You pass by floating greens and thick trees. You feel the soft currents beneath your board. And you spot wildlife peeking through the leaves, only to disappear in a blur of fur and twitchy ears. This isn’t your average SUP adventure, and that’s the point.
It started as a simple idea to raise money in honor of two friends lost to cancer. Now, five years later, the On Board paddling event launched by Madeline Leblanc returns to the Welland Recreational Canal Sunday, July 21.
Five years later, twenty-one-year-old Madeline Leblanc has continued to turn her passion of stand up paddle boarding into a fundraiser to honor two friends lost to cancer.
Legendary stand up paddler and expeditioner Bart de Zwart recently returned from another long and gruesome expedition, this time for the Muskoka River X. Here, de Zwart recaps the race, the highs, the lows and everything in between. Take a look:
On Board is a one day fundraiser for brain cancer research with the Canadian Cancer Society in Welland, Ontario started by teenager Maddi Leblanc. The day consists of a 10km paddle ride down the Welland Canal on July 14th 2016 at 2pm. Anyone can come out with any type of paddling experience with a canoe, kayak, SUP board, or anything else to join the ride! Learn more about Maddi and why she started On Board below.