Three's DEFINITELY a Crowd 2026

WHAT A WEEK! THE THREE'S A CROWD ROLLERCOASTER CONTINUES!

If you'd asked me 24 hours ago whether I'd be paddling the Massive Murray Paddle next week, the answer would have been NO!

It's been a bit of a whirlwind getting to this point, so here's a little update on where we're at.

Our original team, Three's a Crowd, was made up of Shan, Jordan and myself. Unfortunately, Jordan had to pull out this year, leaving just the two of us to tackle the 415km journey down the Murray.

No problem, we thought. We just need someone to drive our support vehicle each day.

Easy, right?

Not quite! 😅

We thought we'd found someone. That fell through. We found someone else. That fell through too.

We worked our way through just about everyone we knew, but with such short notice, we were running out of options.

Eventually, we had to accept that Plan B might be our only option.

Shan would hire a single kayak and tackle the entire five days SOLO, while I took on the role of road crew.

Not exactly how we'd pictured our return to the Murray!

BUT THEN...

Yesterday afternoon, we received a phone call from a fellow paddler. She and her team had heard about our predicament and offered to drive our vehicle for us, making sure it's waiting at the finish each day.

Just like that, I'M BACK IN THE BOAT! 🥳

We are incredibly grateful for their generosity. It's a pretty wonderful reminder of the community that surrounds this event.

So, after a week of uncertainty, we're officially back on track!

On Monday, we'll be setting off together for five days and 415km of paddling, sore muscles, questionable decisions and hopefully plenty of laughs!

❤️ NOW, WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We're taking on this challenge to raise money for Dementia Australia, a cause that's incredibly close to our hearts.

When we last tackled the Murray in 2023, we raised an amazing $3,594.

This year, we'd love to beat that!

So far, we've raised $967, thanks to some very generous people who've already supported us. But we've still got some serious fundraising to do!

If you've been thinking about donating, we'd really love your support. Whether it's $5, $10 or something more, every contribution helps support people and families affected by dementia.

And if you can't donate, sharing our page would mean just as much.

We'll be posting daily updates from the river next week, so you can follow our progress, celebrate the good days and probably have a laugh at our expense when things get tough! 😂

Five days. 415 kilometres. Two slightly underprepared paddlers. One very important cause.

Let's see what we can do! 💚

Ash & Shan

Team Three's a Crowd 🛶

Six Weeks Out: Two Paddlers, Zero Kilometres and an Unreasonable Amount of Confidence

So, with roughly six weeks until the Massive Murray Paddle, it feels like the appropriate time to assess how prepared the two members of Three’s a Crowd actually are.

The answer is:

Not especially. 😂

Princess 👸

On paper, Princess looks like the sensible half of this operation.

She’s a personal trainer and nutritionist, ridiculously strong, disciplined, knows how bodies work and generally understands concepts such as training, recovery and preparation.

Her paddling résumé, however, is slightly less terrifying:

1 x Massive Murray Paddle completed.
1 x Riverland Paddle DNF.
A couple of technique sessions.
And approximately zero kilometres paddled in preparation for this one so far.

Princess is strong in every sense of the word.

But in paddling terms, she is currently what professionals might call a little underdone.

I prefer fresh. She does not.

And then there’s me. 😎

My credentials are obviously much stronger.

I rowed surf boats in the 1990s.

Yes, the 1990s.

Apparently fitness gained during the era of dial-up internet does not remain permanently stored in the human body, which seems like an obvious design flaw.

I’ve also done a bit of martial arts over the years, completed one Massive Murray Paddle and participated in the same ill-fated Riverland Paddle that Princess and I didn’t finish.

So naturally, I’m approaching 415 kilometres with a level of confidence completely unsupported by recent evidence.

Somewhere deep inside my brain lives a 20-year-old surf boat rower who still believes he’s indestructible.

Unfortunately, he currently inhabits an older chassis.

So where does that leave us?

In six weeks, Princess and I need to paddle 415 kilometres over five days.

There’s no third paddler this time.

No rotating out when someone is cooked.

No sitting on the bank eating snacks while somebody else does the work.

Just the two of us.

Which means we probably need to start training.

Soon.

Very soon.

Potentially tomorrow.

Princess will approach the next six weeks with planning, strength work, nutrition, recovery and common sense.

I will approach it by repeatedly saying things like:

“We’ll be right.”

This difference in methodology will almost certainly become important later.

For now, though, Three’s a Crowd is officially back on the water.

Well…

Figuratively.

We should probably actually get on the water first.

Six weeks to go. 415km waiting. What could possibly go wrong? 🚣‍♀️🚣‍♂️😂