregor and the other legends as open ocean racing was just starting to evolveStarting out in the Guppie / K1 as a pre-teen before getting into a surfskiWatching the young kids now getting into surfski

In today's podcast I managed to catch up with Olympic athlete, coach, and co-founder of Paddle California, Michele Eray. I somehow coerced her into sitting still just long enough to record a great podcast session. The title of this episode and Michele's personal mantra says it all, "You regret more in life the things that you didn't do than the things you did". Michele takes her mantra quite serious and I'm certain you'll agree after listening to our conversation. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, below are just a couple of the highlights: Michele's early days of paddling in her home town of Plettenberg Bay, SA (see the video below to get a sense of how beautiful it is)Getting started in surf lifesaving and high school racingGoing to University to study bio-kinetics (Athletic Training / Physical Therapy)Racing the Berg River MarathonMaking the decision to give up her bio-kinetics practice and become a full time paddlerSeizing the opportunity to race for SA in the 2008 Beijing OlympicsFive years

In early December the guys @CarbonologySport shared some vintage footage of the 1983 Port Elizabeth to East London (PE2LE) 4 Day Stage Race. It generated a lot of intrigue on Facebook, and I thought it would be great to sit down with Oscar and have him walk us through what it was like to race surfskis on the open ocean almost 40 years ago. We spend a large portion of the discussion on the PE2LE. But in classic Oscar fashion we also cover a host of other entertaining and educational topics including but not limited to: Oscar's first couple of times racing the PE2EL as a teenagerSurfski designs and construction in the early 80sPaddle design, length, and feather in the early 80s Gauging effort before the days of GPS and HR MonitorsPaddling the open ocean with no leashes, PFDs, or sunscreenNutrition and hydration strategies before the days of gu, energy bars, and hydration bladdersWhat has evolved for the better and what has proven the test of time Here is a link to the book Waterlogged by Tim Noake

Today’s podcast guest is good friend and fellow Great Lakes paddler Erik Borgnes. Many of you may recognize Erik as the guy who has dominated the Chattajack 32 race for the past several years. He has also contributed several great blog posts to the surfski universe including boat reviews, technique analysis, experiments in dieting, and a treasure trove of information on ERG training, which is our focus topic in this podcast discussion. It is always a great pleasure chatting with Erik and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that without Erik this entire podcast would not exist. Erik penned the first article I stumbled across back in 2005 that inspired me to figure out for myself just what surfski paddling was all about. Below are some of the key tops we covered in this podcast and further down are several links to different material Erik has published on the internet: The various ERG trainers he has used over the yearsThe modifications that he's done to his ERG to make it most closely resemble his s

In this podcast episode we chat all things safety in extreme conditions with Rob Mousley.   Rob founded surfski.info based out of Cape Town SA, which is well known as  the de-facto global website for surfski information.   It is probably best known for the forums which provide an excellent global dialogue on all things surfski related.   In addition to the forums there are boat reviews, race reports, and most relevant to our discussion today,  many excellent articles on safety. For the last decade, Rob has been very involved in the pursuit of safety in extreme conditions.   He has worked extensively with Cape Town's water rescue services known as the NSRI, covered several surfski rescues, and has studied and tested in real world conditions  a vast majority of the safety equipment on the market. In this discussion we discuss in depth the wealth of knowledge Rob has accumulated over the years.   I'm really excited to be able to offer this podcast not just beginners, but also to the experienced paddlers wh

In today's podcast we connect with Jen Lee to hear the story of how she crossed the Molokai Channel in a SUP, OC1, and Surfski all in one season.   If that isn't impressive enough, she only started surfski paddling two years prior and conquered the channel on a properly big day. Jen is an accomplished water woman, but the message she's passionate about  delivering is that anyone can achieve this with the right attitude, dedication to training, and the right boat (hint - Jen did the Molokai in a V8).  We cover a lot of ground in this podcast including the following: Jen's background in athletics, starting as a downhill ski racer in Lake TahoeMoving to Hawaii to become a surf instructorThe cross over from downhill ski racing to SUP paddlingCompeting at an elite level in SUP racingJen's first introduction to surfski paddlingHow it feels to cross the channel in a SUP versus an OC1 versus a surfskiHow the different craft handle different conditionsWhat is common and what is different in paddling SUP, OC1, an