Betteshanger Country Park in Deal to host internationally renowned UK UltraSkate 24-hour skateboarding competition

The event will have an international flavour as skateboarders from all over the world come to Kent for a 24-hour event.

This weekend at Betteshanger Country Park UK, UltraSkate is a long-distance longboarding and skateboarding event where competitors ride their boards as far as possible around a course.

Pierre-Edouard Duedal, founder of UK UltraSkate, said: “It’s a very international affair.

“Essentially we have a handful of riders from the UK, but we also have riders from Germany, France, Poland, Romania, the US, Singapore and potentially China. So it’s quite international!

“There are only a few events in this discipline that are approved and sanctioned by SkateIDSA.

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“It’s an event you can’t miss if you’re into this sport, which is why people come from far and wide.”

Although the competition starts tomorrow, the real activities begin today.

Duedal said: “In the evening we will be hosting free challenges, which are pre-event challenges to get people in the mood and mindset.

“Saturday at 9am, that’s when the event starts. Participants skate until 9am on Sunday, when the event ends.

“It will conclude with a raffle and an awards ceremony.”

This year marks the second time the event has been held in Betteshanger.

Duedal noted: “That worked out really well last year.

“It offered a fairly large course. The facilities are good and there is a campsite, which is an option.

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“When participants are driving for 24 hours, it does create some logistical issues and some venues have been a bit reluctant to let people drive around the track for 24 hours – many tracks only allow six or 12 hours. At least at the Betteshanger venue there is somewhere to camp.

“If they need to rest somewhere, they can rest there, recover and get back on their boards when they have the energy again.

“Last year was the first event, this year it will be the second addition and we definitely plan on adding a third next year.

“With that in mind, we eventually got approval from the IDSA and Skateboard GB as well.

“The IDSA is the International Distance Skateboarding Association. They are sending members this year to measure the track for official recognition of the world record.

“It is definitely the place where we will hold our events in the near future.”

Duedal explained why the event started in 2023, adding: “It was kind of my way of contributing to the longboarding community.

“As a community, there are only two or three international events – one in Miami, one in the Netherlands and that was pretty much it. Then there was Le Mans in France, which was half-related to the event.

“As for the event itself, it’s primarily a long distance longboarding event, although we do have inline skaters as well. It’s an endurance distance event, so people ride as long as they can to get as much distance as possible.

“For us it lasts 24 hours, which makes it a very unique event.

“In terms of how it came about, I wanted to try and start something to promote the sport but also to provide opportunities for longboarders who might be more local, so people in the UK can ride and compete in these events.

“It also encourages international riders to come to the UK. Betteshanger came about as a result of looking for a location.

“We assessed about 17 different locations and chose Betteshanger because it met the criteria in terms of the size of the trail, the ability to camp on site and also a few other logistical aspects.”

A trial session was held in March.

When asked how that test session went, Duedal replied: “Very well, as far as I understand it.

“Unfortunately I couldn’t be there myself, but one of my team members, Kevin (Murphy), took charge. As far as I know, it went very well.

“We had a lot of people jumping on a sub skate that day. Sub skates are a SUP Skate – which stands for stand-up paddle – and it’s basically man-paddling, so to speak, on the board.

“People were allowed to try out some equipment. Kevin was allowed to explain what the event was about.

“This year we are specifically supporting Surfers Against Sewage, to give an ecological touch to the event.

“Admittedly, there was an underlying tone, which is that despite the team really trying last year to ensure that the waste was separated and consolidated, it became a bit of a point of contention.

“So this year we are trying to emphasize the ecological theme and agenda more.”

Admission to the public is free and open to everyone. Parking fees apply.

For more information, visit the UK UltraSkate website at www.ultraskate.co.uk.