Thursday, July 24, 2025, Full Tilt Blackburn Challenge: Sixth Sense The Cape Ann Rowing Club restored the Blackburn Challenge course to its traditional 19.5 mile incarnation for 2025. The results of last year's experimental choose-your-own-adventure race were catastrophic. While undeniably capturing the spirit (and length, in some cases) of Howard [...]
Pretty much on a whim, Tim and decided to race a double surf ski for this year's 2023 Blackburn Challenge. While I have raced 17 Blackburn, never in a double. Tim has raced both in his 20 years at Blackburn. Four weeks out, Tim and I did a training paddle [...]
Article Reposted with Permission from New England Surfski(NESS) This year’s Blackburn Challenge in Gloucester, MA featured one of the great head-to-head battles in the storied 35-year history of this great race. Twenty-one single HPKs (all skis but one) and four double skis participated in this classic 19.5-mile race around Cape [...]
While the Olympic athletes of the world held their collective breath to see if they'd be allowed to compete in Tokyo this year, Northeast paddlers similarly awaited news of the Blackburn Challenge. Of course, there was one critical difference: In our case, half the field was praying for deliverance from the three-hour [...]
Another Blackburn is in the books. It’s such a fun race and supportive community, I’m always excited to sign up. Then, come the 2/3 or 3/4 mark, I’m even more excited to be done with it. I came in “first place,” which honestly is not much of a feat considering [...]
