Race Day Preparation for Ocean Paddlers

Race day is one of those experiences that's hard to explain to non-paddlers. The pre-dawn alarm, the beach at first light, the smell of sunscreen and neoprene, a hundred skis lined up on the sand. There's nothing quite like it. But how you perform on the day is almost entirely determined by the 48 hours before it.

The week before

Training loads should taper in the last week, not ramp up. The paddler who tries to squeeze in one more big session on Thursday before a Sunday race almost always pays for it on race day. Your fitness is locked in. The week before is for freshness, not improvement. Do a short sharp session on Thursday or Friday, 20 to 30 minutes of quality paddling, nothing more. Sleep well, eat well, stay off your feet.

Equipment check

Go through your gear the night before the race, not the morning of. You do not want to discover a cracked fin box or a missing leg leash clip when you're already running late at the beach. Check your fin security and condition, leg leash, paddle blades and shaft, hydration system if you're using one, and any safety equipment required by race rules. If you're hiring gear, pick it up the day before.

Race morning

Eat a proper breakfast 2 to 3 hours before your start time. Porridge, eggs, toast, whatever your body knows and trusts before exercise. Race morning is not the time to experiment with food. Hydrate from when you wake up, not at the start line. Get to the beach early enough to register, rig your ski, and do a 10 to 15 minute warm-up paddle. A cold start in a race is a wasted start. Your first kilometre will feel like sandpaper and your split will show it.

Reading the conditions

Before the race, watch the water for 10 minutes. Where is the wind coming from? Is it consistent or gusty? Where are the runs forming? Is there a channel that looks faster? Talk to paddlers who know the course if it's your first time there. In a downwinder race, the paddler who reads the course well will always beat the paddler who is fitter but paddling blind. You're not just racing your opponents, you're racing the ocean, and the ocean rewards attention.

On the start line

Position yourself based on where you want to be after 200 metres, not where you want to start. Most beginners line up at the front and get washed wide. Find your comfortable position, let the big engines go, and settle into your own race from the first stroke. Paddling at 95% intensity beats paddling at 110% for the first kilometre and blowing up. Your body will tell you when it's time to push, trust it.

After the race

Eat, rehydrate, and stretch within 30 minutes of finishing. Talk to the paddlers you raced with. This community is one of the best things about ocean paddling, and the information shared on the beach after a race is worth more than any YouTube video. Book your next race before the weekend is over. That's the real rule of race preparation.

Get race ready with us

The best race preparation is paddling the course before race day. Our Island Escape: Rotto camp finishes with the full Doctor course from Rottnest to Sorrento, a few days before the race itself, with a coach and a support boat beside you.

Closer to home, our weekly squad sessions build the fitness and skills that show up on race day. Book a session or see the full sessions and clinics list. And if your gear check turns up a paddle or PFD that has had its day, the shop has ChalupSki paddles and Paddle Co. PFDs.