Welcome to our collection of the biggest news and stories that have taken place in the SUP world from the previous month. Let's recap what happened in October 2026.
ICF SUP Worlds - 2026
The ICF SUP World Championships took place in Sabaudia, Italy, from 14–18 October, with five days of sprint, technical and long-distance racing. Great Britain’s Ginnie Betts won two golds on her Worlds debut, taking the women’s 50+ sprint and long-distance titles as well as silver in the technical race.
In the open races, 19-year-old Csillag Kocsis claimed her first senior world title in the women’s long distance, while Shuri Araki won his third consecutive men’s distance title. Mariecarmen Rivera and Aarón Sánchez Quetglas retained their technical crowns, and Cecilia Pampinella and Vadim Korobov took sprint gold.
Chattajack 31 - Endurance Race
Chattajack returned to Chattanooga, Tennessee, on 24 October for its 15th edition, drawing 808 paddlers across all craft for 31 miles (50 km) of racing through the Tennessee River Gorge. Paddlers started in three waves and, after crossing the finish line, paddled a cooldown mile to the new takeout at River Gorge Ranch. The event raffle raised US$13,904 for the Tennessee River Gorge Trust.
In the 14′ SUP division, Whitney Stephenson won the women’s race in 5:31:18, with Katelyn Chen second and Ines Lamadrid Gonzalez third, just 38 seconds apart. Jake Portwood took the men’s win in 5:09:14, three seconds ahead of John Batson, with Michael Barron third. In the 12′6″ SUP division, Kyla Zollitsch won the women’s race in 6:46:09 and David Harper won the men’s race in 6:24:23.
GBSUP NEW APPROACH - 2027
GBSUP outlined a 2027 national racing programme built around five core venues, with two-day short-course formats and Sprint Championships built into the calendar. Season passes are back for eligible High Performance and Challenge Fleet paddlers, with three-, four- and five-event options starting at £200.
Standard National Series entry will remain free for under-12s and under-15s, with subsidised junior entry to the Championships and plans for UK Youth Championships. The updated My GBSUP Hub brings racer profiles and entries together in one place.