World Champion Athletes Shatter Unsupported Speed Record on 150-Mile Willamette River Run

April 23, 2026

April 23, 2026 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Professional endurance athletes Chelsey Magness and Daniel Staudigel of Bend, Oregon, have set a historic new benchmark for long-distance paddling in the Pacific Northwest. Departing from Eugene at dawn on Friday, the duo completed a grueling 150.4-mile unsupported run of the Willamette River in just 17 hours and 44 minutes, arriving at West Linn’s Bernert Landing shortly after midnight on Saturday.

The feat required maintaining a relentless pace of nearly 8.5 miles per hour—shattering unofficial benchmarks for the Eugene-to-West Linn corridor. The run served as a high-stakes training milestone for the pair as they prepare for the world-renowned Yukon 1000 river race later this summer.

Staudigel is a veteran of Amazon’s Eco-Challenge : Fiji and a co-holder of the current Yukon 1000 world record (with Chelsey’s husband Jason). But for Magness—the 2022 WEMBO 24-Hour Mountain Bike World Champion—the run was her first major endurance test in a kayak, proving her world-class versatility across disciplines.

The duo recently returned from the 2025 Adventure Racing World Championships in Canada, where they secured a 5th place finish alongside teammates Jason Magness and Matthias Arnbert. Both athletes are also key members of the organizing team for the 2026 USARA National Championship Adventure Race, set to bring the nation’s top athletes to Bend next October.

Beyond the record, the athletes aimed to highlight the Willamette Water Trail. “To have 150 miles of beautiful, uninterrupted river that is logistically easy to access is unique to Oregon,” said Magness. “It’s a stunning waterway every local adventurer should experience.”