Last weekend, the Belgian SUP Tour (BST) opened the second half of its racing calendar with The Longest Day at Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure, a gruelling 10-hour endurance challenge that also served as the Belgian leg of the second edition of the Double 10 Challenge.
The pioneering concept pairs two of Europe’s toughest ultra-distance SUP events – Les 10 Heures de Vassivière in France and Belgium’s The Longest Day – creating one combined challenge and leaderboard across two epic 10-hour races.
For many paddlers, The Longest Day is becoming more than an endurance race. This year, a strong contingent of young SUP athletes took on the challenge as a stepping stone towards bigger ultra-distance goals, including the SUP 11-City Tour.
Among them were Dutch paddlers Marin Hoeboer, Elin Van der Sar, and brothers Mylo and Tije Van Bakel, all preparing for the event.
The Van Bakel brothers battled it out with Amit Fast, while Brent and Hannelore Lauwers tackled the separate Kids Challenge of ten 2-kilometre laps.
In total, 40 paddlers took on the 10-hour challenge in conditions that shifted from scorching summer heat through Autumn and Spring.
The Dutch dominated the individual podiums. Joep Van Bakel took the men’s win ahead of his son Mylo, with Morgan Benard in third. The women’s podium was an all-Dutch affair, with Marin Hoeboer claiming victory ahead of Ella Oesterholt and Elin Van der Sar.
From left: Ella Oesterholt, Marin Hoeboer and Elin Van der Sar with Race Director – Vincent Claeskens
The Longest Day: Personal first. Goal achieved. Family challenge complete
Marin Hoboer, Winner of the Women Open and U16 Division said:
“10 hours, 56 kilometres. The Longest Day in Belgium – and let’s just say, the name speaks for itself.
It was an amazing experience and something I’ve never done before. I’m used to long-distance racing, but this type of race was new to me. We had almost every type of weather- rain, wind and sunshine. It was really good training for the SUP 11-City Tour.
I took first place in the Open Women’s division, and I’m really happy about that. Thanks to SUP.Training and Joep van Bakel for the coaching and training, and to Langusso Paddles for the amazing paddles.”
From left: Mylo van Bakel, Joep van Bakel and Morgan Benard
Joep van Bakel, Winner of the Men Open, said:
“We joined the Belgian SUP Tour’s Longest Day SUP Race and Ultra Endurance Challenge as an incredible challenge for the whole family – and as the perfect preparation for the SUP 11-City Race.
For the first time, all four of us were involved in such an extreme endurance challenge. Suzanne was our support crew, making sure food and drinks were ready at exactly the right moments. To fuel us through the 55 km, we relied on Bleu Nana Sports Nutrition.
From left Mylo van Bakel, Tije van Bakel and Amit Fast
Ten-year-old Tije was the youngest participant ever to take on the challenge. As parents, we initially felt it might be too much for him, but he was determined to finish. We monitored him closely throughout the race and were incredibly proud to see him complete the full challenge.
Thirteen-year-old Mylo delivered an amazing performance, finishing second in the Open Men’s category. He left almost all the experienced paddlers behind – with only his dad ahead of him.”
Elin van der Sar
Elin van der Sar, 2nd Place in the U16 Division and 3rd in Women Open, said:
“The idea of going to The Longest Day came after the Planet Baltic Race. I’d never paddled more than 14 km, but I wanted to see how far I could go.
Racing in Belgium is always good. The races are well organised, the atmosphere is great, and you’re welcomed with open arms. That really helps during a long day, along with the great support in the water from the other paddlers.
It was a challenge, but I’m still happy to have finished all the rounds. Looking back, maybe my preparations could have been better, so that’s something to take with me for next year.”
Double 10 Finale
In the final men’s standings, Morgan Benard was crowned the 2026 Double 10 champion, finishing ahead of Kris Deleu and Tim Verbraeken.
In the women’s standings, Catherine Salignoc claimed the title for the second consecutive year, followed by Martine Lambrechts and Suzanne Den Hollander.
In the team competition, “Les Cowboys” secured the overall 2026 Double 10 title, finishing fourth at The Longest Day.
The Double 10 returns in 2027, with the third edition planned to once again pair Les 10 Heures de Vassivière in early July with The Longest Day in late August – two 10-hour races, one combined challenge.
The Longest Day Leaderboard:
To find out more about the Belgian SUP Tour race series, visit belgiansuptour.be
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