Paddler Media’s coverage of the Scottish K1 Marathon Championships and Nith Descent is made possible by Starsky UK.

September is for racing in Scotland. Summer warmth lingers in lakes and rivers as the air cools and trees begin to turn. The chill of winter looms, but promises to wait just a little longer.

September started with Monster the Loch, where the young wildwater racing paddlers Will and Sam Stevely took the win in a double surfski (SS2) ahead of experienced ultra marathon paddlers Andrew Birkett and David Horkan, also in SS2. The Stevely brothers crossed all 34 kilometres (21 miles) of Loch Ness in a speedy 2:31:05.

This weekend on the 19th and 20th, intrepid Great Glen paddlers went on their own adventure searching for Nessie. But starting from Fort William, on the west coast, they opted to more than double the distance of Monster the Loch for a total of 92 kilometres (57 miles). The Great Glen has recently drawn more stand up paddleboarders than kayakers and canoeists, and this year the overall non-stop win in SUP went to ultra SUPer Tanja Ecker from Germany in just over 11 hours.

The final weekend of the month promises great racing action and South African-inspired food and atmosphere (and “Free beer. Lots of free beer.”) at the Scottish K1 Marathon Championships (27th September, enter here) and Starsky Nith Descent (28th September, enter here). Both races are in southwest Scotland near Dumfries, making it a two-in-one weekend where paddlers traveling from further away can maximise their paddling : travel time ratio.

Scottish K1 Marathon Championships

The K1 marathon champs will be held on Loch Ken, with a long course of just 14 km. Anyone is welcome to race, regardless of whether you have an address in Scotland, but only Scotland residents can take the title of Scottish National Champion. Good scenery is guaranteed. And top Scottish talent. The biggest question will be the weather, as the wind could pick up across the lake to make things hard for the racers.

Sam Stevely will be back to defend his 2024 title and overall win, and based on his performance with Will at Monster the Loch, he looks likely to pull it off. But he could be challenged by Alan Tordoff, of Liffey Descent fame in the 1990s. Tordoff finished just about one minute behind Stevely in 2024, and finished ahead of him at last year’s Nith Descent, so things could be tight between the two at both races.

The young Hannah Toovey was the fastest female finisher in 2024, and the fastest Scot in her category at UK Marathon National Championships in Norwich a few weeks ago. She finished 6th in a category won by Kamila Sklenarova (NOR) shortly before Kamila headed to Gyor, Hungary for Canoe Marathon World Championships.

Entries are still open for the Scottish K1 Championships here. You can find instructions for how to enter at the end of this article.

The Nith Descent

On Sunday the 28th, many of the same racers and more will head to nearby Auldgirth to take on the rapids of the River Nith. While low water in 2024 made it a more technical race, the water levels are high this week, setting up the perfect conditions for descent racing newbies and advanced paddlers alike.

Thanks to the higher water, trickier features will be washed out and racers will fly down the 16 km course at speed. The race starts in Auldgirth (DG2 0UA) and finishes at the Nithsdale Amateur Rowing Club (NARC), with bridges, rapids including “The Boat Stopper”, and beautiful scenery. The race is open to paddlers in all types of craft including canoe, kayak or river SUP (e.g. K1/K2’s, Plastic, Canadian, Slalom, WWR, Sea Kayaks, Wavehoppers).

Alan Tordoff took the crown last year in K1, with Will Stevely close behind in his wildwater racing (WWR) craft. The fastest SUP finisher was Tony Bain of Green Dragon Activities. Tordoff will be back to defend his win, but if Sam Stevely keeps enough powder dry after Saturday’s race, he may be able to double up his titles. Marathon Masters champion Gilbert Speir could be near the front of the race too – he’s in great form this year coming off three impressive titles in the 70+ Masters age group: National Champion, European Champion, and most recently World Champion.

Entries are also still open for the Nith Descent here, and you can sign up using the same Paddle Scotland race entry portal.

South African-inspired atmosphere, minus the sunshine (or not?)

Race director Rob Pretorius of Starsky UK has planned a braai (barbecue) for Saturday night, hot rolls for Sunday morning, and plenty of free beer. Rob is inspired his home race, the Drak Challenge in South Africa. Speaking to Paddlecast, he said, “The idea behind the race was to allow people to come see the section of river that I train on, and try and re-create the fun of the South African races.” As the cherry on top, Starsky UK is also sponsoring the prizes. Winners will get the marathon and descent kit used by the best in the world, from Starsky marathon pouches to rudders and more (2024 winners pictured below).

Both races are located near Dumfries, with ample options for camping nearby. The K1 marathon championships start line is actually right in front of the Loch Ken Caravan Park, making it about as easy as it gets to race in Scotland (or anywhere). With a few more days to sign up, the number of top end names on the start list could grow even longer…

Paddle Daily will be on the ground to cover both races, so be sure to follow along on Instagram and Facebook. On the latest episode of Paddlecast, Billy and Betsy preview the racing in more depth (and recap the Thames 200 Ultra), check that episode out here:

How to sign up

Both the Scottish K1 National Championships and The Nith Descent entries are run through the Paddle Scotland portal on JustGo. You don’t have to be a member of Paddle Scotland or have a Scottish address to sign up – just create an account and under “region”, select “Outside Scotland”. It only takes about five minutes to create the account and sign up.

Scottish K1 Marathon Championships, Saturday 27th September

• Entries & Race Info
• Location: Field next to Loch Ken Caravan Park, entrance will be sign posted,  GPS co-ords: 55.0072992, -4.0506636 (What 3 Words: ///bits.octopus.delighted )
• Schedule
  • Number boards collection – 12:30 -13:00
  • Briefing – briefing and opportunity for last minute questions at 13:00
  • Starts – 13km course at 13:30, followed by 6.6km and 4.6km courses
• Facebook Event

The Starsky Nith Descent, Sunday 28th September:

• Entries & Race Info
  • The event is open to all paddlers in any type of canoe, kayak or river SUP (e.g. K1/K2’s, Plastic, Canadian, Slalom, WWR, Sea Kayaks, Wavehoppers)
  • Distance 16km
• Location: River Nith – between Auldgirth (DG2 0UA; ///cuddling.squeaks.portable) and Nithsdale Amateur Rowing Club (NARC)
• Schedule
  • Event registration from 10:00 at Dumfries Suspension Bridge (NARC)
  • Safety briefing for all SUP, OC, plastic boats, and all other boats at 11:30 at NARC car park
  • Start: 12h30 for SUP, OC and Plastic Boats
  • Start: 12h45 for K1/2 Kayaks, Fast Sea Kayaks, WWR, Wavehoppers
• Facebook Page
• YouTube video of the course

Contact Rob Pretorius with questions about the races or Starsky UK.