An international SUP festival in the middle of the city
For three days, the Graz River Days turned into a real SUP racing highlight. In the heart of Graz, Austria’s second largest city, the SUP Alps Trophy was celebrated with a varied program, top international athletes and a great atmosphere.
Friday: Downriver action through the city center of Graz
The starting shot for the 9 km ISUP Funrace – a downriver race with real rapids in the first third – was fired on Friday evening. The course then led right through the city center to the historic soap factory, which served as the center of the event. With a spacious outdoor area, direct access to the water and an impressive old factory building, the site offered perfect conditions. Many participants arrived by camper van, turning the event into a festival with a camping flair.
Saturday: Time Trial Longdistance – suspense until the end
Saturday was all about the new time trial format over 11 kilometers. The paddlers from seven nations started at one-minute intervals – sorted by the seeding list, so that the strongest athletes paddled to the end and the race remained exciting until the last second.
Normen Weber (GER) and Csillag Kocsis (HUN) – already sprint winners from Lake Faak – also came out on top in Graz and secured the “King & Queen of Speed” titles. The podium places went to Oda Distel (GER) and Vera Lemekha (UKR) as well as Viktor Zöllmer (HUN) and Thomas Grosup (CZE).
Sunday: Pure technology in KO mode
On Sunday, the technical race began with an individual time trial to determine the seedings for the subsequent knockout rounds. Once again, Normen Weber (GER) took victory in the men’s race ahead of Gal Gros (SLO) and Norbert Hödl (AUT). In the women’s race, Oda Distel (GER) came out on top ahead of Vera Lemekha (UKR) and Polona Pušlja (SLO).
Conclusion: Graz has come to stay
With participants from eight nations, the first appearance of the SUP Alps Trophy as part of the Graz River Days was a complete success – both in sporting and organizational terms. The mixture of city race, nature experience and innovative race format ensured consistently positive feedback. The SUP Alps Trophy Graz River Days are now firmly anchored in the calendar – SAVE THE DATE: June 26 to 28, 2026!