Community Sports
USA SUP National Championships coming to Gig Harbor
Gig Harbor will host the USA SUP National Championships Sept. 18 through 20, bringing stand-up paddleboard racers from across the country to the city for three days of competition. The championships will run alongside the annual Narrows Challenge.
USA SUP is the national organization for stand-up paddleboarding. The organization selected Gig Harbor to host this year’s championships as part of its plan to rotate the event through different regions of the country.
USA SUP board president Linda McCoy said the organization wants its national championship to introduce paddlers to different communities.
Stand-up paddleboarders compete during the 2023 national championships in Long Beach, Calif. Photo by James Kao/USA SUP
“We don’t want to just hold it in one static location,” McCoy said. “We want people to go and experience all the different places in the United States.”
It will be the fourth USA SUP National Championships. Previous championships were held in California, South Carolina and Michigan.
Three days of racing
The national championships will include sprint, distance and technical races.
Friday, Sept. 18, will feature 100-meter sprint races. Saturday will include the 10-kilometer distance race and a 5-kilometer race, with technical racing on Sunday. The races will include multiple age groups, including juniors, senior masters, golden masters and legends.
USA SUP also added an inflatable stand-up paddleboard category this year.
The organization is trying to make the national championships accessible to more than just experienced racers. A recreational category will be available for the 5K, and organizers are encouraging local paddlers to participate even if they have never raced before.
“Anybody can come,” McCoy said. “We don’t try to exclude anybody.”
The USA SUP website lists registration at $210. Organizers expect more than 100 athletes to participate, with competitors coming from multiple states.
Standup Paddleboarders compete during the 2025 national championships in Detroit. Photo by Michael Carney/USA SUP
Tod Cole, co-race director for the national championships and race director for the Narrows Challenge, said USA SUP will have about $3,000 in total prize money available in the open and inflatable categories.
The national championships will also serve as the selection event for the U.S. team that will compete at the SUP World Championships in Italy in October.
A national event alongside a local race
The USA SUP championships and Narrows Challenge will operate as separate competitions, but racers and spectators will see both events taking place throughout the weekend.
The Narrows Challenge has been held in Gig Harbor for five years. Cole said it typically attracts about 90 racers.
Its Saturday races will include 5K, 10K and 20K courses outside the harbor. Unlike USA SUP, the Narrows Challenge is open to a variety of human-powered watercraft.
The weekend will also include food trucks, vendors and a performance by the Peninsula School District drone team. The events will be centered around Skansie Brothers Park.
The two races give people who paddle recreationally a chance to see the competitive side of the sport.
“The Gig Harbor community of paddleboarders are 90% recreational,” Cole said. “We’re excited to introduce the competitive side of stand-up paddleboarding to the community.”
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Visitors could bring business to Gig Harbor
More than half of the USA SUP competitors will travel from out of state. USA SUP board member Kristin Thomas said many of them plan to stay in Gig Harbor for the weekend.
Cole said the Narrows Challenge has already shown how paddling events can bring visitors into the city.
“What we have seen, though, is definitely … after the race the majority stay and eat in downtown Gig Harbor and take time once they’ve raced to enjoy downtown Gig Harbor,” Cole said.
Organizers hope the national championships will increase that economic impact by bringing additional competitors and their families to town.
Growing paddleboarding in Gig Harbor
Gig Harbor’s existing paddling community was one reason USA SUP chose the city.
The Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team hosts events including the Narrows Challenge and Paddler’s Cup in the spring. The team also previously added a stand-up paddleboard-only technical course to Paddler’s Cup.
“We have the harbor and what you have right outside the harbor is nature. It’s absolutely gorgeous,” Thomas said. “And we appreciate that Gig Harbor has been so open to us.”
Beyond the national championships, Cole said the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team is looking at starting a stand-up paddleboard racing program. The team is purchasing several racing boards and hopes to begin training local paddlers.
Competitors race into the water during the 2024 USA SUP national championships in Hilton Head, S.C. Photo by Emily Reid/USA SUP
The goal is to build a larger competitive paddleboarding community in Gig Harbor while continuing to serve people who simply enjoy being on the water.
That balance between competition and recreation is an important part of USA SUP’s mission. McCoy said the organization wants to give people opportunities to compete while also helping paddleboarding communities grow.
“We really can’t have one without the other,” McCoy said. “The event grows every year and we see the impact it has on local communities.”