Serendipity… it plays a big role in writing about this sport. Each discipline uncovers riders that stay with you – something strikes a chord and you find yourself following their progression without ever having met them in person.
It speaks to the diversity of SUP, to the range of characters that shape its culture – a mindset rooted in surf heritage, an interplay of layers of lived stories, pure stoke and that laid-back, ‘hang loose’ attitude at its core.
Romain Brunet is one of those riders. Based in Vielle Saint Girons in the Landes, France, the 41-year-old surfer and bodyboarder turned prone paddler was the 2025 SUP 11-City Tour finisher and the first French athlete to take it on a prone paddleboard.
This year Romain returns for the gnarliest form of the SUP 11-City Tour Challenge: the Non-Stop race – a 200km journey through the Frisian waterways in the Netherlands, taking place 5-6 September 2026, with a maximum time allowance of 36 hours for women and 34 hours for men!
We caught up with Romain to talk all things prone – often regarded as the purest form of paddlesport and one of the most physically demanding endurance formats – alongside his decade-long background in vert skateboarding, what he carries over from one of the toughest sports on the planet, a big shoutout to those who inspire him, and the ongoing negotiation with his mum to stay longer on the water 😉.
Photo by: Mayola Photography
Thank you so much Anna it’s such an honour to be interviewed by you guys! I was born in Arcachon, a famous seashore city in France, my first steps were on the beach, so it was natural as a toddler to be attracted to the ocean.
Then in the 90s I did a lot of bodyboarding, my parents spent countless hours on the beach waiting for me and that famous “last wave”, sorry mom! There was such an hardcore scene back in the days, surfing was too expensive so many groms were bodyboarding, I was a huge fan of Paul Roach, a drop knee rider, such a style!
Then when I was around 18, I could afford my first surfboard and since then, I never stopped… but I hate big waves, I’m a small, mushy waves lover.
Photo by: Mayola Photography
Why prone paddling? Because of my local surf scene! Surf spots are so crowded and competitive, kids are shredding and pushing us to paddle so much to catch waves… Surfing used to be a small tribe and a tough but fair code of conduct, now it’s just total war nobody really cares…
So like an old wild boar, kicked out from the herd I decided to surf alone on the outside bumps without anybody around! It was also a time when I was so frustrated about my surfing, I don’t know why, I was so focused on improving my surfing that I ended up losing the fun of it… Prone paddling helped me have fun in waves again. And now, as my paddling is solid, I can get back to the peak and to show those kids that that old bald guy still rocks, haha!
I discovered prone paddling during a lifesaving competition, one of my friends, Johan, was the coach of a team and he let me try a board, I liked it immediately, same paddling as surfing but faster and smoother! Surfing those boards is really a great feeling. You can improve your surfing feel so much on those boards, you discover new places on the wave that generates speed… it’s not only about the curl of the wave, the shape of those boards helps you to connect bumps, which is impossible with a surfboard, and it’s so fun, you improve your glide and riding time by 500%.
The night after that test, I looked on a website to check where to purchase boards, and to find information on that sport… and I found an article of the best French prone paddler Mederic Berthe on your website, and the guy was living 10 minutes far from my home so I contacted him.
When thinking about it he did not give me any other choices, he just told me: prone paddling has to be long distance, at least 5/6 hours, he called the prone paddle the “pain stick”, and told me that it was painful and boring! And spoiler alert… He was right 🤣
He was preparing for the Catalina race (prone paddle world classic race with Molokai2Oahu) that he won in 2019, so I was stuck with the best French paddler and I had to try to follow him… It was a long, lonely and painful time!
He helped me a lot with my practice and we became friends, he played a mentor role in my prone paddle journey. Merci Médé!
Photo by Edwin Westra
I think that’s like everything in life, you have to have that vision, that inner fire, that thing you want to do, it could be whatever you want, then you dream about it, become obsessed about it, talk to close friends, then you plan it, begin training, try, fail, repeat *1000 times, and ultimately before you noticed it you did it…
Just do it if you feel it has to be done, nobody cares it’s you and yourself, fuel that inner fire, fuel your crazy thoughts! And then you’ll end up doing an interview for TotalSUP, hahaha!
To be honest what I like the most, it’s not even the race day, it’s the whole process, the months of training, hard work in the garage with the Concept2 RowErg, dreaming about the race, the doubts, the stress, the why am I doing this questions in the middle of a training… Choosing, trying the equipment, the food protocoles, the music choices, I like everything about it, it’s like making a dream come to life… Creating something out of nothing.
All those experiences you feel during training will occur on race day, just embrace the Pain? Boredom? Life questioning? Hypnotic state? Happiness? and circle it back 25 times! You are at the right place, it’s what you’ve been looking for, welcome to the ultra world!
My thing is that I like gliding on water, it’s that simple, like when I was a kid, being so close to the water and gliding on it, it’s pure magic! Honestly I feel blessed each time I am on my board having nothing in mind but gliding on water… I just want to do it forever! “Just another last wave, mom!” That’s that grom’s spirit that keeps my inner fire, my “why”.
And speaking about that “why” it has to be clearly defined! I am not telling you it has to have a magnificent purpose, it could be the beer after, but you have to crave for that beer… because your “why” will be challenged!
Physically, being prepared is a must, it’s a full process, the more fit you are the less you’ll doubt, it will reinforce your willingness, sh*t will happen, it’s not a matter of if it’s a matter of when, so you have to be fit enough to endure it.
I am so grateful to be coached by Remi Pourtau, he’s a friend, an elite physical training coach and he’s an absolute beast, this guy has coached Olympic medallists, and me, the 41 year old bald sedentary sales guy that has dreams of ultra distances 🤣. I am so lucky to have him in my corner! Our WhatsApp is full of Arnold, Ronnie Coleman, Bask powerlifters memes and quotes.
I just put myself in this position where I cannot let go of my mates, I have to do it… we are a team, this guy spends time thinking about what muscle I should train to ease the pain of 200km prone paddleboarding, I have to trust the process, embrace it!
You have to trust your team, it gives you that confidence when in doubt, I feel like, at least there is a guy who knows what he’s doing!
I like the whole process, dreaming, being obsessed with that thing you think that has to be done, doubting, failing, getting back on the horse… That’s life!
It’s an amazing adventure! I love it!
I have a 10-year old daughter, she’s my everything, she’s a pony rider, seeing her jumping over bars, falling over a 300 kg impulsive animal and getting so stoked about it… Every time I am having an ego trip about my achievements, I am thinking about her and I feel like endurance prone paddling is for chickens! She inspires me so much.
I don’t know, I am hyped by everything, I love hearing people’s stories of achievements, failures, learnings, I genuinely feel that everyone could light another guy’s inner fire with passion or just give him a reason to do something, it’s something beautiful, I really think that with the right people around you, you can achieve anything, it’s a virtuous circle, the more you do, the more you share, the more is given to you… so I am going back for it!
I just want to leave a good vibe to the people I met, I just want to be seen as someone who is a doer, I want to have a story to tell when older, and it comes fast, my back could tell!
We’re all here for a small amount of time right? So let’s do what we love to do and let’s paddle for hours!
Really proud for suuure (inside joke for French people about Macron’s accent), I hope it will inspire some French guys to do it too, we have such great paddlers, I am the slowest, that is why I chose ultra long distance!
Most of the community is addicted to the salty waters of California and Hawaii. Those guys like to be in heavy waters. 2 French guys will be doing the Molokai to Oahu in July Pierre Lopez and Eddy Dupont! I’ll be watching the race, full support!
For the SUP 11-City Tour, being the only one in the country having it done makes it special. It brings so much more than just another race, it is so tough, it was one of the few times in my life I was so pleased and proud about my achievement, it really meant something. One of my boat colleagues told me that this race will feed me for a long time after it… she was right!
But being the first French means that others have done it before so I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all of the crazy Dutch guys and ladies that have done it. Bart first and also the Brazilian legend Patrick, I spend hours looking at their paces, comparing to my trainings…watching those guys on YouTube! You guys have rocked and fuelled my fire, and made me believe it was achievable so thank you all!
Photo by: Mayola Photography
During the SUP 11-City Tour, I was not that much concerned about the water quality to be honest, I know that the Netherlands have high standards of control so I was not stressed about it, also my company HQ is located in Lelystad close to Leeuwarden where the race take place and we are producing seals for water infrastructures so I know that they are great people doing a great job to avoid water pollution.
What was more stressful for me was the traffic, I was scared to death by those massive tankers that could come in canals sometimes, because when prone paddleboarding you are even less visible than a SUP, but fortunately I did not see any… maybe the fear of those big boats helped me paddle faster!
After day 3-4 I was more cautious about my environment, I began to become aware that I could hurt myself in a stupid way, with exhaustion. It could happen so quickly, I was so afraid of hurting myself and not being able to finish the race, a simple cut on the hand could mean the end of it. But everything went well… I am grateful!
Photo by Edwin Westra
The lifeguards have designed paddleboards to save people when they get caught by rip currents, but prone paddling is also mostly seen as a training for surfing when the surf is flat so it is deeply rooted in the surf/beach community. So there are really those two influences in the culture. In some places those cultures are tightly bound in some others it is two different communities.
Worldwide, the best prone paddlers are Californians, Hawaiians or Aussies, there is a strong beach culture in those places and in Australia the Life saving prone paddling championships are on national television. California is known for the Catalina long distance 32 miles race considered one of the toughest races and there is also the Molokai to Oahu in Hawaii which is the world championship. Most prone paddle races are in ocean waters.
Most of the elite athletes of the sport are either surfing / foiling / watermen activities (mostly California / Hawaii / Tahiti / Europe) while Australian prone paddlers are more related to performance swimming and life saving sports.
Boards are not the same, Lifesaving prone paddle boards are 10’6 when long distances are 12′ and above. Shapes are also different, life saving sport boards are designed to surf and to react quickly while endurance paddle boards are more stable and built for speed.
Fear, stress and doubt! I thought about cancelling my participation to enjoy my summer surfing, drinking beers and barbecuing with family and friends, but now I have no choices, Anna from TotalSUP made an article about it 🤣
No, I really liked the race, the SUP 11-City tour 5-day version was awesome! The organisation is incredible, the people lovely, and I really liked the vibe out there!
I love the story of the Elfstedentocht, and my dream is to earn the right to wear that cross they give you at the end, and that cross had to be earned paddling 200km below 34h.
It’s a great reason to spend more time on the water! And as prone paddling is tough, having a big dream helps me to stay sharp and to do the training.
I have my family, my friends supporting me, I am inspired by others, and this crazy Dutch lady Lotte Spaargaren did it! I feel blessed to be able to just dream about it, I am working hard to make it happen! The journey has begun already, let’s see where it’ll end!
Yes, I have been skating for more than 30 years now! I do only bowl riding nowadays, I am too old for street skating!
How does it translate into my paddling… I think besides the riding, gliding feel, it’s mostly the “I’ll make it whatever it takes” type of mentality, spending countless hours trying to land a trick, destroying your body in the process just because you found it cool and became obsessed about it is the same type of spirit that brings you the willingness to achieve ultra races…
It’s also doing things for yourself, not caring about anything but the achievement of your goal… There is something absolutely beautiful about those little things in life that nobody cares about but you or two of your elitist nerdy friends… You are doing things that you think have to be done, that’s it, that’s all.
And lastly, it’s seeing the world as a massive skatepark/paddling/amusement park, every rider I know has this sense of seeing the world through that “how could I ride that thing?” when we see a curved wall or a bench… and I think alike when travelling for work looking at lakes thinking “How could I cross this thing?” and here we go, dreams are on, lines are drawn and plans are designed…
Thank you so much Anna for this interview, it was a great opportunity to put words on my “why”… I’ll remember it while on the water 🙏
Photo by Edwin Westra
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