Hi ,

As the saying goes, time waits for no man (or woman) and YOUR free shirt is getting nervous as it sits on the shelf waiting for you to enter the 2026 Pete Marlin Surfski Race. All it takes to claim your free shirt as part of your entry is to enter before midnight on Monday, September 21st.

If you are entered before the deadline, your shirt will be waiting for you at registration and you can join the sartorially elegant paddlers who earn the right to wear a Pete Marlin Surfski Race shirt.

Late entries – received after Tuesday, September 22nd – may not be getting a free shirt, but they will still have the opportunity to enjoy one of the best weekend's of downwind surfski paddling in the country on October 31st and November 1st.

And, all entrants, regardless of when they enter, will be able to compete for the double reward of a healthy prize fund and SA Championship medals across a wide range of race categories – which leads us to the race categories ...

This year the Pete Marlin will fall in line with the new ocean paddling age-group categories as set out by Paddle Worldwide and PSA, and these will be used for awarding prizes and SA Championship medals for the S2 (doubles) event.

To qualify for the new age-group prizes and medals, all over-35 paddlers in the doubles race must fall within a combined (total) age group in 10-year increments from 70 (as detailed below).

To check your S2 age category go to the PSA Age Category Calculator here 

It is important to note that:
1) The new age categories do not affect U23, U18 or U16 racing classes, where both partners must be within U23, U18 or U16 respectively.
2) BOTH paddlers need to be age 35 or older for all 70+ combined S2 age group prizes;
3) All age-group categories are based on the combined age of paddlers as at 31st December 2026 (not necessarily your age on the day of the race).

For all out-of-town paddlers aiming to grab a medal, title and / or a chunk of the prizemoney, a good night's sleep is a key element of the preparation. With that in mind the event organisers have put together a comprehensive list of accommodation offerings. Options range from recommended B&Bs and guest houses, to lodges, suites, private game reserves and resorts. The choice is yours, if you go to the event Accommodation Page.

The official race WhatsApp group is the primary source of communication to paddlers. To make sure you are up to date with the event information and updates, we encourage you to remain on the group or please click the following link or click the button below to join: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HWVKX6xsaOWBtpppyHjZIW.

And finally, we have to thank the key group of organisations who make this all possible: Our race sponsors. Remember, the only way the Pete Marlin can remain one of the top races on the calendar is with the invaluable support of the event sponsors, so not only do we all owe them a massive debt of gratitude, but we also ask you to support them when you can.

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