How to prepare for a long-distance race
A few simple things to focus on before DEFI
If you are racing DEFI this year, your preparation does not start on race day. It starts now.
Long-distance races are not only about speed. They are about pacing, consistency, and being able to hold your effort over time. That is why the sessions you do before the event matter so much.
The DEFI Training Challenges on Waterspeed are designed to help you prepare with a clearer goal: set your best time over 20.0 km in kite, windsurf or wingfoil.
1. Train for the effort, not just for the event
A lot of people train regularly, but not always in a way that reflects race day.
For a long-distance race, it helps to build sessions around the kind of effort you will actually need: controlled, repeatable, and sustainable.
If you want to go deeper into that idea, you can also read: Not progressing in water sports? These 7 Plateaus might be why
2. Do not focus only on top speed
In long-distance racing, pacing matters.
One fast section does not mean much if you cannot hold your effort across the full distance. A better question is: can you stay consistent from start to finish?
That is why training over 20.0 km is useful. It brings your sessions closer to the real demands of the event.
3. Get your setup right before you hit the water
Good sessions start before the session itself.
Make sure your device is charged, your tracking setup is ready, and everything works the way it should. The less friction you have before starting, the easier it is to stay consistent in training.
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4. Use your sessions to learn
Tracking is not only about recording what you did. It is about understanding it.
The more you review your sessions, the easier it becomes to spot patterns, manage effort better, and prepare with more intention.
5. Train with a clear goal before race day
One of the biggest benefits of training for a race is having something specific to work towards.
In a long-distance format, that matters even more. The more clearly you can shape your sessions around the kind of effort the event demands, the more useful your preparation becomes. Instead of simply spending more time on the water, you are building sessions with purpose — and that usually leads to better pacing, better consistency, and more confidence going into race day.
That is where the DEFI Training Challenges come in.
Built for kite, windsurf and wingfoil, each challenge is designed around one simple objective: set your best time over 20.0 km. In other words, they give you a concrete way to train for the kind of effort a long-distance race requires.
And if this is your first event, you might also want to read How to prepare for your first race.
