At Starboard, we’re always inspired by riders who push their limits - and Team Rider Tim Oliver did just that at this year’s Mattawa River Race in Ontario, Canada. A test of grit, strategy, and endurance, this 64 km race through wild terrain and strong headwinds is not for the faint of heart. Here’s Tim’s story from the front lines of one of Canada’s most challenging paddle races.
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Back on the Mattawa – by Tim Oliver
Saturday, June 14 marked my second time taking on the legendary Mattawa River Race.. This race is a very unique challenge in that it is a long way, has 11 portages over land, and some map navigation that is not straightforward. It follows an old voyager fur trading route that was used hundreds of years ago to navigate the waterways of northern Ontario Canada. I first did the race in 2024 and was able to set the course record for SUP despite getting lost in a swamp and burning around 20 min trying to get back on to the route. This year’s addition of the race came with a nice weather forecast in the low 20 °C temperature but with the prospect of an east wind (the race runs from west to east) which meant a potential head wind all the way. There is one spot on the course where participants can pick up a feed from a support crew at the 24km mark but other than this spot, there is no other place to replenish supplies so it is a one pitstop race.
The gun went off at 7:30am and within 1 min of the start, we all realized that it was going to be a very long day. The wind was right in our faces and despite going out fairly hard, my fist Km was only a 6:08…. With this in mind I settled into a sustainable pace for the first 14km. Because I had done the race the year before, I looked at my previous race file and marked all the key points in the race and the KM mark they occurred in. With the help of my daughter Ainsley, we marked all the critical KMs on my board (just like cyclists do in Roubaix or the tour)
I made it to the first turn off of Trout Lake well in the lead of all crafts including the Kayaks and Canoes and kept hammering into the wind until the first portage. The first overland section consisted of clamoring over a beaver dam and then a rocky hike through the bush, I hopped off the board thinking I was stepping into water about 20cm deep and proceeded to sink into my waist in muck! A few more KMs later I was into the one and only pit stop of the race where I swapped my first 2L hydration pack and picked up the bigger 3L one with supplies for the rest of the day.
The fuel goal for the day was to try to hit 120g of carbs per hour via a 90g gel every hour on the 30min mark and a 30g Caffeine gel every hour on the 60min mark. I have found that it is not that fun to force in this many carbs but if you can train yourself to do it, your ability sustain a solid hard pace increased a ton!
I stuck to the fueling plan and cranked away into the head wind occasionally having a look at the map while trying to maintain a steady Z2/Z3 heart rate and a pace that was not too depressing despite the conditions (6:20 per Km ish).
The middle of the race was where the majority of the portages were so the next few hours were spent trying to go hard on the water and not losing too much time on land. This was easier said than done as most of the land sections were over Canadian shield Rocks and slippery roots with the occasional mud bog thrown in.
Everything continued to roll along pretty well with no other competitors in sight and only the beautiful scenery as company. I had managed to navigate and progress with no misshapes until at Km 44 of the race, about 5h in I somehow missed a portage and found myself in some swift water but very shallow rapids. I tried to clamber over boulders and carry my Allstar over the rocks but it was super slow going and frustrating. After about 10 minutes of billy-goating over obstacles I was back in clean water and cruising again.
With all but one short overland left just before the finish I was into the final big stretch of water from Km 46-59; This entire section was a narrower part of the river with high cliffs on either side that produced a wind tunnel effect and made the going slow; I was secretly hoping for a canoe or kayak to catch me at this point so I would have some company or some sort of wash to ride but no one ever came up to me.
Like so many of us have done in long training or racing I tried to just focus on the next Km ahead of me and not the whole distance I needed to go. I continued to hit my fuel marks slamming gels on the half hour and staving off bonking. I always find that in these long events if you nail the fueling perfectly you do not really notice… its only if you mess it up that you realize it has not been successful. It’s kind of an anti-climactic situation if done right but, if you miss the mark it can be full detonation. I cursed into the final portage at the 59km mark and once back on the water for the final 3km the wind gods finally gave me a break and I enjoyed a much calmer final 20 min into the finish line.
I hit the finish line with a time of 7h 12min and line honors. No course record but considering the head wind for close to 60km I was very happy with the effort and the execution of my nutrition plan ahead of my big goals this summer. My Allstar 20.5 performed flawlessly as usual and the Lima Prepared LG I chose for the race had the softer s40 shaft which really saved my shoulders and arms in the headwind. Thanks so much to Starboard for all the support and I can’t wait for the next big challenge M2O in July!
