Successful comebacks in sports captivate the imagination and interest of fans and enthusiasts, particularly when women athletes make a triumphant return to dominate the international SUP scene, all while balancing family life, motherhood, and coaching across multiple disciplines. Today, we are thrilled to catch up with Tarryn King, the 2018 sprint world champion and brand new SUNOVA Team Rider, who has successfully combined a championship-winning pro surfing career in longboarding with becoming an elite SUP Race competitor.
After several years of absence on the international racing stage, Tarryn made an incredible comeback last year, winning two bronze medals in the Sprints at both the ISA and ICF SUP World Championships. At 34, she has decided to take 2024 to focus on competing professionally and has already embarked on two successful trips to Europe in the first part of the year. With SUNOVA backing her surf, SUP surf, and SUP race endeavors, she’s fully back on the competitive scene, actively pursuing her goals, and we eagerly anticipate how the rest of the season will unfold!
Photo by Andy Klotz Photography
Hey! So good to be here 😉 Yaaaaaas, it is through the roof and SO good to see. I’m loving the racing scene, it’s an amazing community to be part of!
Battle for Hercules in Benalmádena, Spain was my first international distance race. I have always been very focused on surfing and short distance races like sprints and tech so I didn’t really know what to expect! I knew I had put in a lot of time training at home so I was very excited to see what happened on race day! Racing in the ocean is where I’m most comfortable, this race made for a fun downwind section and then an upwind to the finish. I was happy with my performance for most of the race until I made some silly mistakes at the end which cost me two places. I was still stoked with my results and excited for the next race!
The Lake Rocks Festival – fast, strategic and honest! This was my favourite race! I loved grinding it out on flatwater. The whole race took a lot of concentration from my side trying to stay on the draft and deciding when I was going to make my next move. I was super happy with my sprint finish in the front pack at the end of the race! Can’t wait for next year!
Barcelona World SUP Fest – I was SO excited for one of the biggest races of the year and the EuroTour stop! Unfortunately this ended up being my worst race in Europe! I was not used to the board I was on. The conditions were super tricky and I spent more time in the water than on the board but I learnt so much from being in Europe and loved every minute!
I have never really enjoyed flat water racing to be honest, I would ALWAYS choose surfing or downwinding over training on flat water but the stronger and fitter I have got, the more I have enjoyed it! The Lake Rocks Festival was one of my favourite races. It was flat, fast and honest – Something I never thought I would say!
Photo by Andy Klotz Photography
I love them both. They’re very different. When the waves are small I prefer to take out the log and cruise on that and when its bigger I still really enjoy SUP surfing.
Phew! The juggle is real but I love it! Koa is starting to really enjoy being in and on the water with a feisty competitive streak in him and Izzy is also showing a lot of interest in wanting to surf with her big brother. Cape Town Winters are cold so hopefully when things start warming up she will be ready to get in the water properly.
Travelling is sometimes hard especially when I’m not there for some big moments in their life but Tom is so hands on and I’m always there on video to watch rugby matches or special occasions. I hope that I am setting a good example to and inspiring our kids by showing them to always follow your dreams and nothing is impossible! Reach for the stars!
Stand-up paddleboarding in South Africa has slowly started picking up again and we have quite a few events coming up in the next couple of months that will hopefully be well attended. Our squad groups and weekly time trials are also growing which is a good sign.
I think it’s just finding the balance between it all. Tom has recently been doing some trail running and mountain biking events so he often trains early in morning before work and then while the kids are at school (when they’re not sick), I’ll fit in some morning training or later in the day when Tom is home from work. Some days are easier than others but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
Photo source: Barcelona SUP World Fest
I guess you always want more right?! I love competing, I love having goals to work towards and I would love to earn more world titles in different disciplines. Now is the time before it’s too late!
Definitely tech racing through the waves! I loved the tech race at ISA’s in France last year! The first day had fun waves, portage and critical buoy turns! It’s anyone’s game in that type of racing!
Tarryn King competing at the South African Nationals | Photo by Billy Ackerman (Instagram: @pbsurfing2010)
SUNOVA is a brand I have always loved the look of. I first tried their boards in Thailand last year. Actually the first time I went on one was in the sprint semi final and I loved the feel of it from the moment I got on the board. Not to mention how good they look.
I also love how versatile the brand is, I am waiting for my ‘quiver’ to arrive at home. I have ordered an array of boards, race boards, surf SUPs and longboards! I cannot wait! SUNOVA has been so amazing when it comes to getting boards to South Africa. We don’t have access to many race boards here, they are extremely expensive and there are not many people bringing in boards at the moment so I am super grateful on that front. I absolutely love the SUNOVA flat water Faast Pro 21’3!
At the moment I have a couple of longboard events coming up at home which are quite important as well. I would really like to come to ISA in Denmark and possibly ICF but nothing is confirmed yet. I’ll keep ya posted!
Photo by Andy Klotz Photography
Thank you Tarryn and we look forward to catching up with you in Copenhagen!
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