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Find out more about the Bay Paddle: https://www.baypaddle.org/

Host James Maile takes the Starting Gun podcast to the USA for the first time, visiting Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay and the Kent Island Outrigger Canoe Club to interview Bay Paddle founder Chris Hopkinson.

Chris shares how discovering stand-up paddleboarding in his 40s led to a 207-mile, nine-day paddle down the Bay to raise funds for Oyster Recovery Partnership and highlight the Bay’s oyster collapse and conservation needs. That journey evolved into the annual Bay Paddle event (running five years, now ~300 paddlers) with 3-, 10-, and 35-mile races, including a rare OC6 “change race,” plus surfskis and SUP categories. They discuss course scenery, weather and tide challenges, community atmosphere, eco-friendly prizes, fundraising for Oyster Recovery Partnership, Chesapeake Conservancy and Waterkeepers Chesapeake, and a mission to promote the Bay as an “Appalachian Trail for paddlers.”

00:00 Mission to Promote the Bay

01:11 Meet Chris Hopkinson

01:57 Falling in Love with Paddling

02:53 Oysters Spark a Quest

03:45 Paddling the Bay End to End

05:14 From Journey to Annual Race

05:56 Craft Types Explained

09:05 Race Courses and Distances

12:08 Weather Tides and Safety

13:48 Event Growth and Vision

16:32 Conservation Partners and Impact

18:29 Rating the Bay Paddle

22:42 Community Swag and Vibes

25:00 Travel Tips Around Maryland

27:32 Beaches Food and Local Spots

29:06 Volunteers How to Join

31:09 Final Takeaways and Call to Paddle

Noosa Ultra Trail: Race Director Nick Stewart on Hinterland Trails, Distances & Building a Destination Event | Starting Gun Podcast Ep. 5

Find out more at:

Noosaultratrail.com.au

https://www.facebook.com/noosaultratrail

https://www.instagram.com/noosaultratrail

In episode five of the Starting Gun Podcast, host James Maile stays in Noosa to interview Nick Stewart, race director of the Noosa Ultra Trail, focusing on “great people, great places, and great races.” Nick shares his 40-year sports marketing and events background (IMG, Channel Seven motorsport, Sydney Olympic Stadium, golf management, and Ironman) and his progression from triathlon to trail ultras, including multiple 100K runs. They discuss trail running’s growth in Australia, citing COVID, urbanization, and younger runners pushing longer distances. Nick explains the Noosa Ultra Trail’s origins (pitched to council in 2021; first held in 2022) and its six distances from 15K to 100K, including point-to-point and an afternoon option, plus a new 45K mountain marathon. He covers popularity of the 25K and 50K, shares stories including wheelchair athletes completing a modified 10K in 2023, highlights hinterland spots like Pomona, Cooran, lookouts, and Lake Macdonald, and directs listeners to noosaultratrail.com.au and social channels, noting early bird pricing ends 31 October.

00:03 Introduction

01:22 Great People: Nick's Background

08:52 Great Races: The Noosa Ultra Trail

13:54 The Scorecard

23:00 Stories from the Trail

30:27 Great Places: Noosa Hinterland

36:09 How to Enter

Wild Women Adventure Race: Triadventure’s All-Women Navigation Endurance Event in Noosa | Starting Gun Ep. 4

Host James Maile welcomes Jan and Kim, founders of Triadventure, to Starting Gun episode four from Australia’s Noosa Hinterland to discuss their all-women adventure racing events. They explain how decades in triathlon led them to adventure racing for its navigation element, and why they created women-only races to upskill women in map-and-compass skills rather than treating them as mandatory team members in mixed categories. They outline two events: the six-hour Wild Women Adventure Race (teams of two trekking, mountain biking and paddling with mystery disciplines) and the three-day, all-daylight Amazons Australia stage race in North Queensland with comfortable evenings. The episode highlights Sunshine Coast scenery and attractions, discusses gear requirements, course changes each year, a zero-waste policy, and how to find Triadventure online.

00:00 Origins of Wild Women

00:21 Host Thanks and Subscribe

01:19 Meet Jan and Kim

03:02 From Triathlon to Adventure Racing

06:07 Amazons Stage Race

07:18 Why Women Only Events

11:27 Noosa Hinterland Setting

13:57 Must See Sunshine Coast Spots

17:25 Wild Women Race Basics

17:49 Navigation and Disciplines

20:24 Distances and Getting Lost

23:08 Who Races and Categories

25:58 Gear and Course Changes

29:42 Starting Gun Scorecard

37:35 Sustainability and No Medals

39:18 Why You Should Enter

40:22 Where to Learn More

41:13 Final Thanks and Wrap

Find out more at:

https://triadventure.com.au

https://www.amazonsaustralia.com

https://www.facebook.com/triadventurenoosa