This month, BeneTerra’s own Kim Ankenbauer will line up for Australia at the 2026 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Gualeguaychú, Argentina. She races the Women’s K1 65-69 division over 11.8 km on 19 October.
Its her second World Championships in two years, but six years ago, she had never even sat in a racing kayak.
From a COVID fitness habit to the start line
Kim’s paddling story began during COVID, in an inflatable kayak on the Brisbane River. What started as a way to keep fit quickly became something more.
“I discovered that I loved being on the water, in nature,” Kim says. “That love just grew from there, and I gradually paddled further and further down the Brisbane River.”
Kim was no stranger to competitive sport. She competed in cross country at college in the US, at Indiana State University. Racing again came naturally once she found marathon paddling. “It wasn’t something I ever anticipated,” she says. “But once I started, it was easy to fall back into that rhythm: train, compete, get better.”
Her first race was a lesson in humility. “I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I made all the rookie mistakes, and I had to have a good laugh about it.”
Győr 2025: a tough first Worlds
In 2025, Kim represented Australia at her first World Championships in Győr, Hungary.
“On the start line I was thinking, how did I get here? What am I doing here?” she says. “I was incredibly proud to be lined up representing Australia, but racing at that level was so new to me.”
The course was unforgiving. It had tight turns, small islands, and eddies that caught paddlers out. The wash from more than 150 boats bounced off the rock and concrete banks. “The water was so much choppier than anything I’d trained in,” Kim says.
Partway through, she capsized. She got back in her boat, kept going and finished ninth in her division.
“I was disappointed with my time,” she says. “But I was very happy that I got back in the boat, carried on and finished the race.”
The next day she raced again in a K2 double. “It was good to have another person in the boat. It’s not just me who’s nervous. We were going to work together and get through it.”
What changed after Hungary
Kim came home from Győr and wrote a list of every skill she wanted to improve. Then she built them into her training schedule.
“There’s no point paddling in perfect conditions and doing a perfectworkout if that’s not what you’ll face on race day,” she says.
She now trains six to seven times a week, most mornings on the water at 5:30am. She trains with Currumbin Creek Paddlers Club on the Gold Coast, in a group led by canoe marathon identity Chris Hurley, and practises her turns on the Brisbane River. This year she also attended three training camps supported by Paddle Australia.
“You can’t replicate that on your own,” she says of training with the group. “There’s more adrenaline when you’re with other people. It’s so much easier to find that extra bit.”
The hardest part of the build-up was winter: training in the dark, with lights on the boats. “I’m very thankful for the early-morning daylight we have now.”
The Gualeguaychú course should suit her preparation. It’s a river course with an island and three long loops plus one short loop, which means plenty of turns. That’s exactly what she has been working on.
The goal: leave nothing on the water
Kim isn’t chasing a time or a placing in Argentina.
“If I get off to a good start, find a wash to sit on, work my way around the course using other paddlers as best I can, and finish knowing I’ve left nothing out there on the water, that’s my goal.”
Getting to the start line takes more than training. Masters paddlers can’t easily travel with their boats, and hired boats can be unreliable. Some paddlers Kim knows travelled to the last Worlds and couldn’t race. This year, fellow paddler Julie bought a boat for the event and is sharing it with Kim, since they race in different sessions. “Without her generosity, I would not be going this year,” Kim says.
Backed by BeneTerra
Kim credits BeneTerra’s support for making her campaign possible. The company has provided flexible working hours and a financial contribution towards her trip, and she trains proudly in a BeneTerra training shirt.
“If I didn’t have the flexibility, I’d only be training two or three times a week,” she says. “I appreciate that so much. I’m very happy with my employers.”
She sees a clear link between her sport and her work as a management accountant. “Paddling is very technical. There are so many little things you have to think about on the water.” Both reward an analytical mind and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Racing for her daughters
Kim is racing for herself, and also for her husband Nigel and their two daughters.
“I want them to know that you can get out and do hard things, and you can learn new things,” she says. “I hope I can inspire them to get out of their comfort zone and try.”
Her advice to anyone juggling a career and thinking about a new sport is simple. “Give it a go. You might surprise yourself.”
The races won’t be streamed, but we’ll share Kim’s results and photos when she’s back.
From everyone at BeneTerra: Go Kim!