Records broken at The Impossible

Conditions were favourable with mild south-westerly winds and small swells as competitors made their way from Torquay to Barwon Heads.

They embarked on a variety of vessels including kayaks, stand up paddleboards (SUP), outrigger canoes and prone boards.

Race manager Pete Currie said the quality of competition was very high.

“There are some very good paddlers locally. Tim Altman in particular is an amazing paddler.”

A former Olympian, Altman managed not only to break the record for the Male 50-59 years ski/kayak category, but was also the quickest in the general ski/kayak category with a time of one hour, 18 minutes and 22 seconds. Mick Leverett, who competed at the Canoe Marathon World Championships in October, was second.

The Female Open ski/kayak category was won by Wendy McAlpine, who set a time of one hour, 38 minutes and seven seconds.

Local prone paddleboarder Jock Evans also broke the record in his category. He finished the race in two hours, 16 minutes and 27 seconds to beat the record formerly held by Sydney’s Dane Heaysman.

Currie said that he was hoping for an even better turn out for the race’s sixth edition in 2020.

“We’d love to have 100 paddlers. That’s what our goal is next year.”