Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, is set to make history as it hosts Malaysia’s very first long-distance Stand-Up Paddling (SUP) race – the inaugural Borneo International Stand-Up Paddle (BISM) Marathon. Taking place from 27 to 29 March 2026, this landmark event promises to bring together paddlers from across the region and world for a weekend of competition, adventure, and celebration of the SUP community.
The inaugural 2026 edition, launched during Visit Malaysia Year, is set to firmly position Kota Kinabalu on the international SUP racing map.
TotalSUP caught up with Nick Boura, 62, the mind behind the Borneo International SUP Marathon, Founder and Coach at local hub Borneo Paddle Monkeys, to talk about how Sabah’s unique coastline shaped the vision for this new endurance race. Based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo, Nick’s path from sailing and windsurfing the North Sea coast of northern France, wakeboarding in Asia to paddleboarding in Sabah brings the event full circle – ending in the very waters he’s spent years exploring.
Hi Nick, welcome to TotalSUP! Borneo International SUP Marathon is Malaysia’s first-ever long-distance SUP race. What inspired you to launch this event?
That decision was a no-brainer really, as the potential of Sabah as a SUP destination becomes obvious after you have paddled and explored this part of the world over the years.
Sabah has a very large coastline, which gives us plenty of variety for paddling. Rivers are currently a bit trickier because of the crocs, but the local Government seems to be getting serious now about fixing that problem.
Kota Kinabalu, the state capital and the largest city in Sabah by far, is lucky to have the 5 magnificent islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park sitting on its doorstep.
So the location is a no-brainer. The format of the race on the other hand is just, egotistically, a personal choice. Most of the races being organized around the world these days follow the classic formats based on the 2 major international competitions, the ICF World Championships and the ISA World Championships: Sprint (100 to 200 meters), Technical (3 to 6km, with multiple turns), and ‘Long’ distance (around 10 to 15 km). To me the true essence of the sport is in the ultra-long distance, when the paddler is out there, for 5 to 10 hours straight, connecting with the elements, and with himself.
Long distance also is an age leveller. The advantage the youth has over the older guys & gals in sprint or Tech events becomes less obvious when the distances increase. I am no spring chicken myself, and I feel the only way we oldies can compete with the young guns is to ‘go long’.
This event will launch during Visit Malaysia Year. How important was that timing for putting Kota Kinabalu on the international SUP map?
We were initially planning to launch the race in 2025 but decided to synchronize it with the Malaysian Government’s Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign.
It seems that Malaysia has reached a point where our sport is finally being recognized as real and legitimate. This inaugural BISM will show the international SUP community that Sabah is indeed a top Sup destination, not just for racing but also for recreation and exploring.
For this inaugural event we are enjoying great support from various Government entities (Tourism Ministry, Sabah Parks, Sabah Tourism Board, Penampang Tourism Association, Marine Police, etc..), and the Penampang Tourism Association, that is crucial for the success of the event.
What kind of experience do you want paddlers – both elite and amateur – to take away from this race?
We have designed our event to be inclusive, in the sense that the world’s top paddlers will want to challenge themselves with that 42 km course, but also the non-elite paddlers will be able to tackle something still very challenging but more achievable with the half marathon course (21km). We will also have a team relay race on the day before the solo races, so paddlers can familiarize themselves with the sea and wind conditions, islands and checkpoints. Every one should be able to take part in that team race, as each paddler will then only have to cover 4 or 5km each.
At the end of the day, we want all participants to come out of this adventure with a sense of accomplishment, and also a sense of awe at the islands they paddled through.
We want them to come back year after year, not just for the SUP race but also to explore Sabah’s other destinations. That is why we have partnered with Borneo Escapade Tours to jointly organize the BISM. Borneo Escapade is a Sabah tour agency offering a large variety of tour options, to Mount Kinabalu obviously, but also to jungles and islands, for trekking, diving, birdwatching, home-staying, community touring or just chilling. Borneo Escapade will be offering our BISM competitors (and their entourage) a range of options to explore our state, for those competitors who can stay a few extra days to get to know Sabah better.
With a prize pot of MYR 100,000 (USD 25,000), what message are you hoping to send to the global SUP community?
We wanted to make sure that our prize money level was attractive enough to bring in top paddlers to Kota Kinabalu. Our State Tourism Ministry understood that very well and was able to facilitate this very respectable prize money budget. We have been organizing small local races for a few years now, but the BISM is on a totally different level.
We are quite satisfied with the level of support from the Government, especially for a first time event like the BISM, but we hope that this support will still increase as this annual BISM race grows year after year.
Malaysia has incredible water environments – rivers, islands, coastline. What potential do you see for SUP to grow nationally?
Yes, Malaysia is blessed with miles of pristine beaches and a multitude of beautiful tropical islands. Some rivers currently have a bit of a crocodile issue, but the local Government is working on solving that problem. Borneo Paddle Monkeys was at the very origins of SUP in Sabah. We started guiding people (locals and tourists) around Kota Kinabalu some 8 or 9 years ago. In the past few years however many new SUP operators have emerged, and have unfortunately cheapened our SUP tour product, by focusing on quantity instead of quality. I hope this industry will survive, if the Government manages to clean up the current mess generated by those many illegal SUP operators.
In the meantime, we are focusing on putting our region on the SUP racing map, and our BISM is the vehicle that will take us there. This long distance open water race is expected to attract endurance paddlers from around the world, to test themselves against each other and against the course.
The BISM is expected to help establish this SUP sport in Sabah as a legitimate and exciting one. In that new environment we will finally be able to launch our SUP Academy, grooming young athletes, in Sabah first and then possibly Malaysia as a whole. West Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) is already very active with their young athletes development, and we hope our young Sabah paddlers will join them soon in international races.
Could you walk us through your venture – Borneo Paddle Monkeys – how it started, what its mission is, and how it fits into the growing SUP landscape in Malaysia?
It started some nine years ago when I discovered paddleboarding. I started bringing the family out to paddle, then friends, then friends of friends, and that’s how it grew to what it is today.
Our mottos are ‘SUP For All’ and ‘We take your fun seriously’. SUP is not an extreme sport (although it can be, at the top level), and simply is a great way to connect with Nature. We want to bring this amazing sport to everyone. SUP has unfortunately become over-commercialized recently in Kota Kinabalu, with many cowboy operators popping up everywhere, with no safety, no passion, but only dollars in mind.
But we are staying the course and are sticking with our high-end SUP experience, without cutting corners. We were here at the very beginning of SUP in Sabah, and today our team counts the most experienced guides. We are now leading the next phases of development for the sport in Malaysia: SUP competition.
How do you balance being a community-driven club with also developing competitive athletes?
We haven’t actively developed SUP athletes yet, as we were primarily focusing on establishing SUP as a tourism product for Sabah.
However our BISM event is expected to be the trigger that will bring more focus on training local athletes to start competing in regional events, in the view of building up our very own Sabah team, to represent Malaysia internationally. Currently our Borneo Paddle Monkeys guiding team counts Sabah’s 2 top paddlers, boy and girl, I personally trained them from scratch, and even recently let them beat me in races to build up their confidence. That’s how committed to their growth I am.
Also our new SUP association, WOW SUP Club (Walk On Water Stand Up Paddling Club), has finally been officially registered, and that will be our vehicle to bring local paddlers together, for fun paddle outings, training, racing, and into our SUP academy.
What’s your long-term vision for the Borneo International SUP Marathon, and how do you hope it will shape the evolution of SUP in Malaysia and the wider region?
I think we have a location and a format that will make the BISM a race people like to come back to year after year.
Our plan is to actually alternate ocean and river (this year ocean BISM, next year river BISM) as soon as our rivers are deemed safe again. The idea here is to showcase the full range of what our state of Sabah has to offer, from ocean to rivers.
The ultimate goal obviously is to turn Sabah into a prime SUP destination, not just for racing for also for all-year recreation.
What three words would you use to inspire athletes to compete in the Borneo International SUP Marathon?
Go long in Borneo! And sorry for my poor maths…
Thank you for your time Nick and we can’t wait to follow the race!
Registrations are open.
Follow the BISM Instagram page and website.
To find out more, contact Nick Boura, BISM Race Director, on nickboura@gmail.com
Follow Nick’s SUP hub – Borneo Paddle Monkeys – on Instagram and Facebook
*Images courtesy of Nick Boura