1  Woman.  8  Days.  275  kilometres / Lizzie’s solo SUP challenge along the Hudson River

Hear  all  about  Fanatic  rider  Lizzie  Carr’s  latest  SUP  challenge,  and  what’s  motivating  her  to  take  to  the  waterways  in  America: 

British   Environmentalist   and   adventurer, Lizzie   Carr,  is  embarking  on  the  challenge  of  a  lifetime:  to  successfully  travel  the  length  of  the  Hudson  River  using  entirely  human  powered  means – a paddleboard.

The   eight  day   feat   of   endurance   comes   with   an   important   environmental   purpose   –   to   highlight  the  issue  of  plastic  pollution,  ocean  health  and  its  role  in  climate  change  through  a   series  of  scientific  sampling  and  community  outreach  initiatives  on  her  route.

On  6th  September  Lizzie  left  Albany,  New  York  State  –  the  start  of  the  tidal  river,  taking  the  first  strokes  of  this  275km  (170  mile)  journey  that  will  see  her  paddle  for  more  than   one   week   consecutively   –   almost   a   marathon   a   day,   to   cover   the   distance.   She   will   be   carrying   20kg   of   equipment   on   her   paddleboard,   including   a   tent   and   supplies   along   the   river.    

Lizzie  is  no  stranger  to  a  challenge.  After  overcoming  a  battle  with  cancer  in  2015,  she   became  the  first  person  in  history  to  paddle  board  the  length  of  England  solo  and   unsupported  a  year  later,  and  in  2017  became  the  first  woman  to  solo  paddle  board  across   the  English  Channel,  another  world  first.

Photo  credit:  Andy  Hargraves

She  says,  “America  is  one  of  the  world’s  biggest  consumers  of  single  use  plastic  with  80  per   cent  of  it  being  used  only  once  before  it’s  thrown  away.  This  is  a  man-­‐made  problem  and   can  be  stopped  by  people  and  businesses  thinking  and  acting  more  responsibly.  80  percent   of   marine   debris   starts   from   inland   sources   including   rivers   like   the   Hudson   –   before   it   eventually  flows  out  to  the  ocean.  By  addressing  the  problem  of  plastic  pollution  from  its   source   we   can   tackle   a   global   crisis   effectively.   I   want   my   journey   along   the   Hudson   to   motivate  people  to  take  action,  so  together,  we  can  make  a  real  difference  to  resolve  the   global  problem  of  plastics  choking  our  seas.”

Lizzie   will   be   collecting   water   samples   for   micro   plastic   analysis   and   testing   the   latest   Smartfin   technology   fitted   with   sensors   that   measure   multiple   ocean   and   riverine   parameters   including   temperature,   location,   and   water   motion   characteristics;   helping   to   create  a  baseline  for  understanding  riverine  trends  and  ocean  warming  indicators.      

The  Londoner,  who  founded  the  Plastic  Patrol  initiative  earlier  this  year,  a  community  driven   volunteer  scheme  helping  to  clean  up  inland  waterways  by  paddleboard,  is  also  inviting   people  to  join  her  along  the  Hudson  in  a  series  of  beach  clean-up  operations  in  partnership  with  Riverkeeper  and  Hudson  River  Park  Trust  and  supported  by  REN  Skincare,   taking  place  on:

• Sunday,  September  9th,  3:30-­‐5:30,  Kaal  Rock  Park  in  Poughkeepsie

• Wednesday,  September  12th,  5:30-­‐7:00,  Croton  Point  Park  in  Croton-­‐on-­‐the-­‐Hudson

• Friday,  September  14th,  5:30-­‐6:30,  Pier  26  Hudson  River  Park,  NY

There  are  FREE  paddleboard  taster  sessions  at  each  clean  up  and  people  are  encouraged  to   sign  up  for  a  spot  here:  lizzieoutside.co.uk/clean-­‐ups/    

Lizzie’s  epic  challenge  will  culminate  on  the  15th  September  when  she  paddles  through  New   York  City  and  joins  the  APP  World  Tour  to  race  to  the  final  destination  on  her  route  –  the   Statue  of  Liberty  –  ending  her  adventure  with  purpose.    

Having  operated  a  series  of  successful  plastic  clean-­up  operations  throughout  the  UK  this   summer   and   removing   more   than   80   tons   of   waste   from   waterways,   Lizzie   explains,   “It’s   through  community  efforts  and  people  driven  initiatives  like  Plastic  Patrol  that  we  are  able   to   build   an   evidence   base   for   accountability   of   perpetrating   brands   and   bring   about   meaningful   change.   My   mission   for   this   challenge   is   to   create   a   legacy   that   empowers   individuals   and   communities   to   tackle   plastic   pollution   head   on   and   believe   that   their   individuals  actions,  no  matter  how  small,  make  a  difference.”    

All  participants  of  the  beach  cleans  will  geo  tag  the  plastic  waste  collected  via  the  Plastic   Patrol   app   to   add   to   a   growing   global   database.   To   date,   the   app   houses   crowdsourced   uploads   from   14   countries   worldwide   and   shows   more   than   50,000   examples   of   global   plastic  hotspots  and  can  be  download  for  anyone  to  catalogue  plastic  waste.    

Lizzie  says,  “My  overall  aim  is  to  rid  the  world  of  single  use  plastic.  The  waterways  should  be   a  natural  playground,  not  a  dumping  ground.  I’m  bringing  my  mission  to  America,  as  one  of   the  worst  offending  nations  when  it  comes  to  plastic  pollution,  to  encourage  people  in  the   US  and  globally  to  take  positive  action  in  the  fight  to  save  the  future  of  our  planet.”     

Follow   Lizzie’s   journey   via   the   hashtags   #plasticpatrol   #savethefuture   #thehudsonproject   and  in  real  time  via  a  livetracker.

Also check out her websites www.lizzieoutside.co.uk   www.plasticpatrol.co.uk,  Instagram  @lizzie_outside    /  @Plastic_Patrol, Twitter  @LizzieOutside  /  @Plastic_Patrol   and  Facebook  Pages @LizzieOutside/  @PlasticPatrolOfficial