What paddle craft are permitted?
Essentially any watercraft that is propelled by human power only may be used such as canoe, kayak, paddle board, pack raft. The most common selections are available in our guidelines and in the FKP submission form. If you don’t see the craft you wish to paddle on our list, please contact us at da*****************@***il.com and we will be happy to consider updating our site.
There is currently an FKP set on a body of water that I am interested in, but I want to do it in a different way. Can I still submit a route?
It depends. A new route on the same body of water must be markedly different from an already established route. If you can describe how your route will be significantly different, then it may potentially be approved.
Are there separate FKPs designated for different craft and gender?
There is only one true FKP that is recognized as the Fastest Known Paddle for each route. We do, however, recognize the fastest paddles based on gender as well as craft, however, so if you completed a route slower than the established FKP in a different craft or as the opposite gender, please submit your attempt so you can be recognized.
Are “pacers” allowed on FKP attempts?
Yes. Pacers are defined as an athlete that does not paddle the full length of the attempt, so are not considered team members in an attempt. If pacers are used in an attempt, however, the attempt cannot be classified as unsupported. If the attempt is a team attempt and one or more members drop out and do not complete the route, the attempt cannot be classified as an unsupported team attempt.
I want to do a perimeter route of a body of water. How can I ensure that athletes after me are set to the same standards?
Since bodies of water naturally do not have trails we’ve taken great care to make sure that perimeter routes are held to a high standard so that future attempts are fair and repeatable. When submitting a perimeter route you must include a minimum of 4 GPS waypoints that you and other paddlers in the future must travel around. In addition, a minimum distance required must also be submitted in the route application and the minimum distance must be covered in order for the FKP to be valid.
I want to document my moving time only, is that possible when submitting an FKP?
No. FKPs only include total elapsed time from start to finish.
When portaging, can I use non-human powered propulsion?
Yes, but this must be specified in the route submission and in the FKP report. For example, some routes that link multiple bodies of water together in one FKP (e.g., a series of lakes) may require a motor vehicle to travel to the next body of water. Any attempt that involves non-human powered support during portages cannot be classified as an unsupported attempt, but may meet either the self-supported or supported classification depending upon how the attempt is completed.
Are portages allowed?
Yes. Portages must be specified in any route submission that involves the use of portages.
How do I know if an FKP has been set for a route I’m interested in?
Click here to search for current FKPs. If it is not in our database, that means the FKP hasn’t been set yet, so get out there and do it!
How do I know if an approved route exists?
Click here to search for all currently approved routes. If it is not in our database, that means it hasn’t been submitted yet, so feel free to do so!
I was part of a Guinness Book of World Record’s attempt (or any other published world record) which set a paddling world record. Can I submit that as a FKP?
No. While that certainly is a massive achievement, and we congratulate you on your world record, we don’t re-post records from Guinness. The reason behind this is that Guinness is a for-profit company and their world record results are publicly available for anyone to see without the FKP website. Additionally, with FKP, we aim to celebrate paddling athletic attempts without charging the paddling community to have their athletic endeavors published. With that being said, we won’t document any FKP attempt that has a corresponding Guinness World Record unless the attempt bests that record.