Published on March 6th, 2019 | by Matt Dumoulin
Casper Steinfath ready to host this year’s craziest SUP event
One of 2019’s craziest and most unique SUP events in the world will take place in Copenhagen this summer.
The event is called the “Midsummer Viking Challenge” and is hosted by the 25-year-old SUP Viking and four-time ISA World Champion, Casper Steinfath. One of his new projects is to host unique paddle events under the Viking Challenge brand, and he can’t wait to welcome paddlers from all over the world to his home country for this first edition of the Midsummer Viking Challenge.
Midsummer Viking Challenge is a 24-hours SUP relay race for paddlers of all levels on a nice 5-K course in the middle of Copenhagen. Sign in has just open.
« I am so excited to host this event and see a bunch of stoked stand up paddlers from around the world team up and together take on this amazing Midsummer Challenge. Together we will break boundaries and celebrate the lovely Danish midsummer and its long, warm and light evenings, » Casper Steinfath says.
Reley race for paddlers of all levels
The event is a unique 24-hour SUP relay race for paddlers of all levels. The race will start at 2:00 pm on Saturday, June 22nd and will end 24 hours later on the longest day of the year in Denmark.
Each team consists of three to five paddlers, and it will be up to each side to decide how often they will switch between their paddlers, with the goal to paddle as many laps as possible in 24 hours.
The course will feature a five-kilometer-long lap around the artificial ‘Amager Strandpark’ in the heart of Copenhagen with flat water on the inside stretch and slightly choppy waters of Øresund on the outside.
Challenging and fun at the same time
The Midsummer Viking Challenge is Steinfath’s first major project outside of racing since his infamous trip across Skagerrak, the ocean between Denmark and Norway, one year ago.
« My dream is to create an event that is challenging and fun at the same time, but also where you experience what it means to belong to a team. When I paddled to Norway last winter, I wanted to break boundaries by pushing my body to levels I thought were impossible. I learned that it was my team who made it possible for me to reach my dream. I hope that the paddlers in the Midsummer Viking Challenge will get a taste of that same feeling, » Casper Steinfath says.
Donations again plastic pollution
Apart from being an athletic challenge, the organisers want to use this Midsummer Viking Challenge to highlight the increasing level of plastic pollution in the oceans and across the beaches of the world. Each team is therefore required to make donations per lap they paddle to the NGO “Plastic Change”, who campaign for less plastic pollution in the world.
– We strongly recommend that each team finds a sponsor that can help with this donation for a good cause. And remember that a sponsor could also be your grandparents or your neighbour, Casper Steinfath says.
The entry fee is 1,000 DKK (approx 130 euro). That includes lycra, goodie bags, great prizes, a lounge to chill in and a lot of other cool features around the event.
« The event is still under construction, and we can’t wait to reveal all sorts of fantastic news throughout the coming months. Until then, get your team ready and sign up – It’s going to be a ton of fun and I can’t wait to see you there. » – Casper Steinfath
Read all about the event and sign up here: www.vikingchallenge.dk
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