Planet Baltic SUP Race 2025: Who’s got what it takes to claim the Most Valuable Paddler (MVP) Title?

The hype is already building – this will be TotalSUP’s first year reporting on-site from the action. The 8th edition of the Planet Baltic SUP Race, Poland’s longest-running ocean SUP race and one of the few remaining major sea races in Northern Europe held on 7-9 August in Kołobrzeg, has grown into a fully-fledged international event, rapidly gaining momentum as athletes from around the world confirm their participation.

Last year, the coveted Most Valuable Paddler title went to a Swedish competitor, fuelling a strong desire among Polish athletes to reclaim it—adding even more intensity and excitement to the competition.

As the event draws near, TotalSUP caught up with Marcin Koc, CEO, founder, and race director of Planet Baltic, along with both Polish and international riders, to discover what makes winning the title especially sweet this year.

Hi Marcin, welcome back to TotalSUP – We can’t wait to see you in August! The MVP title has become a huge magnet — what makes it so desirable among athletes?

The popularity of the title Most Valuable Paddler of the Planet Baltic SUP Race™ has surprised even us. The idea first appeared at the very beginning of our journey (in 2017), when winning our event meant you had to win everything. The MVP concept was developed by our Chief Judge, Marek Rowiński, who oversees the sporting side of PBSR™ and is the author of the Notice of Race for PBSR™.

I often reference sailing – in this particular case, the America’s Cup, where the winner takes all. That’s also the motto of our race: “There will be no second.”

The MVP title means you’re the best, the fastest, that you prepared at 150% of your ability. To earn the title, you practically have to win the sprint, technical, and long-distance races – which, as we know, is incredibly difficult (but possible, as history shows).

MVP is also a magnet for competitors, because only two people on the beach start with the numbers 1 (men) and 100 (women). This year, that honour goes to Linus Karlsson and Marta Apanasewicz (a three-time MVP: 2022, 2023, 2024).

In addition to the medal, winners receive beautiful automatic watches from the Polish company G. Gerlach Watches—truly exceptional timepieces.

To sum up, I believe that the MVP title belongs to someone extraordinary, and everyone feels it. Let’s also not forget—it’s a heavy burden to carry. Winning the title is one thing, but defending it takes real effort!

This year, international participation looks stronger than ever – what do you think is driving this interest in the event?

As the organiser of this event, I’m happy to see more and more international athletes joining us. I’ll admit—we’re still waiting to welcome teams from Italy, Spain, Greece, and Great Britain 😊.

What’s driving this growing interest? I think that’s a question best answered by the athletes themselves. As organisers, we do our best to deliver the highest quality experience, and as I’ve emphasized many times—we listen to the athletes. This event isn’t meant for me – it’s meant for them.

It’s the athletes who create both the spirit of competition and the friendships that form beyond the start line. I’m glad that after all these years, they’ve come to see the value in making the journey to Poland.

PBSR™ is probably the easternmost stop on the European international SUP scene 😊. Our partnership with the Czech SUP and Surf Federation definitely helps. For the past two years, the Planet Baltic SUP Race™ has been part of the Czech Cup series.

We’re grateful to all the athletes who make the effort to travel 1,000 kilometers or more just to stand on the beach in Kołobrzeg.

Maybe our rules are also part of the appeal? We prioritise athlete safety, but we don’t compromise on fierce competition. It works – we avoid situations where one paddler crashes into another’s legs or worse.

Also, this is the only event that’s truly held on the open sea (although we do have a backup venue, which we had to use in 2023 due to a major storm).

From the prize pool and course design to the atmosphere — what elements make this edition stand out and rank it among the biggest to date?

That’s a tough question 😊 We’re always striving to improve and adapt the Planet Baltic SUP Race™, building on the experiences of previous years. This year, we’ve moved the event to run from Thursday to Saturday, so we can meet with the athletes at an evening party. This way, they don’t have to leave Kołobrzeg immediately after the competition ends.

Every year, we also see a steady increase in the number of participants. We’re introducing new features that prove to be successful – prologues for short races, electronic timekeeping to eliminate finish line errors, and this year we’ll test GPS trackers for the long-distance race so we can break down and analyse the entire race in detail.

I also believe the athletes themselves play a big role in our growth—they talk about us during other events and say, “That one’s well organized” (or at least I hope they do 😊).
What this year’s edition will be like—we’ll see very soon. I hope, above all, that it will be a great experience for the athletes, which is our top priority. We’ll do our part to deliver the highest quality event possible.

Of course, I must mention our Partners, without whom smooth organization would not be possible. Thanks to them, we continue to grow year after year:

• Kołobrzeg Re:Generacja
• Pomorze Zachodnie
• Port Kołobrzeg
• Millenium Kołobrzeg
• G.Gerlach Watches – MVP Partner
• Signateq – Technical Race Partner
• Lotto – Sprint Race Partner
• Moose Bags – zawsze miłe niespodzianki dla Zawodniczek
• Krówka Kołobrzeska – pyszne polskie cukierki z manufaktury w Kołobrzegu
• Hydrosfera
• PaddleboardGuru
• Basssup
• Sup World Ranking
• Event Factory Szczecin

Thank you for the conversation, and see you on the beach in Kołobrzeg on 7 August!

Marta Apanasewicz, Poland – Planet Baltic 3x MVP and 2024 Gold (Sprint, Tech & 4th LD)

Hi Marta, the fight for MVP is on – what’s your game plan going into Planet Baltic, and what makes snagging that title extra cool this year?

I’m doing everything like always — training, training, and training. And if this year I’m given the chance to win MVP again, I’ll be thrilled. I’m preparing myself for sprint so much, so the MVP title would be a surprise, as always. ❤️

As the longest-running open water event in Poland, Planet Baltic clearly has something special. What keeps you coming back?

The waves and wind – I miss the battle and running in waves and windy conditions so much (also last year was flat) , because everywhere I race this year it’s just flat water. Also, the fact that this big event is in my country makes it even more special. Can’t wait for the waves — but please, please pray for those kinds of conditions this time!

Mikołaj Majdan, Poland – Planet Baltic 2x MVP and 2024 Bronze (LD), Sliver (Sprint)

Hi Mikołaj , the fight for MVP is on – what’s your game plan going into Planet Baltic, and what makes snagging that title extra cool this year?

My approach to every competition is always the same – to win. This year’s Planet Baltic is especially important to me, as I’ve lost my MVP title after holding it for two years. You can be sure I’ll give it everything I’ve got to reclaim it.

As the longest-running open water event in Poland, Planet Baltic clearly has something special. What keeps you coming back?

There are several reasons why Planet Baltic is important to me. It was one of my first races, and it’s one of the few open sea races in Poland. This year, it’s also part of the Polish SUP Tour, which I’m aiming to win 😁. Most importantly, it’s a great opportunity to test your skills in various conditions and race formats – a perfect mid-season form check-up 💪.

Kjell De Bruyn, Belgium – Planet Baltic 2024 Gold (LD), Silver (Tech), 4th (Sprints)

Hi Kjell, the fight for MVP is on – what’s your game plan going into Planet Baltic, and what makes snagging that title extra cool this year?

I’m not racing for titles, I’m racing because I want to perform my best and challenge myself in the given conditions with good competition. And if that means I can compete for MVP that’s a very nice extra.

What keeps you coming back?

I’m going back to Planet Baltic for a few reasons. The first one being the people that organise it. Marcin and his team put so much passion and effort in organizing this event. They make every rider feel special from the moment you arrive till the moment you leave. Which brings me to the second reason and that is the high level of organisation and structure they provide.

They are pros at what they are doing and they try to improve themselves every year, listing to feedback and running with it. The last reason being that I love and miss open water racing. Planet Baltic is one of the few remaining big Sea races in the North of Europe. It saddens me to see that most of Northern Europe has moved almost exclusively into flatwater racing. I want to support PlanetBaltic because it showcases what paddling is about for me, working with the sea, it’s waves and currents. Hope to see a lot of like minded people there and have a good time! Do zobaczenia w Polsce!

Hanna Kamińska, Poland – Planet Baltic 2024 Silver (LD U18), Gold (Sprint U18), Silver (Tech U18); 3rd MVP

Hi Hania, the fight for MVP is on – what’s your game plan going into Planet Baltic, and what makes snagging that title extra cool this year?

This year I truly believe in my potential, especially seeing the progress I’ve made since the last season.
My main focus is on sprints, but I’m still aiming for a strong overall performance. It would be really special to earn the MVP title this time, knowing how much I’ve grown and how hard I’ve worked to get here. The title always seemed to slip away by few points so this year I’ll do my best not to disappoint this time.

What keeps you coming back?

I love the atmosphere! there’s something unique about racing at home. It is a great honour to win there, I could almost compare it to winning a home Grand Prix in F1. There’s always a lot of people around, it’s exciting to have a big crowd watching your every move! It’s great to have such a major event in Poland, and Kołobrzeg is a beautiful, scenic place with so much potential for a competition like this.

Linus Karlsson, Sweden – Planet Baltic 2024 Gold (Sprint, Tech & 4th LD) and MVP Title

Why I want to go back is a easy question. It’s definitely one of the greatest events I ever participated in! Highly professional all the way through! I Definitely recommend everyone to come join the race this August!

To find out more about the event and register, visit planetbaltic.pl

Follow Planet Baltic on social media – Facebook, Instagram and YouTube 

*Images courtesy of Planet Baltic SUP Race