Paddle Logger’s Athlete Holly Pye’s Journey into SUP Foiling

In the dynamic world of stand-up paddleboarding, Paddle Logger’s Holly Pye is carving her own path with passion and determination. With a love for the ocean and a spirit of adventure, she has embraced the challenges of SUP foiling, a sport that combines the thrill of gliding above the waves with the artistry of technique. Holly shares her journey from a novice on a borrowed board to a dedicated competitor, discussing her training routine, inspirations, and the evolving landscape for female athletes in the sport. Join us as we dive into Holly’s experiences, insights, and aspirations.

We are so stoked to have you back on TotalSUP today and to talk to you about all things foiling! What initially drew you to the sport of SUP foiling, and how did you get started?

I tried SUP foiling many years ago on a borrowed Starboard Hyper Foil board and got a few short flights but didn’t feel like I could actually do it. I started wing foiling in 2020 and very quickly learned that my favourite thing to do was go out in the waves and play rather than do big tricks or race fast. I’ve seen so many SUP foiling videos online and it just always looks so fun. It’s the perfect combination for my love of paddling, down winding and waves. It’s much easier kit to travel with than a 14’ race board, I fancied learning something new, and it’s getting more competitive.

I started out on the Starboard Ace foil board with the Starboard Lima paddle and Starboard Glider foils, first trying it in small waves to get the hang of taking off and gliding along bumps, then flat water paddle ups and upwind downwind sessions. Once I felt like I’d got the hang of it, I tried a downwinder, but it was still harder than expected!

That’s remarkable Holly! ⁠Can you describe your typical training routine and how you prepare for competitions?

I haven’t done any foiling competitions yet, but I’ve been racing my 14’ race board for several years now and describe SUP racing as a combination of skills and fitness. I train to improve both my skills and my fitness by paddling in a variety of conditions, running and strength training.

To prepare for specific competitions, I switch my paddle training to be in conditions most similar to what I’ll be racing in. If it’s an A to B downwind race, I’ll do that as much as possible or simply paddle upwind and back downwind. If it’s going to be a flat water race, I’ll try and stick to calmer conditions. It’s not easy to always find the optimal conditions, especially living on the coast in one of the windiest locations in the UK. We don’t have any waterways nearby that aren’t tidal or exposed to the wind so training my flat water technique is the hardest and consequently my weakest discipline, but I try and do the best I can.

After each session, I check my times, stats and graphs in the Paddle Logger app, and I regularly use the Race feature for time trials to check I’m getting faster with each training block.

⁠That’s amazing that you can check your stats in Paddle Logger to track your progress! Since being integrated into the foiling world, what challenges have you faced as a female athlete if any?

I have found SUP foiling very challenging, particularly learning down winding as it’s so much more technical than down winding on a race board! However, I don’t think any of those challenges are specifically because I’m a female athlete!

⁠That’s good to know! How do you maintain your mental and physical health while competing at such a high level?

Mentally, I think it always has to be fun. If training ever feels difficult, it’s usually because I’ve been repeating too many intervals on a local river. I switch up the conditions and do something different like working on my skills, down winding, going out in the waves or foiling. By doing this I’m still maintaining my fitness and improving my paddling, but I forget that it’s a workout.

Physically, I have a pretty big fear of being injured and am way better than I used to be at prevention exercises. I go to the gym a few times a week to work on my strength and mobility, and I’m always aware of the volume I’m covering and try not to overdo it too quickly. Right now, I’m starting up structured race training again after a couple of months of having fun and doing other sports. I feel super motivated to get back to training more but I’m easing my body back in gently.

⁠That sounds like a great plan for your upcoming season! We would love to know who has been your biggest inspiration or mentor in your foiling journey?

There are lots of people inspiring me to be better and showing what’s possible on a foil, but I have to give Paul Simmons a mention as a mentor! He helped me from step one, both by lending me boards and foils to try but also with tips to get up onto the foil, where to place my feet on the board, coming out on the water with me and driving around to help with down winders!

⁠What are some of your most memorable experiences or achievements in the sport so far?

There have been a few! The first time I felt in control on the foil was awesome. The feeling was totally different to wing foiling and I finally felt like I had cracked it after falling off so many times! However, it may have bumped my confidence up too high because down winding is a totally different skill to SUP foiling in waves. I recently did a downwind run when the wind dropped just after we launched, I paddled 12km off the foil – that was also pretty memorable for a different reason!!! Luckily I was using PaddleLIVE®, one of Paddle Logger’s flagship features. While I hadn’t finished as quickly as I had planned, my emergency contacts could see I was still safe and slowly heading in the right direction. Without that, they might have wondered what was taking me so long to get back!! PaddleLIVE® sends my route information and location to my chosen contacts who can keep an eye on me while I’m on the water. They’ll also get notified when I finish paddling which gives both of us peace of mind, especially when I’m down winding in wild conditions!

⁠Wow! Thank goodness you had PaddleLIVE going to help keep you safe out on the water! How do you see the sport of SUP foiling evolving in the coming years?

SUP foiling is getting way more popular, and I’ve already heard more talks about it being involved in more races. I hope the number of downwind races increases because of this popularity – for both SUP foil and SUP race board. At the moment, there aren’t many women competing in SUP foiling but I see this increasing massively. Getting up onto the foil is super physical but once you’re up it’s all about technique, skills, your foils and reading the water so I see there being less of a difference between the speed of men and women over longer distances than in other classes like 14’ for example.

Over the coming months and years, I’d like to see more people utilizing safety equipment. I use PaddlePLAN® and PaddleLIVE®, both features in the Paddle Logger app that help keep you safe on the water. PaddlePLAN® has been particularly useful on several occasions when I’ve been in unfamiliar locations. I plot waypoints on a map, and it estimates the distance of the route, then directs me as I paddle. The coastline always looks different from the water and if there’s several beaches along one stretch, being able to glance down at my watch to see when to turn in and finish has really helped!

⁠We think those are brilliant insights for the future of the foiling world! What advice would you give to young girls interested in getting involved in foiling?

I’d love to say just give it a go, however it can be difficult to try as not many hire centres or clubs offer the use of downwind boards and foils because they can be so easily damaged and can be dangerous. It’s also difficult to get very far in just one session, it took me a long time and a lot of energy to get the hang of it and I’m still not there. Having said that, if you do get the chance to try it you shouldn’t hesitate to give it a go! It’s a very long, tiring and frustrating learning journey but it’s 100% worth it, and the community is really positive with tips and tricks to help others learn.

I’ve seen lots of people from a wing foiling background learning to SUP foil and they often struggle with the paddling technique – you have to paddle hard like you’re sprinting! If you’re already a stand up paddler or racer, you’ll have a huge advantage in the learning curve.

⁠How do you balance your personal life, social media presence, and competitive career?

It’s tricky but I have a good routine most of the time and train for competitions before and after work. Sometimes my social life suffers a bit but going to a race or competition knowing I did my best preparation makes up for it, and the social events after races are pretty good too! I’m lucky to have really supportive friends, family, and work colleagues who totally understand that I never want to skip a training session!

I think most paddlers have a pretty busy schedule and I don’t know anyone who has things easy. Whether it’s personal issues, injuries, kids, work or school commitments, or anything else! We all just get on the water as much as we can and hope everything else falls into place.

⁠Thanks for sharing Holly! Before we let you go to get back on the water, what future goals do you have for your SUP foiling career and any other ventures you’re passionate about?

This year I’d love to improve my SUP foil down winding to a point where I can compete in a race. I love down winding my race board, but the challenge of the foil is something I’m desperate to crack. Of course, I always want to improve my race board paddling every year, however it’s taken a bit of a back seat the last few months as I’ve been working or travelling without much time at home with my boards. Hopefully that’ll all change soon though!

Thanks for taking time out of your training to spend with us Holly! We wish you nothing but the best down winding conditions for 2025, and we can’t wait to see you hopefully competing on the foil soon!

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