Is there any better feeling than stepping into a sauna after a gruelling kayaking journey in freezing conditions?
You only need to ask Estonia’s endurance paddlers Linda Tetsmann and Anette Baum who swear by the therapeutic powers that come from bathing in the heat.
The sauna not only helps to relax their bodies and minds after long races but also re-energises them as they prepare to take on another crazy paddling adventure.
“I can tell you that the one reason that we really want to get to the finish line is the sauna,” said Tetsmann.
“We love the combination of the sauna and endurance racing when the body is totally exhausted and cold.
“You reach the finish line, and you wouldn’t dream of doing anything else other than going to the sauna.”
Estonia's love of saunas
It’s perhaps no surprise that Tetsmann 32, and Baum, 26, feel this way given Estonia’s strong connection with saunas.
They are part of life in Estonia. According to research, Estonia has the second-highest number of saunas per capita in the world, only bettered by Finland, with nearly every household found to be owning one.
For Tetsmann, having a sauna is like experiencing a warm embrace from a loved one.
“It’s like a feeling of my mother’s hug,” said Tetsmann.
“You have reached a point where you are safe and warm.
“There is a saying in Estonia that women speak in a sauna. The best ideas happen there and this is so true.”
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As well as the saunas’ health benefits, they are places where people come together and form relationships.
Again, you only need to ask Tetsmann and Baum. The sauna is where their journey started back in 2019.
After finishing the Türi-Tori Downriver Race in Estonia, Tetsmann and Baum started chatting in a sauna.
They came up with the idea of assembling the first female team for the Guaja XXL relay race in Latvia.
It was the beginning of a formidable partnership in the world of endurance paddling as they continue to think bigger and bigger, pushing themselves to greater distances.
Mission to win world's longest canoe race
Their greatest challenge to date came in July 2023 when they took on the mighty Yukon 1000 which is considered to be the world’s longest canoe race.
Stretching from Canada to Alaska, the race sees competitors paddle 1,000 miles where they are pushed to their limits both mentally and physically.
It’s a survival of the fittest.
What makes Tetsmann and Baum such a powerful partnership on the water is that they could not be any different.
While Baum exudes calmness, Tetsmann radiates a buzz of excitement.
“Linda is always pushing up the energy in the boat whereas I am cooling down and keeping things more level,” said Baum.
Tetsmann added: “I have like this electrical bunny inside of me, so I always have an urge to do things.
“When I’m together with Anette, I feel calmer.
“When you are all over the place, your focus is not that good.
“Anette is my medicine for becoming calm and more efficient.”
Tetsmann highlighted one incident during the Yukon 1000 which underlined their strength as a pairing.
Strong partnership and positive mindset key to success
“There was a moment in the race where we were on the border and we were stuck there,” said Testmann.
“We needed to make a call to enter Alaska and the phoneline was busy.
“I proposed to do power naps with Anette so every 10 minutes someone takes the call and then the other one takes a power nap.
“I wanted to start arguing about how long Anette let me sleep for because it wasn’t 10 minutes, it was definitely more.
“But then I realised that this is not helpful, and Anette is not falling into this pointless argument.
“It’s about finding positives from the struggle.”
This mindset proved key as Tetsmann and Baum captured the overall Yukon 1000 title after finishing in six days, nine hours and 12 minutes.
It was a sensational achievement from the Estonian duo that was captured in the Push Past Impossible documentary which tells the stories of the participants in the 2023 edition of the endurance race.
“This is the world's longest and hardest survival race in existence and women won it overall in Alaska which is considered to be a very male dominated area,” said Tetsmann.
“It was such a big message to send and a big boost for women.”
The past 12 months have been classed as a “gap year” by Tetsmann and Baum but they still competed in 10 events in 2024.
Tetsmann and Baum participated in the International Canoe Federation Wildwater Canoeing World Championships in Sabero, Spain, finishing ninth in the women’s canoe double.
What next for Tetsmann and Baum?
Their event schedule for 2025 has been set and it includes the ICF Wildwater Canoeing World Cup in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina where they are expected to race in the women’s C2 again.
After kayaking the Yukon 1000, Tetsmann and Baum now intend to do twice the distance when they enter next year’s Yukon 2000 – and they plan to do it in a canoe which will add even further challenges.
“The canoe is definitely different because of the steering,” said Baum.
“It’s going to be more brutal because at the end of the river it gets wider and slower.
“And as we got to know at the end of the Yukon 1000, there are sections where the river turns so the wind is constantly blowing against you.”
The 2026 Yukon 2000 is expected to test them on every level, but the one thing that will keep driving them is the thought of relaxing in a sauna at the end of the race.
Photos by Aldis Toome
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