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While much of the SUP world's attention is focused on world championships, international rankings and elite competition, one European race series has quietly built a thriving paddling community across Austria, Germany and Slovenia. The SUP Alps Trophy now consists of six events across the season and claims participation from more than 20 countries, with races and rankings spanning juniors, open competitors and masters divisions.
Recent events such as The Lake Rocks Festival in Austria have demonstrated the scale of the series. Organisers reported close to 800 paddlers registered across all categories, while more than 270 athletes lined up for the technical race alone.
The second stop of the series, SUPerlot at Germany’s Altmühlsee, took place last weekend and once again highlighted a formula that appears to be working. Rather than focusing solely on elite racing, the event combines competitive racing with board testing, coaching, family activities, junior participation, fun races and community gatherings.
Perhaps that’s the real lesson. While much of the discussion around SUP racing centres on attracting the biggest names, the SUP Alps Trophy seems to be focused on creating events where world-class athletes, age-group racers and first-time competitors all share the same start line.
Could this be one of the reasons the series continues to grow?
What can other SUP race organisers learn from the SUP Alps Trophy model?