Michel Keersmaekers leads Double 10 Challenge ahead of the decisive Belgian SUP Tour’s endurance race

Photo by Benjamin Grand

As the registrations are up for the second and final leg of the Double 10 Challenge, a pioneering concept in ultra-long-distance racing, pairing Les 10 Heures de Vassivière, organised by Christophe Bancelin and the Paddle Vassivière Club in France, with Belgium’s The Longest Day, spearheaded by Vincent Claeskens and the Belgian SUP Tour (BST). Together, they create the Double 10 – two epic 10-hour races, one combined leaderboard.

The outcome of the Double 10 Challenge will be decided on Saturday, August 30 during The Longest Day at Les Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure. But one name already stands out as the clear front-runner: Michel Keersmaekers.

Michel is a well-established figure in the Belgian endurance SUP scene, with a steady list of achievements built over years of dedication. A multiple-time Belgian Champion in Ultra Long Distance, both individually and alongside his wife Nathalie in the duo category (42 km at Steneke, 2024), Michel has been a consistent presence at national and international events – he’s an eleven-time finisher of the gruelling SUP 11-City Tour (Masters Division Winner 2022 and 2023)!

Off the racecourse, Michel plays an important role in the Belgian SUP community. As the Founder and Coach of Kempen SUP, the country’s largest paddle club, he has supported and mentored many up-and-coming paddlers. In 2024, he represented Belgium at the ISA World Championships in Copenhagen in both the Technical and Long Distance races, and finished the demanding SUP 11-City Tour in the Netherlands an impressive eleven times!

While Belgium was represented by a small group of passionate amateurs, Michel quietly joined the event, flew under the radar, and not only took the win, but also set a new course record in the process.

We had a rare opportunity to sit down with this humble athlete – often quietly spoken himself, but frequently cited by fellow paddlers – as a powerful influence on their SUP journeys.

Hi Michel, welcome to TotalSUP and massive congratulations on your win at Vassivière! Can you walk us through your race strategy and how it evolved over the 10 hours?

Thank you for the congratulations. I did not have a strategy that I was going to stick to, I did have several scenarios in my head that could possibly happen but afterwards the real race turned out differently than expected. I knew that a good start was very important, I didn’t know most of the competitors and I didn’t want to be surprised so mission number one was to start in the leading group and then hold my position until the first pressure was off, this took longer than expected because my direct competitor at that moment was Morgan Benard and he had only put on some strong gears so I had to follow at 50 meters.

After 3 hours at a far too high pace and heart rate, we met up again and decided to take the pressure off together and continue together, it was almost 30 degrees. After about two hours of paddling together, Benard told me he wasn’t feeling so well and decided to take a short break, from then on I went solo for about 4 hours towards the 10 hour mark and the finish.

Photo by Benjamin Grand

What is it about endurance and ultra-endurance racing that keeps drawing you back? What drives you to push through the pain?

Challenging yourself and discovering what your body can do and especially the days afterwards how fast or slow does the recovery happen. The feeling of finishing an ultra is great and if you can do this without too many physical problems then that is totally awesome. Pain after 7 to 8 hours of paddling is normal, then it’s important to know your body and how hard you can shed on you.

Photo by Benjamin Grand

The Double 10 Challenge brings a unique format to the SUP world: two gruelling 10-hour races weeks apart. What’s your overall take on it?

I think it’s a great that races are coming together, if this causes both events to grow and attract a larger audience we can only applaud this.

Your name comes up in nearly every conversation about the Belgian SUP Tour and the Belgian race scene – you’ve built an incredible legacy in the sport. How does it feel to represent not just yourself, but an entire Belgian paddling community on the international stage?

We are only a small country with an even smaller sup community and if we then get the opportunity to be able to paddle internationally and then still be able to put up a nice performance once in a while we are very satisfied.

Photos by Benjamin Grand

Kempen SUP has become a hub for paddling talent – what inspired you to start it, and how has it evolved over the years?

My wife Nathalie and I first started with commercial SUP, after some time I was teaching people who came weekly to train until we were teaching almost every night to the different groups with different skill levels, from then on we created a sports club and divided the tasks.

You’ve mentored many paddlers over the years. What advice would you give someone thinking about entering their first ultra-distance race?

First of all, knock hours on the water and pay enough attention to efficient paddling technique.

You’ve seen the sport grow first-hand – what do you think is essential to drive SUP forward, both at home in Belgium and across the global scene?

Focus on experience and accessibility of the sport for everyone.

With the Double 10 Trophy set to be decided at The Longest Day on August 30, how are you approaching this final race? Will your strategy shift, or are you building on the momentum from Vassivière?

It’s a totally different format, so I don’t know what to expect. In any case, it will be a tough race.

Thank you for your insights Michel and best of luck in the race for the overall Double 10 Challenge title!

Photos by Benjamin Grand

Register for The Longest Day at Les Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure

To find out more and register for the Belgian SUP Tour, visit belgiansuptour.be

Join the Belgian SUP Tour (BST) group on Facebook and follow BST on Instagram 

Follow Michel Keersmaekers and Kempen SUP on Instagram

*Images by Benjamin Grand