Race 2 the Castle – 40km of Water, Grit and Glory

At 5:45am, the River Trent was still — a wide ribbon of calm running through Nottingham, quiet before the day. I stood at the edge, my Starboard 12'6" x 28" inflatable board stretched out, paddle ready, nerves rumbling low. The Race 2 the Castle — a 40km endurance paddle from Nottingham to Newark Castle — was about to begin, and I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d signed up for. I tried to shake off the nerves. I had never paddled this far before. I wasn’t sure if I could. But I was ready to try.

The Trent, one of the longest rivers in the UK at 185 miles, has been a working waterway for centuries — once crowded with barges and now shared by leisure paddlers, narrowboats, and birds skimming low over the water. That morning, it felt like it belonged just to us.

The Start: Calm Waters, Racing Heart

With a 7:00am start, I launched from Nottingham with a mix of excitement and determination. The first stretch was meditative. I fell into rhythm, focusing on my breath, the blade of my Black Project Lava paddle dipping smoothly into the early light. The river moved slow and sure beside me.

But endurance paddling isn’t just about flow. This course included five locks — each one a stop, a climb, or a scramble — some even with ladders, which I’d never tackled before. Navigating them was physical and slightly chaotic, but each lock passed became a mental checkpoint ticked off.

At 16km, we were required to take a 10-minute break — time to stretch, snack, reset and I silently checked in with myself: “You’re doing this.” At 23km, a much-needed loo stop (no glamorous way around that).

Midway Mind Games and the Final Push

By the 30km mark, the river felt broader, quieter. Birds flitted along the banks, trees leaned gently over the water, and I let the stillness carry me, even when my body was getting loud. My arms were sore, hands cramping slightly, blisters beginning to form on my fingertips but the checkpoints became my targets. Every kilometer ticked off was a small victory.

The Trent’s calm appearance belies a deceptive undercurrent, and that final leg would prove it. As we neared Newark, the castle’s silhouette finally came into view — but there was one final twist...

The Kicker : to reach the finish at Newark Castle, we had to turn and paddle 1km against the current. After hours on the water, this felt like climbing a hill that wouldn’t end. Every stroke burned. It was slow, tough, and honestly, a little demoralising — but I kept going. I knew the finish line was just beyond that final push. Arms already burning, I dug deep. The river fought back, but I kept my pace, stroke by stroke, until that last corner turned and the finish line came into reach.

Finish Line Feelings

6 hours and 33 minutes of paddling later, I crossed the finish line, breaks not included. Exhausted. Buzzing. Proud beyond words.

This was the longest I’ve ever paddled, and it felt like more than a physical feat. It was an emotional one too — the kind of challenge that quietly transforms you.

The River Trent gave me stillness, power, resistance, and grace — and I gave it everything I had.

👑 Queen of the Castle? I earned that title — every metre of it.