The SUP Master:
Tim Oliver words :: Dan Rubinstein
In the 15 or so years since SUP racing became a fixture on the international sports scene, the best paddleboarders in the world have been mostly European. A handful of North Americans, mostly athletes who live on the West Coast, have reached the podium of major events. Which makes Tim Oliver’s success even more impressive. Last year, the 47-year-old firefighter from Thornbury finished first overall in a pair of gruelling SUP races: Molokai 2 Oahu (M2O), a 50-kilometre crossing of Hawaii’s notoriously challenging Ka’iwi Channel; and the SUP 11-City Tour, a 220 km, five-day stage race along canals and across lakes in The Netherlands. The oldest man to win the M2O and the first Canadian to win either event, Oliver credits both his background in competitive cycling and the ideal training ground 100 feet from his house: the temperamental waters of Georgian Bay. With a fleet of Starboard SUPs in his garage and a generous lakefront neighbour across the street, Oliver paddles on gnarly days that replicate ocean conditions, when strong northwest winds kick up big waves. “It’s such a dynamic environment and it’s different every time you go out,” he says. “You’re playing in a three-dimensional plane, constantly adjusting technique.” Sometimes, Oliver drives up the shore for the downwind run home, then hops onto his bike to retrieve his vehicle. Other days the bay is glassy, and he revels in being alone in the middle of an expanse of blue. To maintain his edge, Oliver leans into the endurance tricks he developed through cycling—“I never let off the gas in terms of fitness”—and bio hacks that produce small gains. His approach to nutrition and recovery is scientific, and he trains with paddleboard stroke guru Larry Cain, a former Olympic canoeist in Oakville who has coached several international SUP champions. “Larry has an innate ability to grab water with his blade,” says Oliver. “He’s helped me become much more efficient.” Oliver got into SUP after his daughters were born. It was a way to stay active that didn’t involve five-hour bike rides. Working eight 24hour shifts every four weeks gives him enough bandwidth to hit the water and stay in shape on Nordic skis in the off-season. This year’s race schedule will feature Scotland’s Great Glen Paddle Challenge and the ICF World Championships in Italy. Although SUP is not on the docket for the 2028 Olympics, 2032 is a possibility. “I’ll be well into my 50s by then,” says Oliver, “but I’d still go through the process of trying.”
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