Super motivated: A lap of Lake Tegernsee in under three hours as a personal SUP challenge

​The idea: a SUP tour around Lake Tegernsee

He has been spending time regularly at Lake Tegernsee for around 16 years and has, as a result, developed a special connection to the region. The idea for the SUP tour came about whilst on holiday. After a few days of relaxation, family time and doing nothing, the urge to get active returned – and with it the question: what could I try this time? This is how the plan came about to ‘circumnavigate’ Lake Tegernsee as completely as possible along its navigable shoreline on a SUP. The aim was not to achieve an extraordinary sporting feat. Around 20 kilometres on a SUP is certainly a really long trip for an ambitious amateur sports enthusiast, but by the standards of competitive sport, it’s hardly a record attempt. The target time, however, was still set at a very challenging level. Above all, though, the personal question was the most interesting: Can a planned project be carried out – and how well does it work under the actual conditions on the lake?

From idea to plan

Instead of simply setting off, Eike first explored the route on three trips of around 5, 10 and 13.5 kilometres. In doing so, he familiarised himself with the different sections of the riverbank and checked which areas were actually navigable. Riverbank protection zones had to be taken into account and, in some cases, bypassed. In the north, there are also very shallow areas where the board’s fin can become a problem.

"Shoreline protection zones must be taken into account."

The rides also served as training. They gave him a feel for what pace he could realistically maintain over a longer period and how manageable the planned route would be. In the days leading up to the tour, he regularly checked the forecasts, paying particular attention to wind direction and speed. This is because, on Lake Tegernsee in particular, wind and waves can make a significant difference. What had started as a spontaneous holiday idea thus became a concrete personal project.

The aim: under three hours

He also set himself a time target as a sporting challenge: he aimed to cover the roughly 20 kilometres in under three hours if possible. This required an average speed of just under 6.7 km/h. On an inflatable SUP, there isn’t much time to catch your breath, so that’s a very respectable time. Setting a specific target also turns any old trip into a challenge that you can prepare for and whose outcome you can then assess. At the same time, it was clear that the conditions couldn’t be fully planned for.

The day of the tour

The trip set off at 7.12 am in Rottach-Egern. The weather forecast had actually suggested good conditions. On the water, however, it was considerably windier than predicted. Particularly on the eastern side of the lake, from Rottach-Egern via Tegernsee towards Kaltenbrunn lido, the water became increasingly choppy. The waves made paddling more difficult, the course had to be corrected more frequently and it required more effort than planned. It quickly became clear that breaking the three-hour mark would be difficult. On the opposite side of the lake, past Bad Wiessee and in the Ringsee area, the water calmed down again. The rhythm improved and the circuit could be continued as planned.

Five minutes past the finish line

In the end, there were 20.38 kilometres in 3 hours and 5 minutes at an average speed of 6.7 km/h.

He therefore missed his self-imposed three-hour target by five minutes. For a recreational paddler, a 20-kilometre SUP tour is certainly a challenging undertaking. What matters, therefore, is not so much the absolute performance as one’s personal benchmark. The three-hour mark was a self-imposed target – not a personal best.

So we just missed the three-hour mark, but the trip was a success all the same. Not because covering 20 kilometres on a SUP is some kind of extraordinary sporting achievement, but because a spontaneous idea had turned into a concrete sporting goal.”

The idea itself had worked: a spur-of-the-moment thought had turned into a concrete plan, which was prepared and eventually put into action.

A different view of Lake Tegernsee

The SUP trip also forms part of a little personal sporting story set on Lake Tegernsee. In 2021, he swam from the Rottach-Egern lido to the Kaltenbrunn lido – around 6.8 kilometres in under two hours. Five years later, it was the SUP that allowed him to explore the lake in a different way.

His sporting background is certainly extensive. As a graduate in sports science and managing director of the Gipfelkurs Ltd In Düsseldorf, sport has always been an important part of his life. He was actively involved in triathlon for many years, competing as far as the 2nd Bundesliga, completed long-distance events and now takes part in events such as the HYROX, amongst others. In the past, Eike’s sporting goals were therefore often linked to competitions, times and placings. Today, you no longer necessarily need a race number to set yourself a sporting challenge.

The personal yardstick as a transferable concept

Perhaps that is also the universal lesson to be learnt from this story. In recreational sport, you don’t have to constantly compare yourself with others or with your own personal bests. A particular hike, a longer cycle ride, a swim or a stand-up paddleboarding trip can become a personal goal. Not because it involves an extraordinary achievement in absolute terms, but because you set yourself a challenge that suits your own ability level.

"A personal goal doesn’t have to be spectacular to be interesting."

The benchmark, then, is not what professional athletes can achieve, but what might be a sensible next step for you personally. The 20-kilometre swim across Lake Tegernsee is therefore, above all, one thing: a personal challenge that arose from a spontaneous holiday idea. And perhaps that is precisely the more interesting message: you don’t have to be a competitive athlete, nor do you have to strive for an extraordinary achievement. It’s about setting yourself a goal, preparing for it, and then taking pleasure in having given it a go.