Dabbling In Paddleism Podcast

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with his brother, firefighter, and ultramarathon paddler, Bradley Thomas who is fresh off a 4th place male solo finish at the 2026 MR340. We cover so much in this episode from never really paddling to spring boarding into the Yukon 1000, the science behind zone 2 training, the challenges of 24 hour shift work when training for ultras, hitting rock bottom 20 miles from the finish line of a 1000 mile race, the MR340, the Race Owl app, creatine karaoke for sleep deprivation, being inspired by crew and the paddling community, the pitfalls of trying something new on race...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Andrew and Kathren Hansen of Hansen Family Services paddle racing safety support team. Andrew is an ultramarathon paddler, volunteer firefighter, and race safety extraordinaire and his wife Kathren started out crewing for him in ultramarathon races and now is part of his race safety team. Just as a short side note we recorded this in 2 sessions and Kathren joined us for the 2nd recording, so I wasn’t prepared to give her a proper intro like I do all of my guests, so that is the reason why the sole focus is on...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Jessie Gladish, Canadian Yukon resident, ultramarathon racer of many disciplines and climates, and director of the 2026 Yukon River Quest. We cover so much in this episode from hiking the Chilkoot Pass at age 7, the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra in minus 48 degree temps, the Iditarod Trail Invitational, hazards of the Arctic in winter, a behind the scenes look at directing the Yukon River Quest, a call for and importance of volunteers, and of course the standard book recommendations. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.co...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Bernard Moyersoen, ultramarathon paddler and adventurer out of Belgium, who is the back-to-back-to-back solo kayak champion in the Yukon River Quest from 2024 - 2026. We cover so much in this episode from expedition paddling in Venezuela, downriver marathon paddling in Scotland, the Loire 725 and Dordogne Intégrale, YRQ race strategies, the pull of the Yukon, and epic training plans. And if you’re enjoying the show please share it, follow it, or visit dabblinginpaddleism.com to find archives, what’s coming soon, guest book recommendations, and ways to support the show through merch, membe...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down again with Sean Lougheed, but this time as a solo guest. Sean is a Canadian ultramarathon paddler and Yukon 1000 alum who just took 1st place in the solo canoe division of the 2026 Yukon River Quest and came in just 11 minutes off of record time. We cover so much in this episode from the fire that the Yukon 1000 lights within, longevity in ultra paddling, positive impacts paddling communities can support, risk versus safety equations, flexibility and recovery, heat and hallucinations, the importance of safety checks, reflections on the Yukon Flats, and brainstorming ways to...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down again with Rod Price out of Florida to catch up on more of his paddling stories as well as a 2026 Suwannee 230 race. We cover so much in this episode from his recent class win in the Everglades Challenge, learning from DNFs, the Pea River Race, setting world records in a dragon boat, hazards from sturgeon, and the Rod’s 2026 Suwannee 230 race recap. There’s so much more to this episode, but I’ll let you hear it from Rod himself on this 58th episode of the Dabbling in Paddleism Podcast… Rod’s books: -If you’d...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Candi Hill and David Miller to chat about their back-to-back mixed tandem victories and course record for the Suwannee 230. We cover so much in this episode from couch to the MR340, the Kansas/Missouri paddling community, going from never met to racing an ultra the next day, navigating swamps, how electrolytes can affect paddling technique, double vs. single blading, sturgeon vs. manatees, and the Pea River race. There’s so much more to this episode, but I’ll let you hear it from Mike himself on this 57th episode of the Dabbling in P...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Steve Schnarr of Missouri River Relief and the sitting Race Director of the MR340. We cover so much in this episode from the community-centric programs Missouri River Relief provides and how they transform lives as well as the river, the story behind MRR becoming involved with the MR340, how the race has evolved over the years, the MR340 culture of sharing, hallucinating robots, volunteerism and unsung heroes, the Reaper, and the innovative approaches paddlers take to get to the finish line of the MR340. There’s so much more to this episode, bu...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with David Horkan, Irish ultramarathon paddler, adventurer, guide, and coach who just came in 3rd place K1 in the Vohondu Marathon in Estonia. We cover so much in this episode from getting started paddling at a young age through canoe polo, crossovers between show jumping horses and kayaking, the importance of consistent practice, the Liffey Descent, the Devizes to Westminster the race that changed his life, the Irish paddling scene and community, his attempt at the fastest solo circumnavigation of Ireland, the 2026 Vohondu Marathon, preparing the mind for ultra endurance efforts, the Irish...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Kendra Leibel & BeaV Vollhaber two adventurers and ultramarathon paddlers with a preference for unsupported challenges. I first want to give a shoutout to Joseph Gerard who suggested I interview these two last year. We cover so much in this episode from wing nights to backcountry Alaska living, the Everglades Challenge and the Water Tribe, resume building portages, the history of the Voyageurs Highway and the Kruger-Waddell Challenge, paddling under the Northern Lights, navigating by map and compass, seeing penguins in Florida, the importance of a positive attitude and mental fortitude, and the...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Matt Taylor and Bobby Johnson, two elite ultramarathon paddlers out of Alabama and Florida, respectively, who have won back-to-back Suwannee 230 titles in ’24 and ’25 as well as the 2025 Alabama 650 as a team. We cover so much in this episode from learning from failure, the Texas Water Safari, broken boats that bring a team together better than Flex Tape, stomach issues and ultimatums, rescuing cats during the Suwannee 230, the Alabama 650, getting stuck on the same dock 2 years in a row due to storms, and paddling to win but more importantly to have a great time...

In this episode, Chris Thomas gives his firsthand account of the 2026 California River Quest including the conditions, boat selection, and challenges along the course. Additionally, he discusses ways in which listeners can support the show at www.dabblinginpaddleism.com via a new merch store, membership opportunities that come with custom gear that only members will have access to, as well as donations. Website: www.dabblinginpaddleism.com Gear mentioned on this show: -Solite neoprene boots -NRS neoprene pants

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Trey Reaves and Emily McNeil, two highly accomplished paddlers who just came out on top in the 2026 Everglades Challenge. After meeting both of these characters in the 2023 Yukon 1000 it was great to sit down with them together and chat about how they both came through for each other in a solid team win in the EC. We cover so much in this episode from the supportive paddling community around Kansas City as well as the Water Tribe, the choose your own adventure aspect of the Everglades Challenge, treacherous aspects of the EC...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Jennifer Fratzke, ultramarathon paddler, coach, and podcaster. We cover so much in this episode from the Sea Paddle NYC, the MR340, the importance of the mental aspect of training, fishing as a cross training activity, power napping for performance, the Seventy48 race, YRQ, Alabama 650, paddling for vengeance, the Adirondack Canoe Classic, hypothermia, her coaching work and philosophy, the importance of focusing on technique, the 90% Mental Podcast and Natasha Haine and Jen Kilpatrick. There’s so much more to this episode, but I’ll let you hear it from Jennifer herself on this 50th e...

So this episode is going to be a bit different as I not only have one or two guests, but a cornucopia of them. Back in the early episodes of the show I asked paddlers to reach out to me if there were specific topics they’d like me to cover and this episode is courtesy of Chuck Scheidt reaching out. His question was, “how do paddlers get themselves rested for a race? In particular the two weeks (or weeks) leading up to the event.”So to answer his question, I polled 14 of the top paddlers out there to share their...

This is the law of the Yukon and ever she makes it plain. Send not your foolish and feeble. Send me your strong and your sane. This is the Robert Service poem my guest today recites minutes before paddlers begin the Yukon 1000. In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Jon Frith, U.K. Army veteran, adventurer, expedition leader and guide for wounded veterans, and race director of the Yukon 1000. We cover so much in this episode from his entry into adventure sports via his military career, his innate desire to empty the tank, how the Yukon brings him back...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Mike Malone, veteran, paddler, crew support extraordinaire, and paddling coach. We cover so much in this episode from his early days as an elite swimmer, why he gravitates to coaching and crewing ultramarathon paddling over competing, pitfalls crew support often fall into, tips for getting out of in-race funks, approach to training with focused sets and focused speeds rather than simply logging miles, his journey to discover the best paddling technique to maximize speed and minimize risk of injury, future growth of ultramarathon paddling, getting kids involved in the sport, Last Paddler...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Bruce Smith, former ultramarathon runner and ironman athlete and now elite ultramarathon stand up paddle boarder out of Northeast England. Bruce is coming off of a massive year winning the inaugural Eliminator race in the U.K. and completing 48 laps including 2 super laps in the 2025 Last Paddler Standing. We cover so much in this episode from a career ending ankle injury that led him to paddling, training based on what life brings rather than a structured format, the Eliminator race, Last Paddler Standing 2023 and 2025, Nathan Benderson Park versus Lake June in Winter...

Hello to all the paddlers out there. First of all, thank you so much for listening to the show! I’ve had so much outpouring support lately and it really means more than you know. Today’s show isn’t really a show or even an episode, but more of a public service announcement. I wanted to let all the paddlers out there know that I just launched a website for the show which you can find at www.dabblinginpaddleism.com. On the website you can find archives for all episodes, links to both apple and Spotify podcasts, a “coming soon” se...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Scott Baste, mountain biker and ultramarathon stand up paddle boarder out of Atlanta, Georgia, now hailing from Western North Carolina. One of Scott’s many paddling career highlights thus far is completing the Everglades Challenge 4 years in a row on SUP and is the only person to complete that race more than 2 times on SUP. This is certainly impressive as he describes in the show that the Everglades Challenge has been the hardest thing he’s ever done. We cover so much in this episode from his early elite mountain biking days, owni...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Anne-Marie Reichman Totah out of the Netherlands, currently hailing from Hawaii. Anne-Marie is a former elite professional windsurfer, now stand up paddle boarder and founded the SUP 11 Cities Tour. We cover so much in this episode from elite competitive windsurfing, long distance ice skating, starting stand up paddle boarding in 2008 only to launch a major ultra race less than 2 years later, the storied history that inspired the SUP 11 Cities Tour, training for ultra distance by milking cows without a chair, board selection and race strategy, the stage race versus the non-stop tour...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Mike Carson, ultramarathon runner and stand up paddle boarder out of Michigan, currently hailing from Alabama. In the past year Mike completed the Vol State 300 mile journey run, made it to the super lap in Last Paddler Standing, and won the Across the Years Last Man Standing running backyard ultra. We cover so much in this episode from ultramarathon running versus paddling, the adaptability of the human body, focusing on process & procedure over finishing place, the Vol State Journey Run & what it feels like to run 300 miles in one sitting… spoiler alert it...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Rod Price, legendary ultramarathon paddler originally from South Carolina and now hailing just outside Orlando, Florida. Rod is a highly decorated ultramarathon paddler and is just coming off his 11th start and 11th win in the Everglades Challenge, but that doesn’t even scratch the surface of all his paddling accomplishments. We cover so much in this episode from overcoming obstacles like broken paddles, getting lost in the Everglades during the Everglades Challenge, hallucinating the same things as your partner, going upside down in the Yukon River Quest from falling asleep, paddling 1200 mi...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Jeff Kay out of California, ultramarathon paddler and co-founder/race director of the California River Quest. We cover so much in this episode from getting into paddling by invitation, the transition from short paddle races to ultramarathons, the history of the California 100 and his journey in founding the California River Quest, race safety precautions as well as hazards of the Sacramento River, challenges of starting and maintaining a paddling race, ground support, what sets the CRQ apart from other ultras, and his take on the 2023 Guinness Book of World Records dragon boat...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with John Astbury & Rich Winstanley, two paddlers out of the U.K. that battled significant adversity in the 2024 Yukon 1000 but refused to give up. We cover so much in this episode from the sprinting world of paddling, the Devizes to Westminster, the importance of trusting a partner, training for Lake Laberge around the Isle of Wight, paddling 800+ miles with broken hands, Yukon Gold, hallucinating pig masked bank robbers and penguins ice skating, the importance of reading water in the Yukon, and the impossible goal of fully emptying the tank. There’s so much mo...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Lillian Nelson and Izzy Nicolier, 25 year old canoeists, dog mushers, and adventurers hailing from Alaska. Both have just finished the Alabama 650 in 2025 and the Yukon 1000 in ’24 with plenty of endurance adventuring as well. We cover so much in this episode from the Yukon 1000 race, source to sea on the Yukon, the Great Alabama 650, revisiting an air quotes hallucination story from a previous episode that actually proved to be true, 6 day portages, how dog mushing in the Yukon translates to race performance in the 1000, going upside-down just out of Dawson City, SOS fails, du...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Jeremy Stanton and up and coming stand up paddle boarder out of Ozark, Missouri who just tied for 4th place overall completing one full super lap in the 2025 Last Paddler Standing. We cover so much in this episode from the MR340, Chattajack, the importance of being curious, nutrition and sleep strategies, Last Paddler Standing, using joy as a fuel, support from his dad as crew and family back at home, paddling on an unfamiliar board, a shoutout to the 954 Paddle Crew, and unfinished business on the water. There’s so much more to...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Brad Friesen, stand up paddle boarder, adventurer, and race director out of Winnepeg, Manitoba. Brad is one of the top elite ultra paddle boarders out there and is a clear contender in any race he enters. We cover so much in this episode from his early days of river surfing, coaching and instructing SUP, his basecamp barista, crew, and family support at Last Paddler Standing, training for paddle sports in a cold climate, theoretical limits for Last Paddler Standing, camaraderie, sleep deprivation strategies, comparisons between the Yukon 1000 and the Alabama 650, LPS weather...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with a couple paddling legends, Paul Cox out of Georgia and West Hansen out of Texas. There’s a lot of laughs in this episode with these two characters, so buckle up, because it’s gonna be entertaining. We cover so much in this episode from their entries into ultra paddling, Paul’s previous attempt on the Yukon River, canoes versus kayaks over extreme distances, importance of navigation in the Yukon Flats, boat modifications, water reading skills, rough weather conditions and angry beavers, a firsthand review of a new GPS device, how the sport...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Greg Wingo, race director of the Great Alabama 650, Last Paddler Standing, the Eliminator, and mastermind behind Roam Projects a multi-country trekking and adventure travel experience. We cover so much in this episode from his unique new race in the UK the Eliminator with partner race director Cassie Salter, the 2025 Alabama 650 and how it has compared to years past, all the variables that can impact performance in such a long distance race, the difficulty of Mobile Bay, app innovation for dot trackers, SUPs, still riding a high from a multi-record setting year at...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Ethan Roadley, a kiwi, who recently undertook an expedition circumnavigating via kayak nearly all the way around the South Island of New Zealand until 6 weeks of horrible weather caused him to throw in the towel with only about 56 kilometers to go. We cover so much in this episode from a 100 day expedition tackling first descents in the whitewaters of Fiordland National Park, nutrition planning for expeditions including hunting and fishing, getting stuck in expeditions due to weather, winter weather paddling conditions, the stress of finding a land-able shoreline spot as daylight is...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with legendary ultramarathon paddler and “Queen of the 650”, Salli O’Donnell from Alabama. While Salli certainly has a very decorated paddling career, most recently she’s coming off of overall solo victories in the Suwannee 230 and the Alabama 650 in earning the new Southern Harm award in the process. We cover so much in this episode from her transition to ultra paddling from ultra running, the North Carolina Challenge, the James River 100, the logistics of planning for ultras, a continuous improvement mentality, recovery strategies, pre-race and in-race game plans for skin protection, paddling technique, nutritio...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with legendary Canadian expedition canoeist, Mike Ranta, who has paddled over 30,000 miles in his expeditions combined, including coast to coast across Canada 3 times solo with his dog Spitzii. We cover so much in this episode from growing up spending months living and paddling in the bush near Atikokan, Canada which is the Canoe Capital of the World, supporting youth, veterans, first responders, and First Nations by promoting awareness and developing supportive wilderness programs, massive 500+ mile portages with a canoe over the Canadian Rockies, aggressive apex predator encounters while circumnavigating Great Bear Lake, strategies...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Jon Marble, ultramarathon paddler, aerospace engineer, and developer of the race and adventure tracker Race Owl. We cover so much in this episode from racing in the MR340, the stories behind racing misadventures that keep him coming back, the story behind Race Owl, the many features the app offers to paddlers, dot trackers, as well as race directors and support crew, the story behind the storm-cancelled MR340 mid-race in 2023, how to connect with RaceOwl as a race director or even as a paddler about to attempt an FKP, and volunteering for the...

In this episode, Chris Thomas celebrates the 1 year anniversary of the show, gives a recap of 2025, and dives into upcoming changes and what is to come in 2026.

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down again with Dave Maitland and Scott Worthington to chat about the second half of their 2000 mile journey source to sea on the Yukon River as they recount their expedition from Galena, Alaska to the Bering Sea. Another great chat with two gems from New Zealand in which they describe unfinished business after a premature med-evac in 2024. We cover so much in this episode from experiencing the Yukon in both seasons, the Yukon 800 high-speed riverboat race, the slog and suffer fest that the Yukon unleashes on those that venture past Galena, the importance of...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with brother and sister in-law Lauren Anderson and Sean Lougheed out of Ontario, Canada. They finished 3rd overall and 2nd place canoe in the 2025 Yukon 1000 under the handle Team Outlaws. We cover so much in this episode from origin stories to getting to the Yukon 1000 via the YRQ, the importance of being connected to the land, cross training during the winter in a cold climate, stretching, interesting in-race recovery biohacking strategies, pre-race bloodwork to guide physiologic optimization, showing up for each other as teammates, and becoming the best version of oneself through epic...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Alex Somoano, massage therapist and stand up paddle boarder originally hailing from Cuba who emigrated to the U.S. in Miami, Florida as a young child where he quickly discovered he was athletically inclined. I’ve been looking forward to this chat for a long time and it really turned out to be a fantastic conversation with a great human being. We cover so much in this episode from his origin story into paddling, a traumatic accident that started him on his journey to quote “find quality in everything”, the Crossing for Cystic...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Ryan Milby out of Missouri, who is a self-proclaimed normal dude, Chief Hobby Officer, and founder of Llama Racks. We cover so much in this episode from yet again the welcoming nature of the paddling community, his journey getting into ultramarathon paddle racing as well as starting Llama Racks, jumping in head first into the MR340 and paddling through the night for the first time during the race, attention to detail in designing his racks, available options for all human powered boats, customizable options, the importance of not giving up and proceeding...

In this episode, Chris Thomas sits down with Esther Wheeler one of the premier ultramarathon female paddlers who just came out on top again this year in the Yukon River Quest in a kayak. We cover so much in this episode from the way she entered the paddling scene through a traumatic experience on whitewater, visualization techniques, the spell of the Yukon, the Great River Club, being a board member of the YRQ, her take on the 2025 dragon boat Guinness world record for distance traveled at the MR340, the importance of giving people chances, sleep deprivation strategies, testing out the...