Double the power, double the glory: Inside Alison & Allistair’s Tandem SUP 11-City Tour success

Photo by: Mayola Dijksman | SUP 11-City Tour

Allistair Swinsco and Alison Rennie are in their 50s and absolutely shredding – so what’s our excuse? Hailing from Loch SUP in Scotland, this seasoned endurance paddling duo continues to impress the SUP world with their grit, humour and unmistakable team spirit.

Fresh off smashing the SUP 11-City Tour, they didn’t just participate, they dominated. Competing in both the Non Stop format, the gruelling precursor to the five-day event, and the five-day challenge itself, they took the win in the latter. This marks their 4th time tackling the Non Stop and their 5th appearance in the five-day format – proof of their consistency and passion for pushing limits.

What really sets Alison and Allistair apart isn’t just their endurance. Their approach is a reminder that even in high-stakes racing, staying humble and finding joy can take you… far!

We caught up with them to talk about their tandem SUP strategy, a discipline that doesn’t get nearly as much spotlight as it deserves.

And with registration now open for the 2026 SUP 11-City Tour, plus the upcoming SUP 11 Islands on Koh Chang in Thailand (2 – 8 December), there’s no better time to get inspired by this SUP powerhouse.

Photo by: Edwin Westra – Fotografie | SUP 11-City Tour

Congratulations on such an incredible achievement – Smashing the SUP 11-City Tour non-stop race and taking the win of the 5-day challenge! This was your fourth time taking on the non-stop and your fifth time in the 5-day format. What keeps bringing you back year after year?

It’s definitely a challenge, every year we never seem to be ready for it but we keep getting better!

The main reason is the people, the organisers, volunteers, the other paddlers and supporters – it’s a fantastic atmosphere & great experience – much more than just a race.

Photo by: Edwin Westra – Fotografie | SUP 11-City Tour

What does reaching this milestone feel like, and does it spark ideas for future adventures or competitions?

Every year I (Alison) never feel confident, just because we have done the double before doesn’t mean we will be able to do it again. There are so many factors that could upset things and lets face it the weather at the SUP 11-City Tour for both the non-stop & 5-day event is always varied and  interesting – wind and waves are always an issue, especially on the lakes, but on a tandem it can be extremely challenging. So to complete the double again is fantastic  – I am very happy and relieved.

We are always looking forward to new adventures and heading back to see old friends at races we have done before, I really want to go back and do the California River Quest again but we also have some new races to look forward to, so I am looking forward to what next year will bring.

Photo by: Mayola Dijksman | SUP 11-City Tour

Let’s talk about TANDEM SUP: It’s a niche but fascinating part of the sport, requiring coordination, stamina, and communication over long distance. What inspired you to take on SUP as a tandem team and how did you first get started together?

It all started with a spur of the moment entry to the Massive Murray 404km race in Australia back in 2017. We were looking for a paddling adventure and after finding the bottom of a bottle of rum one nigh we just entered. Definitely a case of just get your name on the start list then work out how you can make it happen.

I didn’t see how I could possible paddle so far so we came up with the idea of doing it on a tandem – we didn’t have a tandem and had never seen one never mind tried one but as Allistair always says “how hard could it be?”

Lucy and the team at Red Paddle Co came to our rescue as they were adding one to their range in 2018 so had an early model we could borrow which they managed to get to us 2 weeks before we flew to Australia for the race.

We managed about 15km of practice – not quite the training we had hoped for but since the first day of the race was 93km we would soon get used to it!

Tandem SUP requires incredible teamwork. How do you stay coordinated while paddling for long distances?

To start with there was a lot of wobbling and swearing! You can feel every movement the other person makes, even when Allistair is behind me I know when he moves or even twists his arm mid stroke to look at his watch!

It really is just communication and practice – we do know each other rather well and have the same can-do attitude so we make a good team.

Photo by: Edwin Westra – Fotografie | SUP 11-City Tour

How do you manage rest, nutrition, and hydration as a duo during ultra-distance sessions or races?

We mostly paddle unsupported so planning is everything! If we can leave bags at a checkpoint we will and if not we just carry everything we need with us. We have some very cute hairy climbing chalk bags for quick access to snacks, inhalers etc.

We use Tailwind nutrition + Caffeine Bullets for nutrition/hydration along with Babybel cheese, dates and mini pork pies which all remain edible if wet! Plus a few occasional sweet treats.

And now for the “do as we say not as we do” part – we do not drink anywhere near enough fluids – the most recent SUP 11-City Tour Non-Stop we drank about 3.5-4ltrs each which really is not enough for 28hrs of hard paddling and previous years has been pretty much the same.

Photo by: Edwin Westra – Fotografie | SUP 11-City Tour

Do you switch roles or adjust technique during long paddles to keep both of you performing optimally?

We try to mix up the paddle strokes a bit but tend to stick to paddle longer, slower and deeper strokes (about 35strokes/min) on the long races though will quite happily up the cadence considerably as and when required.

What mental strategies help you both push through fatigue and stay motivated over hundreds of kilometers?

Always having company has its benefits, I can and do quite often zone out and know that we won’t get lost or hit anything as there are two sets of eyes on the board. We both have our highs and lows but rarely both have lows at the same time so we can pull each other through – plus Allistair is a bit of a taskmaster, and knows the phrases that will either keep me going or push my buttons.

“Well you can always quit if you want” normally gets me fired up and he has been known to use “if you have the energy to cry then you have the energy to paddle”…. But only once!

Photo by: Edwin Westra – Fotografie | SUP 11-City Tour

Love it! Looking back, what’s been the key factor in building both endurance and cohesion as a tandem team?

Rum! We blame that for most things! We have never really trained as such for particular races. We prefer to just go out and enjoy our paddling, enjoy exercise (we do lots of walking a bit of running and kick bikes/scooting) and live life to the fullest.

You don’t know how much time you have left to do these things so don’t put things off get out and live. Oh, and for tandem SUP – communication definitely helps!

Was this your grand finale for the SUP racing season, or can we expect to see you in more events before the year ends?

We have just finished the Glasgow to Edinburgh race run by Paddle Scotland but that was on single boards this year, then we are off to the Tennessee for our 4th Chattajack 31 challenge.

Alison & Allistair and the Chattajack 31

Amazing stuff! Thanks for your time – here’s to many more epic endurance adventures ahead.

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