Blackfish Paddles and ROAM Projects, Greg Wingo’s outdoor venture whose portfolio of adventures includes the iconic Last Paddler Standing and Alabama 650 races, have officially announced a partnership with Blackfish recognised as the official paddle partner of the events.

This collaboration isn’t just another sponsorship - it’s a shared commitment to advancing the sport of endurance paddling, supporting athletes and bringing these epic races to a global audience. With world-class paddles and premier events coming together, the future of ultra-endurance paddling is set to reach new heights - or should we say, new distances!

Congratulations on the announcement! What inspired this partnership and how does it align with your brands’ vision?

Greg Wingo: From a ROAM Projects perspective, I wanted to start partnering with companies I felt had an alignment with all areas of my business. There is a decent amount of crossover between participants of my races and my tours, as well as in my live broadcasting venture. So finding brands that can find value in all areas of ROAM is very important. It creates the best benefit possible for the brand and ROAM. In this case, Blackfish is a perfect match for us.

Their paddles are world-class and the name is synonymous with excellence. Additionally, it is extremely important to me to work with good people. Peter and the team at Blackfish want what's best for them and ROAM. The relationship works best from a business and personal standpoint when the people involved truly care about everyone succeeding.

Peter Allen: Our goal at Blackfish is to make the best paddles in the world and we see our paddles as great choices for adventure paddling and endurance racing. Greg and the ROAM Projects are world leaders in organizing endurance paddling events and adventure tours and we see a partnership as a natural fit that aligns seamlessly with both brands.

Do you see endurance and ultra-endurance races gaining more recognition and participation worldwide?

Greg Wingo: I definitely do! Here in North America, endurance paddle racing has existed for nearly 80 years. There are ultra races that draw 500-600 competitors. So the sport, though still niche, has an established place within the hierarchy of paddle racing. Internationally, we are seeing more races pop up, especially within the stage race format. I think as more races are created, paddlers will see that they have options to compete in this style of racing and it will continue to grow. I don't expect it to have a sudden boom of growth, I think it will be a gradual.

Additionally, the ultra-distance is where the "story" exists. These long races are the perfect format to truly tell the story of the racers and race over the course of days. It's much harder to do that in races that are over quickly. We've seen this occur in other endurance sports like ultrarunning, adventure racing, and endurance cycling. So I expect it to grow in ultra paddling as well.

Peter Allen: As you already know I am a big fan of endurance racing (having competed in a number myself over the last 8 years) and I see only this type of racing gaining more and more popularity and participation across the globe.

The stories these type of races create, the adventure and drama involved, make it a great type of racing for fans to engage with (especially with modern trackers) which in turn leads to more participation and more fans and so on. We are excited to support this type of racing with ROAM.

What role do partnerships, such as yours, play in strengthening the position of these races on the global stage?

Greg Wingo: Partnerships as this show that brands and events can work together to create a more meaningful relationship and "story" of their own. This isn't simply slapping a logo on a race t-shirt. We are executing a bigger vision for how Blackfish is seen within the paddling world and the importance of ROAM as a driver in endurance and ultra-paddling.

When we first began discussing a partnership, Peter and I both said we didn't want this to be just another sponsorship. We want paddlers around the world to see ROAM and Blackfish as brands that are pushing forward paddling races and adventures into the mainstream. Even if someone never does a ROAM event or tour, I still want them to know that we exist and that the paddlers participating are some of the best in the world in the sport. I think the future is very bright for endurance paddling and more partnerships such as this one!

Peter Allen: Partnerships such as this hopefully show that brands can work together to support each other to achieve goals, grow and create a greater meaning than what sponsorships have meant in the past.

We are very excited about this partnership and the new audiences that Blackfish will be introduced to. We are looking forward to working with Greg and ROAM to help each other grow and achieve great things!

Dropping soon: The brands are now working on a 'ROAM Edition' of the Blackfish Paddles best selling Andaman 520. Stay tuned for more info!

Follow Greg Wingo, Last Paddler Standing and the Great Alabama 650 on Instagram

To find out more about ROAM Projects, visit roamprojects.com

Follow Peter Allen and Blackfish Paddles on Instagram and Facebook