A chat with Emma Hepplewhite

I wanted to learn more about the Great Glen Challenge and its’ history, so I spoke with Emma Hepplewhite.

Words: David Partridge
Photos: Paul Saunders Photography

She had taken on the event started by the renowned paddler and record-breaker Joanne Hamilton-Vale. Joanne was back this year competing along with several friends, all now based in Australia. She was forced to swap from a non-stop to the two-day event where she won the category in an OC2 canoe with a total time of 10hrs 46mins (despite a slow first day and hasty repair after it shipped water). Emma quotes Joanne as one of her heroes, and indeed, it was Joanne who lured Emma into competing first at the Norfolk Broads Ultra and then the Great Glen.

“I loved the camaraderie between the paddlers, the encouragement from the volunteers as you arrived at a checkpoint and the satisfaction of completing the race in one piece! We had to keep the event going after Joanne left for Australia, so in 2021, Duncan (her husband) and I took it on.

“This year (2023), competitors came from eight countries, including Australia, USA, Netherlands and France, and we had a wide range of paddle craft, SUP, canoe, surf ski and OC1 and OC2’s. Last year, we had a prone paddler as well.”

I asked Emma about the challenges of running the event, “Speed has been one of the challenges this year; in the non-stop competition, we had a surf ski cross the finish line after 92km in the mid-afternoon, the slowest in the non-stop was some five hours behind just creeping in before the curfew of 20.30 hours, we had to gauge where everyone was to ensure the checkpoints were managed.”

Safety is key, and Emma, as Race Director, is happy to have Duncan as Safety Officer, “He watched the trackers like a hawk; when Ian McCarthy appeared to be stopped at a checkpoint, we checked he hadn’t been locked in the loo. He was delighted to have 12 messages on his phone from us and to receive a new tracker at the next checkpoint!” The organisers have a safety rib on Loch Ness, paddler tallies at all the checkpoints and check safety equipment and clothing. The Race briefings also detail weather conditions and hazards. As Emma says, “You never know what mood Nessie is going to be in.” A ritual dram for Nessie at the race start may help, but in 2022, some competitors became hypothermic after strong downwind conditions led to repeated dunkings.

I asked Emma about her wishes for the future, “Maybe 120 competitors; I would love to see more female participants in the non-stop classes. We had two 15-year-olds this year, Instructors from SUP Hub (Northern Ireland) Rory and Ruan, and we had to discuss this with our insurers (the event sponsors Noble Marine), but these young paddlers and others like them are the future of paddling.
“We also discussed the wider entries, noting how other water sports adopt SUP (often for training). This year, Peter Barton (a world champion sailor) brought a team from the Lymington sailing club. This included father, Paul Bartlett, surf ski 11hrs 04mins and son, Greg SUP, 14hrs 25mins.  

“Duncan Hepplewhite is also a leading sailing coach. My background is also sailing; our club, Chelmarsh, has diversified with a strong SUP contingent – people who love and try to understand water quickly transition between the sports.”