Mendota Heights Native to Stand-Up Paddleboard the Mississippi

Being on the water is a pastime that many Minnesotans enjoy each summer. This year, Alex Linnell is taking that to the extreme. The 21-year-old Mendota Heights native is attempting to become the first person to ever stand-up paddleboard (SUP) the entire Mississippi River.

The journey, which began June 1 at Lake Itasca, will be about 2,350 miles and will take Linnell about two and a half months. “Ideally I’ll be paddling about eight hours and 40 miles a day,” he said.

Linnell, who graduated from in 2008, has long been an outdoor enthusiast. His dad works for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Linnell frequently went camping with his family growing up. He bought his first kayak at age 12 and enjoys snowboarding in the winter.

His mother, Jean Linnell, said that Alex has always had an adventurous spirit. “He's always been one to stand out in a crowd, do things others would never even dream about. He lives to do things in a big way and this is really big,” she said.

About five years ago Alex found an old windsurfing board in the rafters of his family’s cabin. He took it down and taught himself how to windsurf.

“Eventually I brought the board down to the (Twin) Cities and my dad informed me about (stand-up paddleboarding). It was in an article that he came across. So we started doing it with the windsurfing board and a big oar paddle.”

Since then, Linnell has paddled on Lake Superior, the Gulf of Mexico, and a number of Minnesota lakes. He also finished a SUP race in Clearwater, Florida this past March.

By setting out on this journey Linnell hopes to accomplish a number of things. First and foremost he wants to help the Red Cross raise money to help disaster victims, specifically those affected by recent flooding and tornadoes across the country.

To Linnell it seemed like a natural connection—paddling down the river and helping disaster victims in the states along the way—and that does not surprise his mom at all. 

“I'm so proud of him wanting to help others while he embarks on this trip of a lifetime. Raising money for the Red Cross as we continue to experience so many natural disasters this season really shows Alex's generous spirit,” she said.

Personally, Linnell wants to test his limits and inform people about the sport that he’s grown to love. “I’ve always been one to really challenge myself and this is hopefully going to be a self-exploration. I’d also like to make people more aware of SUP and the physical aspects of it. It’s a great full body workout.”

Anyone interested in tracking Linnell’s progress can visit www.alexlinnell.com. He will be wearing a GPS device that will update his location every few hours.

The site also includes links to make donations to the Red Cross or to Linnell’s “Wish List.” A trip this long does not come without a need for supplies and support, and Linnell would love for people to get involved in any way possible.

“Hopefully when I reach the Twin Cities we’ll have a big event. It’d be great if people wanted to come out and paddle. We’re hoping to get my biggest sponsor, TC (Twin Cities) Paddleboard, to bring some boards out for people to try.”

Linnell estimates that it’ll take him three weeks to reach the Twin Cities. The timelines surrounding the trip are somewhat unknown—“debris in the upper part of the river and rapids are somewhat of a concern.”

If all goes well Linnell, who is attending the Minneapolis College of Art & Design (MCAD) for Graphic Design, would like to use this trip as a spring board for some of his other life goals. “Eventually I’d like to combine (graphic design) with my love of board shorts and other swimwear. Creating the designs and patterns for that type of clothing would be my ideal job. I probably own 20 pairs of board shorts already.”