Word and photos:
Patrick Cruywagen
Patrick completes his first-ever SUP event on the fast-flowing River Trent.
Patrick Cruywagen
The Trent 100 – descending the Trent
SUP is the fastest growing water sport in the world right now. In the middle of the lockdown, I purchased my board, a Red Paddle Company Voyager 13’2” tourer, to provide me with some escapism. It was also meant to give my feet (and knees) a break as I have run over 50 marathons in the past 25 years.
Now, not a week goes by without me getting on the water at least once or twice. The water soothes my soul and puts me in a good headspace. I got that with running but pounding the pavements is not the same as gliding through the water (thanks to the new V-hull technology on my super-duper Red board).
I cannot do things by half measure; I like to take life by the scruff of the neck and give it horns. I would rather have my river or mountain adventures than sit on the couch and watch Bear Grylls or Ed Stafford having fun in some exotic wilderness.
So I decided to enter the Trent 100, the UK’s longest team SUP challenge. You need a minimum of three team members to take part, and my team was called Defender. I edit a Land Rover magazine when not paddling, and I drive a Defender, hence the team’s name. We had four members, and between us, we only had about six months of paddleboarding experience. None of us had ever done a SUP paddle race or challenge event before. What we lacked in experience we certainly made up for in spirit. I want to add at this stage that two of our team members were ladies.
Before I talk about the event, let me start by saying the Trent 100 is not the type of event where all you need is a half-decent board, an old army tent and a sleeping bag. When you are going to be spending 15 hours plus on the River (and three nights camping), you need to be safe and comfortable.
Safety equipment
There is a compulsory safety equipment list that you have to adhere to. Unfortunately, the personal flotation device (PFD) I nicked off an Ethiopian Airlines flight a few years ago did not meet the organiser’s safety regulations, so I purchased a Palm Equipment Peyto PFD and one of their Bolt Ocean 20m throwlines. I went for a Peyto because I could fit a water bladder in the back, so I did not have to stop paddling while drinking. Other safety gear that we had to carry with us included a river knife, phone case and the all-important tracker.
The Trent 100 is a two-day paddle; day 1 is 57km, while the final day, which finishes in Nottingham, is only 43km. Don’t be fooled by the shorter day as the River widens and has less flow as you come into Nottingham. Breakfast was served from 05.00 on race day, and at 06.30, we had to leave the Trent Adventures campsite near Barrow Upon Trent and take a bus to the start, which was an hour away. Boards and pumps were transported to the start in a van for us.
There was a 20-hour cut-off to complete the 100kms, which made me very nervous as we stood on the start line. Luckily, I had no idea just how flowy the River Trent can be. It was very different to the two local rivers where I had trained for the Trent 100, the River Nene and the River Great Ouse. During the first hour of paddling, we had already completed 8km, and for the first time, I was confident we would finish even though we had over 90km to go! So if deciding to do this incredible event in the future, don’t stress if all your training is done on static or low flow rivers. The River Trent pumps like no other river I have paddled on in the UK.
Headwinds and heavy rains
The weather was not the best for our first day, and we had slight headwinds and heavy rains for a large part of the day. Luckily the Trent 100 has the most enthusiastic marshals and volunteers in the world. We would hear them whooping and singing when still minutes away from the various checkpoints. Our team took lunch at the 26km portage, where we all huddled under a tree to get respite from the rain and wind before pushing on.
My favourite part of the first day were the rapids and fast narrow bits, get your steering wrong, and you end up in the trees. It was so much fun, and everyone took a swim at some stage, although in teammate Harry Shipton’s defence, I did push him in on one occasion. You have to keep in mind that it is the UK and it might rain and be slightly uncomfortable. How you deal with that is up to you. We put on some tunes (Harry was carrying a waterproof speaker) and had a bit of a sing and dance on the River. It certainly helped the miles tick by.
A significant milestone for us was checkpoint four (42km) in Burton Upon Trent; not only was it a pretty setting, but we were also able to take on extra food and cans of Red Bull for the final push. It had taken us just under nine hours to arrive back at the campsite. I was proud of our team of novices as this was less than 30 minutes behind the leaders.
Get a good night’s rest
One bit of advice to those thinking about doing the Trent 100 would be to make sure that you get a good night’s rest during and before the paddle. I have a rooftop tent on my Land Rover, and it has a pretty decent mattress. It even had my favourite duvet and pillows in for the Trent 100. So it was like sleeping at home. Sleep certainly helps with recovery after a tough day on the water, but I am not sure that the bottle of rum did us any favours. The catering at the event is top-notch, but we could still cook our breakfasts and even made a fire in our portable fire pit. It is fair to say that Team Defender were pretty comfortable! Then we also took advantage of the massages that were on offer as this too aided recovery.
Second day
Day two was much better in terms of weather, we had the wind from behind, and the raised levels of the River meant it was much more flowy than usual on this stretch of the River Trent. We had to average just under 6km/h to finish the first day before the cut-off, while on the second day, you only needed to average 3.9km/h. This is because there is not as much flow normally on the run-in to Nottingham from the campsite. Initially, we made very good time, and we were just as quick as on the first day, but after the Beeston Weir, the River opened up, and the fast flow was no more.
This meant it was a real old slog into Nottingham; luckily, Harry put on some banging tunes to help our tired arms cope. We went past the Notts Forest football ground and to the finish line where the organisers and helpers awaited us. It had taken us 6 hours and15 minutes to cover the 43km. Time is not as important as the achievement itself; I like to think. All four members of team Defender had crossed the finish line together and without any dramas. Well, one or two did take a swim along the way, but there were no broken bones to report.
Some were not so lucky, and four teams did not make the cut-off on day one, but they were allowed to continue on day two. One participant fractured his toe when coming off his board during some rapids, and another had to be rescued with a throwline which is why we carry safety equipment. The after-party back at the campsite was without a doubt worth the entry fee. It was one of those nights that puts a naughty smile on your face when you think back to it. If you are looking for a fun stand up paddle event that will cement friendships and physically challenge you, then this is without a doubt the one to do. If a novice like me can do it and have an absolute blast along the way, then so can you.
Gear
Thanks to Musto Clothing for the Flexlite Vapour Shorts (£130) and the Sunblock Rash Guard (£45). They were both perfect for the rainy, cool conditions that we encountered during the race. The ventiprene neoprene shorts prevented soggy bottoms when falling. The fabric of our rash guard vests had been treated with UP50, so it blocked out the sun’s harmful rays. For more, see musto.com.
Want to do it?
Entries are now open for 2022. The cost is £225 per person, and this includes all your breakfasts, dinners, tracker, T-shirt, entertainment and a lifetime of memories. See: www.trent100.com.
Top tips
- Train by doing long days on the board.
- Plan your nutrition and take the time to eat.
- You are only as fast as your slowest team member.
- This is not a race but rather a fun, long paddle.
- Know how to use your throwline.
- Make sure you have a comfy camping set up.
