03/08/2026
The biggest event for the 4670 SUP CLUB INC 2026 year finally arrived - the Clearwater Classic on the Elliott River!
Beautiful sunny conditions greeted 37 paddlers from all three Queensland SUP clubs (4670 SUP CLUB INC, Sunshine Coast Sup Club and Brisbane SUP Club) on Sunday 2 August 2026 who turned up to test their longer distance flatwater skills and experience for the first of the Sunshine Coast Boardsports Tri-series.
18 paddlers took on the longer and more picturesque 10km course with 19 paddlers giving the 5km course a good crack.
With the incoming tide still running, the 10km paddlers took off heading upstream at 10:40am with the 5km paddlers 10 minutes later.
Winds picked up from the south east of about 20km making the upstream paddle a little challenging but racing is adapting to all these weather conditions.
For the 10km race, Loz Stephenson took the lead and never looked back, once again setting the pace, with Brett Swann coming in second and Julie S Mith finishing strong in third with Clint Jensen hot on her heels.
The 5km race was also strongly contested with Shane Lynch first across the line, with Ian Fenemore paddling hard for second and closely followed by Adam Norfolk in third.
The 4670 SUP Club congratulates all the paddlers who achieved a first, second or third in their age division but also wanted to shout out to all the first time paddlers who took this on as a personal challenge to complete the race in whatever distance they competed !B-)
The 4670 SUP CLUB also wanted to give a big recognition and thank you to 4670 Sup Club member Sondra Anderson for her dedication to taking photos and cheering on all the paddlers who crossed the finish line, with her effort rewarded with sunburn on her feet !!!
The club also appreciated the effort by the Bundaberg Regional Council staff who ensured the facilities at the event site were clean and well stocked, to Scott Michael Sharples and Peter Winton from Paddle Queensland for their support and the amazing raffle prizes of two inflatable SUPs and paddles, and to the Ian and his crew from the Elliott Heads Surf Lifesaving Club for providing wonderful bacon and egg rolls to fill the bellies of the hungry competitors after the race.
And finally to all the people who helped setup and pack away the equipment leaving the site spotless once the event was finished, your assistance is always greatly appreciated.
Results from Webscorer for the event can be accessed here: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=442055