Chattajack marked its 15th edition on 24 October 2026, with 808 paddlers taking on 31 miles (50 km) of racing through the Tennessee River Gorge. Starting in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the event brought stand-up and prone paddleboarders together with canoe, kayak and surfski crews. The field set off in three waves, with paddlers forming draft trains as they made their way through the gorge.
In the 14′ SUP division, Whitney Stephenson led the women home in 5:31:18, ahead of Katelyn Chen and Ines Lamadrid Gonzalez, who finished just 38 seconds apart. Jake Portwood won the men’s division in 5:09:14, three seconds ahead of John Batson, with Michael Barron third. Kyla Zollitsch and David Harper took the women’s and men’s 12′6″ SUP wins.
The 2026 edition introduced a new takeout at River Gorge Ranch. After crossing the finish line, paddlers regrouped for a cooldown mile to the takeout. The weekend raffle raised US$13,904 for the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, and the organisers confirmed the next Chattajack for 23 October 2027.
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