True Kiwi paddler on a crest

Annabel Anderson (29), former Wanaka resident, trains on her stand-up paddleboard at Brighton in England. She describes the sport as the ultimate out-of-gym activity for those who live beside water. Photo by Annabel Anderson.

Wanaka's Annabel Anderson rocketed into the professional world of stand-up paddleboarding last weekend, finishing second in two events at a world cup event in Hamburg, Germany.

Competitive stand-up paddleboarding - using a longboard and one long paddle - has a five-year history in New Zealand.

Even internationally, it is still regarded as a new sport, despite being rooted in the early Polynesian disciplines of canoeing and board paddling and the 1960s Hawaiian surfing culture.

It has a huge following in the United States and there is now an athletes' association, an international tour and a world cup competition.

Ms Anderson's success last weekend follows hot on the heels of the first Cook Strait crossing by a stand-up paddleboarder, Shayne Baxter (32), of Christchurch, who completed the 29km journey in 3hr 36min, on August 23.

Ms Anderson has represented New Zealand in age-group triathlon and started SUP competition in Auckland two years ago.

Since November, she has been training on the 4-5 knot River Thames in London, where she now works as a loyalty partnerships manager for Maximiles UK, a rewards-based online shopping network.

"I had a good day of racing [on Sunday]," an elated Ms Anderson told the Otago Daily Times by email after the event.

"I came away with second in the pro female sprint race and second in the pro female 10km race. The best girls were definitely here, so it was great to know that I can play at this level."

Ms Anderson was raised in Wanaka by her real estate agent parents Robert and Janet Anderson.

She went to Craighead Diocesan School in Timaru and St Andrew's College in Christchurch, before studying for her commerce and marketing degree at the University of Otago.

She moved to Auckland as soon as she graduated to work in a global graduate programme with DFS Galleria.

She was then appointed brand manager at NRM, which was the rural arm of Tegel Foods, before moving to American Express to be business development manager for its membership rewards programme.

Then she got a lucky break.

She lost her luggage at the airport and the person who returned it invited her sailing and introduced her to the world of racing campaigns.

"I had been wanting to race on keel boats for a long time, as it was something that is very accessible to do in Auckland.

"Luck would have it that the return of a lost piece of luggage resulted in finding a crew and many opportunities spiralled from there," Ms Anderson said.

Ms Anderson took up SUP in 2008, after the Auckland-Fiji yacht race, on the advice of Jeremy Stephenson, the New Zealand pioneer of stand-up paddleboarding.

Mr Stephenson is a surfer and sailor and had picked up the sport about five years ago.

"[He] said that it would be one of the best things I could do to physically prepare for sailing on big boats.

"Jeremy had boards in Fiji and gave me one to paddle around on in Musket Cove.

"Once back, I was included in every opportunity from `downwinders' [paddling with wind and swell from behind] to island touring throughout the Hauraki Gulf and tripping around the various surf breaks of the upper North Island."

Ms Anderson quickly became New Zealand's and the United Kingdom's leading female SUP paddler.

She can be found training on the Thames alongside rowers, including former British Olympian Bobby Thatcher.

The rowers looked at her strangely at first but had become aware of the cross-training benefits, she said.

Paddlers use nearly every muscle in their efforts to propel themselves forward while constantly having to stabilise their body.

Ms Anderson describes it as the ultimate out-of-gym activity for those who live beside water.

"I love the fact SUP is so dynamic. You can do it on flat water ... do it in the surf and explore most bodies of water.

"You can do it as leisurely or as competitively as you like. Age is no barrier to participation and it is very easy for newcomers to master," she said.

In the true Wanaka multi-sporting tradition, Ms Anderson has not "switched" from her other sporting passions but has incorporated it into her action-packed life.

In the UK, she sails from Cowes, on the Isle of Wight.

She still runs and plans to do some off-road events during the northern hemisphere winter.

"SUP has become a key part of my training and the benefits have been immense.

"SUP is also giving me opportunities and reasons to travel and to discover the waterways and oceans of London, the UK and Europe from a different perspective," she said.

Stand-up paddlers are now also being used as safety marshals in swimming events.

Earlier this year, Ms Anderson helped marshal the Triathlon World Cup series race in Hyde Park.

The swim course on the Serpentine is usually out of bounds to water sports, so the paddlers made sure they had fun once their duties were finished by performing headstands on their boards.

"I would recommend that you are able to do a head stand on dry land before attempting it on a SUP board, as it does require an element of balance! I have yoga and kettle ball training [Russian weights] to thank for being able to balance and hold such a position," she said.

When it comes to competition, a 1km sprint can typically be completed in about 10 minutes, while a 10km distance race may take about 75 minutes.

Equipment design, new technology and research associated with the related disciplines of outrigger paddling, kayaking and rowing means SUP athletes are rapidly getting faster.

Last weekend's races in Hamburg harbour were about "benchmarking" and finding out where she was in relation to the best paddlers in the world.

Anderson entered the competition thinking "anything is a bonus".

"I don't think it is ever `easy' to become a world champion. What I do know is that I am as fit as my preparation has allowed and that I will take away a lot of experience from the event," she said.