Victoria Burgess Invites You to Race Her Treasure Coast Home Waters

From her historic stand-up paddle crossing between Cuba and Key West to countless miles logged along Florida’s wild coastline, Victoria Burgess has built a reputation as a multicraft waterwoman on grit, endurance, and heart. But beyond the big crossings and bluewater challenges, her passion runs just as deep for her home waters. Now she’s inviting paddlers of all levels to her hometown of Fort Pierce in Florida for a fresh edition of the Annual Treasure Coast Paddle Battle, a dynamic SUP and multi-craft celebration set for March Saturday 7 and Sunday 8. This year brings an exciting addition to the traditional 10k and 5K races: a brand-new SUP tech race on the Sunday.

Hello Victoria! For those who may not know you yet, can you tell us about yourself and how your personal life connect to the sport?

Hi Mathieufseey. I’m from South Florida. Outside of paddling I own a metabolic and wellness medical practice called NuShape Spa. I also surf a lot, play tennis, freedive, foil, OC6 and love to be outside training, and traveling. My family and personal life connect to the sport, especially with their unwavering support. They have always supported me and everything I do and are my main cheering squad, whether racing or hosting events, they are always by my side.

What’s your history with sports, and SUP in particuar? What are some of your proudest athletic achievements?

I got into stand-up paddling about 12 years ago. I started heavily in the racing and was fortunate enough to compete in the Battle of the Paddle – BOP days as well as the M2O and many other great events during the sport’s early years. I have been blessed to be around some of the worlds top athletes, as personal friends and training partners for many years.  I also have coached for about 6 years now for Paddle Monster. My biggest achievement was achieving a Guinness world record by paddling 115 miles nonstop from Cuba to Key West. It took me 27 hours and 48 minutes. My biggest achievement and adventure to date.

How did the Treasure Coast Paddle Battle begin, and how has it evolved into what it is today?

The Treasure Coast paddle battle began about six years ago (2020) when I moved up to the Fort Pierce area. Prior to that myself and Roray Kam hosted the sunshine SUP series in South Florida (Pompano Beach) back even before I was involved in stand-up paddling in the early 2000s. Roray brought a lot of the roots of stand-up paddling to Florida and we acquired an awesome community surrounding us who have always been stoked and support our races. Just being consistent with bringing racing to the community has been a big reason it continues to grow over the years. Its about the aloha and fun and thats what we strive to bring always.

What makes this event unique in terms of course, atmosphere, and community?

This specific event is unique because it offers a variety of challenges. The 10 K race starts in the ocean goes through an inlet and lands on the intercoastal side. You get to experience a beach start or water start if you sit down craft, a nice inlet run, and then a flat water grind to the end. The backside is quite protected, so it allows us to have a nice 5K course for those who like to stay off the Ocean side. So many community members come out from all around the country, from sponsors, to brands, to spectators come out to watch this event. Last year we had 170 paddlers total.

Although it’s rooted in SUP, the event welcomes outriggers, surfskis, and prone paddleboards. Why was it important for you to make it a true multi-craft event?

I like to incorporate all water crafts in this sport. As a multi water sport athlete it’s important to me to showcase the many different things you can do on the water and push yourself. I love that we are able to offer that for so many different events. In fact, last year, we added a Sunday day within an outrigger sprint regatta which was a big hit and will continue again this year. This year we also have a Sunday Ocean tech course for stand-up paddling, in our event is officially on the USA Surfing qualifying tour starting this year.

For paddlers unfamiliar with Fort Pierce, what can you tell us about the venue, the Indian River, the inlet, and the type of conditions athletes should expect?

For Pierce is a quaint old Florida town. It has a nice downtown with really good local restaurants. The venue has a beach. You can set up all day on the Indian Riverside as it is more of a flatwater intercoastal protected course. Although it is exposed to wind, so it’s not necessarily always flat lol the inlet can be challenging with current and waves so always makes for a fun transition from the ocean. Typically, we have decent conditions, but it has gotten pretty sporty out there in the past for some of my races.

The racing in Florida, of course always holds my heart as its my home state. We have some of the world’s top athletes here (ed. note: Seychelle, Katniss Paris, Eri Tenorio, Kim Barnes. Jake Portwood, Steve Miller, Stephanie Shideler, to name but a few) due to being able to train all year round in many different conditions. It provides a playground for all.

What exciting novelties, new divisions, or changes can competitors look forward to at this year’s edition?

As mentioned previously, this year we are adding an Ocean SUP tech course on Sunday. I also always have a division on Saturday called the Waterman and Waterwoman division where you race both races, the 10k and the 5K, but on different crafts and are placed as overall male and female champions. And next year…I plan to add a 60+ division 🙂

How easy is it to get to Fort Pierce, Florida ?

Getting to Fort Pierce is straightforward, whether you’re flying in or driving along Florida’s east coast:

By air: Fly into Palm Beach International Airport (about 1 hour south), Orlando International Airport (about 1.5–2 hours north), or Miami International Airport (around 2–2.5 hours south), then rent a car and drive up or down the coast.
By car: Take Interstate 95 and exit at Fort Pierce, or use Florida’s Turnpike for a direct route.
From Miami: Around 2–2.5 hours north via I-95.
From Orlando: Roughly 1.5–2 hours southeast by car.
The city sits right on the Treasure Coast, making it easy to combine race weekend with a beach stay.

Thank you Victoria for your time and the great insights! Paddlers, it’s now time to sign-up to the 2026 Treasure Coast Paddle Battle !
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