Portland Oregon native Karen Wrenn has always had a penchant for the outdoors; easy access from the Northwest City, and a family cabin nestled in Washington lake country meant she was always pursuing her love for adventure. After college Wrenn got serious about her passion for windsurfing, moving to windsports meccas Hood River, Oregon, and then Maui, Hawaii. On a 2007 down day in Maui, Wrenn picked up paddle boarding and was hooked.

One year later, she was beating a field of male competitors at her first stand up paddle race, the Gorge Games in Hood River. She’s been on a steady path of SUP competition and adventure racing ever since. Winning races around the world from Denmark to NYC, Wrenn became the first person, male or female, to cross between all seven of California’s Channel Islands, a grueling 150-mile trek that she completed in five days. Now based back in her hometown, Wrenn divides time between parenting her two kids and training for her next global SUP outing.

You live in Portland, which is not the most renowned place for competitive water-sports. Where do you practice and train at home, and what do you tell your peers about SUP in Portland?

Training to compete against the best standup paddlers in the world, while living in Portland, poses its challenges. I train on my local river, the Willamette, which runs through downtown Portland. It is about ten minutes from my house. But, I mostly race in the ocean— the Willamette is flat and calm, so it doesn’t mimic the ocean environment I race in. So, I have to use my past experiences of living in Maui and being comfortable in the water, to be able to compete in ocean racing. I think training in the cold conditions that I endure in the winter is one of the things that makes me a tough competitor. I have been training in conditions that most people wouldn’t. I feel it gives me an extra layer of toughness that I can take into competition.

Given your experience of living as a kite-surfer in Maui, have you ever considered going coastal? What are your top reasons for continuing to be based out of Portland?

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t remind my husband what it was like to live in Maui, especially when it is cold and rainy. But, raising my family where I grew up is pretty cool. We stay in Portland for family, our family lake cabin in the Gorge, life-long friends, community, and it’s gorgeous!

Where are you favorite places to SUP in Portland, and Oregon, and why? What about in the Northwest, and the world in general?

My favorite place to SUP in Portland is out of the Willamette Sailing Club on the Willamette River. There is an island, Ross Island, that is a four-mile round trip loop. I spend hours and hours alone training out there and I feel safe. I see Eagles, blue herons, salmon and deer. Paddling in the Gorge is one of the best places for downwinding in the world. On a downwinder, the wind is at your back, you’re riding swells, and surfing your way up the Columbia River. It’s so much fun. But, overall, I would say Maui is my favorite place to standup paddle in the world. You can do it all there. You can paddle in flat water, surf and downwind. It’s warm, beautiful and my whole family loves it.

Do you ever paddle out on the Oregon coast? It’s such a rugged coastline, where are your favorite places to travel to out there?

The Oregon Coast can be intimidating, but it can also be one of the most beautiful places in the world, on the right day. We generally go to Pacific City to SUP surf. It’s about an hour and forty-five minutes from our house, which isn’t bad. The weather is usually the deciding factor — it can be really cold, windy, rough and sharky on the Oregon Coast.

Where is a not so great place to paddle?

One of my favorite and most memorable races was the 100-mile paddle in NYC on the Hudson River, from Kingston to Manhattan. I loved the experience and the race, but the Hudson wouldn’t be my first choice. As you get close to Manhattan, the river is busy with huge boats, it’s dirty, and doesn’t have great spots to launch from. I would suggest not to paddle out of Manhattan if you don’t have to.

Portland has tons of running trails, road biking, hiking and more within a stone’s throw of the city. What other sports do you pursue in Portland?

I have a background in running and still run Portland’s amazing trails almost every day (Portlander’s are hearty, and we run no matter the weather). In the winter, I spend a lot of time at Mt. Hood and Mt. Bachelor, skiing and snowboarding. The mountain biking and hiking is terrific around Oregon, as well. I spend a lot of time at my kids sporting events watching soccer, football, basketball and track meets. I also help coach track. I windsurf and kiteboard in the Gorge. I can standup paddle, windsurf, kiteboard, surf, ski, snowboard, mountain bike, and hike, all within an hour and a half from our house — there aren’t too many places you can do that.

What were your go-to places to play and adventure as a kid and a teen, and what makes Portland a great place to have a family today?

The city has grown a lot, but it’s not too different from when I was a kid. I spent a lot of time riding bikes, playing games at the park in our neighborhood. Now, I watch my kids doing the same things. We live in a great neighborhood where we know, trust and look out for our neighbors. My kids can walk and ride their bikes to school and I feel safe letting them. My kids attend our local public school, which is a great school, with tons of parent involvement.

I spent five years in Portland, and all people asked about was if it really rained all the time. What’s your answer for people asking about the rain?

I get asked about the rain a lot. We have amazing summer weather and beautiful fall weather. During the winter, when it’s raining in Portland, I say, “if it’s raining here then it’s snowing at the mountain.” Thinking that way makes the rain better. The toughest time of year for me is in the spring— I’ve made it through winter and I’m ready for some sun and it seems to take forever for the sun to come out!

What were the highest and lowest moments of being the first person to paddle all seven channels of California's Channel Islands?

Being the first person to do anything has its ups and downs. My crew and I had to come up with the route, which is harder than you think. If someone else has done it, you can either copy their route if it was successful, or you can take their mistakes and use it to help. We didn’t have that luxury. We had to choose a route and stick with it. There was so much water to cover and only a certain amount of time.

One of my low points was facing sideways chop and a strong headwind all day. At one point, I looked over at my boat and the crew had their life jackets on because the sea was so rough. I remember looking over at the boat thinking what is going on? Are they kidding me? I am out paddling in this and they are on a fifty-foot boat wearing life jackets?

My lowest of low moments was on my last crossing. It was the longest crossing of the trip and the weather was rough again. I had been paddling for eight hours straight and the boat came next to me to tell me I needed to paddle faster. I thought it looked like maybe another hour of paddling before I reached the island. The boat told me I had about three hours to go. If I didn’t speed up it was going to be dark and they didn’t think it would be safe to let me continue. I was in tears, I paddled away from the boat, I was frustrated and mad, but I did what I needed to and I paddled faster, dug deep and I made it.

Highest moments were every time I finished a crossing. Laughing with the crew at night on the boat at dinner. There were a few times when pods of dolphins would help escort me. Ultimately, waking up the next morning after I was all done and sitting on the upper deck, while looking out in the Channels that I had just crossed all by myself, was the most satisfying and unbelievable moment ever.

Obviously there is a high amount of concentration and risk assessment going on with the longer crossings, but do things ever get repetitive to the point of being exhausted mentally? Do you have any tried-and-true mantras or thought games to get yourself mentally back on task?

I spend hours upon hours on the water, by myself, up to 12 hours at times. It is mentally exhausting. I have to continually talk myself out of being afraid, tired or bored. It’s a mind game. I know I have done the training, but your mind can go out of control. I always have music with me, but I don’t usually listen to it. I think about my kids a lot. My kids are my reset button for me if I’m having a tough moment on the water, I think about what I would tell my kids to do in that situation. I think about how much I love them and how proud of me they will be when I finish.

It sounds like the Channel Islands crossing was quite the adventure. What’s it like to be pretty much exposed in the elements, on the water, for such long periods of time?

You realize how small you are out there. I was paddling in waters that were thousands of feet deep with strong currents. It is great white shark breeding areas. You see huge tankers out there that have trouble with how treacherous the channels can be for them and they are the size of a downtown building on their side and I’m on just a 17’ board. Sun, waves, wind, sea life, staying hydrated, nutrition are all factors.

When you’re at home in Portland, what is your regular training routine? Or does it change up depending on your next exploit?

I run almost everyday, that never changes. I workout with a trainer, two days a week in the gym, year round. But, my water training varies. I compete in flat water, surf races, downwind races and ultra distance. So, my training depends on what race I have coming up. During my high season, May through September, I try to be on the water three to four days a week. I have to keep a good distance base, but I also need to get in interval training, buoy turns and downwinding.

Obviously you travel a lot. For those road-weary readers that don’t know, can you explain the joys of having an international airport so close to the city?

The Portland International airport is only twenty minutes from my house! Knowing I can easily get where I need to go, is huge! We have a lot of logistics to think about when traveling. We have to get our boards, paddles and gear to the race. The Portland airport is a friendly, easy and nice place to fly from.

I imagine proper nutrition must play a big role in training and sustaining such intense levels of endurance. And from my experience, Portland is a great place to eat healthy. What are your favorite local foods, farmer’s markets, restaurants and healthy eating resources?

Nutrition plays a huge role in what I do. We have so many restaurants that take pride in using local farm to table ingredients, and there are farmers markets all over the city. Food carts are huge in Portland — it’s insane how many we have. My favorite food cart is Wolf and Bear, a vegan falafel sandwich that makes my mouth water just writing about it. Another great healthy food cart is Whole Bowl, it’s a rice and bean bowl with an amazing secret sauce.

What quadrants of Portland have you lived in, and what were your favorite parts of each?

I have only lived in Southwest Portland. My friends make fun of me for that. We joke that I’m not allowed to cross the river in my car. When we were kids we weren’t allowed to go on the East side. Which is pretty funny now. I am still a bit turned around when I go over there. Most of the good restaurants and hipsters live on the East side.

How is the water quality in the Willamette lately? How is the local SUP scene, has it taken off?

I think the water quality has gotten a little better. The city recently finished a hugesewage project to eliminate overflow into the Willamette. I don’t swim in the Willamette on purpose though. But, if I happen to fall in while paddling, I don’t worry about it too much. The SUP scene has really taken off recently. For years, I was the only out there on a SUP. Now, on a nice day, I will see about ten others out.

Can you tell us about the family cabin? Is it on/near the Willamette? How important is it to you to have a place that’s been in the family for so long? What’s it like to share that with your own kids?

Our family lake cabin is my favorite place on earth. It has been in my mom’s family since she was ten years old. The cabin is on a series of lakes just five minutes uphill from the Columbia River in Washington. It’s a fishing and swimming lake club with the highest horse power motor of a six and a half. We spend every weekend of the summer there, fishing, swimming, hiking, boating, paddling, playing games and hang out as a family. I feel so lucky to have experienced a place like this and to be able to share it with my kids is incredible— now it’s their favorite too. My son, at the age of 10, can hop in a boat with his eight year old sister and head out fishing. They come back with a couple of 18 inch Trout fordinner. There is nothing better.

Follow Karen Wrenn’s adventures at KarenWrenn.com