by Tricia Lyons, USA SUP Regional Rep, NorthWest Region

Chattajack 31 2026!

Year two of taking on this 32-mile endurance paddle race in Chattanooga, Tennessee, came with a brand new twist: TANDEM SUP!
@susanne.butler.86 and I decided to join forces to help fill out the Tandem bracket at the request of @michelleeason2008 and her partner Grant

We drafted well together at last year’s race, so we figured, why not?
This challenge did NOT disappoint.
We had exactly one day and six miles before the race to dial in our first-ever attempt at tandem paddling.

Safe to say, we crossed the finish line still friends and knowing each other a whole lot better!

Communication is truly KEY on a tandem board—one sneeze, cough, or head turn, and your partner feels everything. I had to press into my feet and legs way more than usual just to keep balanced.
The start was absolute chaos! We endured 1 to 2 miles of solid wash from other paddlers right out of the gate, but we made it through. The rest was smooth sailing until we hit mile 27.

I had previously pulled something in my back and hadn’t fully recovered. By the end, every single boat wake made my left leg cramp so badly that it dropped me to my knees and slowed us down. Sue was an absolute rock—strong, resilient, and a true leader through the mental and physical challenges.

Even as the pain intensified with every passing boat wake, Sue kept me in check and focused. We fought through it and made it to the finish line!
So incredibly GRATEFUL and proud to have accomplished something so hard, so new, and so incredibly cool.