Top tips for travelling to watersports races with children
When you decide to take part in SUP racing you are instantly signing up for travel. There is likely to be club racing in your area but the key races of the year and the national series are always worth the weekends away.
After a hard 2023 (having my daughter in June via emergency C-section), I wanted a big adventure. I entered the Euro Tour in Barcelona racing against the world’s best.
This meant taking our two children 5 years and 11 months with us and driving there. We could fly, but that’s restricting the amount we could take, probably spending more on accommodation, and the risk and cost of flying our boards. So a 14-hour drive to Spain it was!
Here are my travel tips for kids heading to a SUP race:
1. Tell them it’s an adventure! It’s not a holiday. Make every small part exciting and a mission
2. A goodie bag – If it’s beach destination, a cheap watercolour set to paint stone and shells, an activity book to do in the car, their fave sweets.
3. Tablet/iPad – Who are we kidding, it needs to be done make sure you have everything to charge them and you have downloaded everything
4. If it’s a long drive try and find stops with something to do or to see.
When we got to Barcelona, I checked in to the event, and we put our race boards into storage. You can hire boards but it’s an extra cost and personally I like to have my own. We stayed in El Masnou about 30 mins from the centre of Barcelona, a lovely area and a bit
quieter.
Race day its always an early start, no matter where you are. I had my daughter in a carrier under the umbrella (as it was raining!) and our son stood on the back of our pull along wagon wearing my coat to entirely cover him.
Top tips for race day
1. Our wagon is our best friend – It’s so easy to pull along any terrain, fits all kit, essentials and kids in.
2. Clear boxes – Boxes are so much easier than bags when dealing with sand, and in a rush you can see what you are looking for. They stack easier, and you can have a separate one for children’s toys (also a win in rain!)
3. ALL the snacks! – Including ice packs and several options for water because one will always get sand in it.
5. Ice cube – Or free your race hydration pack
6. Roll on sunscreen – That kids can do themselves – genius!
7. Manage your expectations – Remind yourself whatever you do is an achievement. You have made it to that start line.
The rain did stop just as we were getting ready for the women’s race. My husband set up camp with the GB team on the beach and I lined up with my board.
The conditions were far from what I think most people were expecting for the Mediterranean Sea. The swell was huge, chop from every angle and pretty sizeable boat wake. Even the pros commented on how challenging the race was. It was a 14km course, two laps of 7km. I made it a lap and I was so proud of that, it took a good half hour longer than the distance would usually take me and I was exhausted but I could measure my success by my 5 year old coming running towards me for a cuddle as I came up the beach.
The summary
It’s organised chaos that you have to roll with. There were some low points as you would expect but the highlights massively outweigh the low. It won’t be the last international race I do and we will 100% take the kids again!
