© Joel Caldwell

When Lizzie Carr was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 25, it inadvertently kick-started a journey that led to her discover paddleboarding, set two world records and use adventure as a vehicle to raise awareness of plastic pollution in our waterways and oceans.

Lizzie, who was the first person to stand-up paddleboard the length of Great Britain (400 miles) and the English Channel, went on to set up Plastic Patrol, a nationwide campaign to clean up our waterways, and an accompanying app enabling the public to document their plastic finds. I chatted to Lizzie about her experiences, including last September’s challenge to SUP 170 miles along the length of the Hudson River, from Albany, New York to the Statue of Liberty.

© Christian Jung

Annabel Anderson is one of those athletes whose career highlights are too numerous to squeeze into a couple of paragraphs. An icon in the world of paddleboarding, the 37-year-old has won multiple SUP world championships and has been the world #1 for for six years straight, winning – outright – some of the sport’s most notorious races. And that’s just the world of stand-up paddleboarding, never mind the elite mountain biking, cycling, triathlon and skiing accolades she has accumulated over the years.

The New Zealand-born athlete is currently recuperating after suffering her second serious concussion of the year, along with some pretty horrific injuries following a ski accident, but very kindly answered my questions in her down time. Thank you, Annabel. It’s a pleasure to have you on Lessons in Badassery!

Photo: James Appleton

Last month, 30-year-old Cal Major paddled her way into the record books as she completed her challenge to SUP (stand-up paddleboard) 1000 miles from Lands End to John O’Groats, unsupported, in a bid to highlight the breadth of plastic pollution in Britain.

Combining her love of the ocean adventure with her mission to raise awareness of plastic consumption, Cal founded Paddle Against Plastic in 2016, and since then has circumnavigated the Isle of Skye (400 miles) and paddled the length of the Cornish coast (260 miles). In other words, she’s one awesome lady! Here, the Dryrobe ambassador fills me in on her most recent record-breaking adventure.