With every stroke of the double-edged paddle, in every workout, with every training camp, the obvious became more and more apparent: Julien Turpin is made for the long game.

Sure, the 17 year-old grade 12 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, a familiar presence with the Sudbury Canoe Club (SCC) sprint kayak team in recent years, could hang with the competition in the more traditional distances (200m / 500m / 1000m).

A bronze medal performance in the K4 500m men’s race at the 2024 Ontario Summer Games in London was but one of several offerings as to the talent of the young man who spent much of his youth in France, moving to Canada in 2016.

Yet as the sessions were lengthened, the distances expanded to build up the necessary endurance component required in a sport that pushes the body to the threshold of exhaustion, the dominance of Julien Turpin surfaced.

“I am able to sit in the boat and do the same thing, over and over and over again,” he said. “It’s one of the things I am better at. For me, the sprint races aren’t long enough.”

The end result?

A chance to represent Canada at the 2025 ICF (International Canoe Federation) Canoe Marathon World Championships in Gyor (Hungary) in early September. Turpin will take part in the U23 K1 race that covers some 26km – eight laps of a circuit that runs roughly three kilometres, with a very short portage thrown in for good measure - as well as one additional partial lap.

For the teenager whose involvement with the SCC dates back to 2022 or so, this opportunity only solidifies his belief that he has found his proper niche in a sport that is showing some signs of resurgence in Sudbury.

“Through training, I realized that I am better at long distance stuff,” Turpin explained. “When we do sprints, I am not in front of the group, but when we do distance drills, I am. I wanted to represent Canada at some point and the only logical thing for me was to look at marathon paddling.”

Interestingly enough, Turpin contends that the differentiators between those paddlers who might be pulled one way versus the other tend to be far less athletically-centered than one might expect.

“It really is more of a mindset thing,” he said. “Some people who do sprint could probably be really good marathoners if they had a different mentality – or vice versa. I just need it to be longer to really get into my pace.”

In order to qualify, Turpin navigated his way through the Marsh Mash Canoe and Kayak Race in Bradford in May, advancing to the CKC (Canoe Kayak Canada) Marathon Long-Course Race-Off in Shawinigan (PQ) in early July and placing third overall.

While he had already begun to lean in this direction, the pathway to readiness for an overseas excursion would require a little manipulation of his training regimen. “For sprint training, you might do a 20km paddle maybe once a week or so, a long paddle to recover,” said Turpin. “For this, I’m doing 20km or more three to four times a week.”

“We focus on low intensity. A sprint effort might be included in the longer training, but more simulating an attack or a defensive push.”

Whereas sprint racing sees all boats remain in their own lanes, the marathon battles feature a little more chaos on the water – a clear-cut benefit to those who might want to take in the event first hand from the safety of the shoreline.

“It’s much more fun to watch than sprints,” suggested Turpin. “You can attack, there are turns; it’s just a much better spectacle.”

Only a year out from his post-secondary studies, the talented northerner is wanting to make the most of his sojourn to Hungary, knowing that this particular branch of paddling does not necessarily offer nearly as many competitive outlets, down the road, as sprint canoe and kayak would.

“I’ve never raced internationally, never done anything like this before,” said Turpin. “I am really excited for it. It’s a part of the world (eastern Europe) I have never been to before. I want to meet paddlers from other countries, find out how they train.”

With coaches James Mann (SCC head coach – sprint kayaks) and Helen Savin (former SCC head coach) lending a helping hand, Turpin is well-versed in seeking guidance from whatever sources he might have at his disposal.

“I want to grow my circle.”

For Julien Turpin, marathon kayak is clearly the way to go.