Month: July 2025

Selection Announcement for the 2025 World Championships and French Nationals Teams

   29 July 2025    Athletes, International, Selection

Following the conclusion of the National Championships at Norwich Canoe Club, the Selection Committee met to select the World Championships and French Nationals teams. The Selection Committee would like to thank Norwich Canoe Club for hosting the final assessment at their well organised National Championship event.

We would like to congratulate the athletes on their selections to their respective teams.

For the full selection note and assessment date, please click on the relevant document links below.

REQUESTS FOR REVIEW

As per the 2025 Selection Policy (published here), any requests to review the selections must be made in writing to the Chair of the Selection Committee, Nanette North at Marathon Selectors [email protected] within 48 hours of the publication of this document, i.e. by 6pm on Thursday 31st July 2025.

Kat Wilson, on behalf of the Marathon Selection Committee – 29/07/2025

2025 National Canoe Marathon Championships – How to follow along!

   25 July 2025    National, Racing

This weekend sees Norwich play host to the biggest annual canoe marathon event in the country. We are super excited to see some tight racing and who manages to claim (or reclaim!) national championship titles.

Whether you are a member of the canoe marathon community or someone who has never watched canoe marathon before, there are lots of ways you can follow along with all the action over both days of racing.

In Person and Locally

If you are local to Norwich, head down Norwich Canoe Club in Whitlingham Country Park (NR14 8TR) from 9am on Saturday 28th or 8:30am on Sunday 27th to catch some racing in person. There will be commentary, food stands, trade stands, starts, finishes and one of the two portages taking place in this location so lots of action to watch! Racing will typically finish around 4:30pm each day. A particular highlight will be the Mixed K2 (2-person Kayak) race on Sunday starting at 3:00pm. Check out some of the links below for further information.

Online

Throughout the weekend, the Marathon Racing Committee and Norwich Canoe Club will be providing coverage via live streams, stories and posts on their social media channels, particularly their Instagram’s. Click the names above to gain access to both accounts.

There will also be live results published throughout the day via the Norwich Canoe Club website or the our website live results page.

Further Information

Live entries can be now be viewed here.

A full timetable of events and classes can be found here as well as the full details on the courses for each class.

National Canoe Marathon Championships 2025 Week is upon us!

   21 July 2025    National, Racing

This weekend, over 700 competitors will head to Norwich to chase the prestigious title of National Champion across every age group, boat class (canoe, kayak, para, SUP), and gender category. With so many strong contenders on the start line, the podium battles are guaranteed to be tight. Who will rise to the top to claim the overall win?

In the Senior K1 and K2 categories, title battles look apparent in both Men and Women fields. In the Senior Men’s K1, reigning European and National Champion James Russell (Chelmsford Canoe Club) returns to defend his title. But with top challengers including Charlie Smith, Matthew Johnson, and Daniel Johnson (all from Nottingham Kayak Club), plus international entry Syver Borge Saksvik from Norway, it promises to be a fierce fight.

In the Senior Women’s K1, reigning champ Melissa Johnson (Nottingham Kayak Club) faces tough competition from international medalist and former National Champion Samantha Rees-Clark, also representing Nottingham Kayak Club.

In the Senior Men’s K2, the field is wide open. Previous champions aren’t racing together, with Matthew Johnson now paired with Matthew Collinge (Fowey River Canoe Club). European Championship crews, including James Russell & Charlie Smith, and Sam Cribbett & Joseph Enoch (both Nottingham Kayak Club), are sure to be in contention as well, while other crews are more than capable of a surprise podium finish. This could be potentially one of the most exciting race of the weekend.

The Senior Women K2 race has four boats who could all compete for podium spots with our two European Championship crews of Katie Brookes (Richmond Canoe Club) and Elise Montagna (Royal Canoe Club), and Jessie Urquhart (Nottingham Kayak Club) and Brynde Kreft (Falcon Canoe Club) lining up alongside experienced international medalist Fay Lamph pairing with Greta Roeser (Wey Kayak Club) as well as Nerys Hall and Samantha Martyn (Wey Kayak Club).

Of course, this is just a small glimpse into the packed programme of racing taking place across the weekend. This year marks a milestone with the highest number of KL3 para entries ever, highlighting the growth of the para marathon fields. The action builds to a thrilling finale on Sunday afternoon with the Mixed K2, a large and fiercely competitive field that’s sure to deliver a dramatic close. Many of the age group categories are also shaping up to be incredibly close, promising exciting battles from start to finish.

For a follow look at all the entries for this years National Championships, click here.

For full details of races and timings for the day, visit Norwich Canoe Clubs event specific site here.

We will try to provide as many updates as we can via our Social Media sites throughout the two days of action but also tune into Norwich Canoe Clubs Social Media sites for additional coverage.

We are looking forward to a weekend of exciting!

World Championships & French Nationals Development Trip Availability Forms & Selections

   14 July 2025    Athlete Development, Athletes, Selection

The National Championships on the 26/27th July in Norwich is the final assessment for the 2025 season. Results from this event will be used for the following:

  • K1 (and where necessary K2) results will be used to select the U16 / U14 French Nationals Development team
  • K1 / C1 and K2 / C2 lead assessment for the World Championships team selection

IMPORTANT: To be considered for selection for either of these events, athletes must complete an availability form by 22:00 on the 23rd July: Worlds & French Nationals Availability Form 2025

Please note the following athletes have been preselected to the World Championships after winning medals at the European Championships:

  • SMK1: James Russell (CLM)
  • JMK1 / JMK2: Will Short (ELM)
  • JMK2: Alex Worgan (RIC)
  • WKL3: Charlotte Creamer (LBZ)
  • MKL2: Jon White (EXE)
  • MVL2: Shaun Cook (NOR)
  • MKL3: Tim Lodge (WEY)

Congratulations to these athletes. Further selections into these classes will be subject to securing a release place. Please refer to section 10.5 of the Selection Policy.

If you have any questions about the availability form, please contact the secretary Kat Wilson. For more information on the selection process, please refer to the 2025 Selection Policy found here. If you still have any questions, please direct them to the chair of the Selection Committee Nanette North at [email protected]

British K4 Squads Impress at International Races in Spain 

   11 July 2025    Athlete Development, International, Racing

Great Britain fielded a strong team of developing athletes to compete in the 2025 International K4 series, held across two stunning venues in Spain: Valladolid and Sanabria.

Senior Men K4 Selected: Joe Petersen (Banbury), Arthur Morley (Wey), James How (Norwich) and Matt Collinge (Fowey).

Senior Women K4 Selected: Matilda Enoch (Nottingham), Mollie Ball (Devizes), Nerys Hall (Wey) and Sienna Payne (Chelmsford).

A last-minute curveball hit the women’s team when Beth Perry (Southampton) was taken ill just 24 hours before the first race. Reserve paddler Sienna Payne stepped in with impressive composure considering the last minute change of plans. As in previous years, the Spanish Federation provided excellent hospitality, including transport, accommodation, meals, and boats, making the travel-intensive event smooth and enjoyable for the team.

The first 5K race unfolded in Valladolid’s tight river course, demanding top-tier teamwork and precise handling. Both British boats showcased superb boat control, particularly around the narrow top turn.

An electrifying finish saw British Men’s K4 neck-and-neck with Hungary, Czechia, and Portugal. Judges had to deliberate to decide the silver medallist, ultimately placing Czechia 2nd, Britain 3rd, and Portugal a boat length behind in 4th.

The British Women’s battled Portugal for 4th, pushing hard to close the gap in the final 150m ​​but alas not having enough firepower to overhaul them.

Most GB athletes were debuting in K4 5000m racing, making the 16–17 minute endurance effort a true test of mental and physical strength. As Arthur, stroke of the men’s boat, reflected: “I couldn’t believe how fast and hard the race was—I really thought we were going to take gold from the Hungarians, but we just didn’t have enough to get past.”

The next day’s venue, Sanabria, offered expansive water ideal for strategic manoeuvring. As with the previous day, the International K4 races served as the grand finale following domestic competitions, which included around 50 K4 crews in action, alongside races in K1 and K2, with an estimated 600 participants to this regional venue.

The men’s race again was tight with only Germany and Spain slipping out of the leading group, leaving Britain, Denmark, Portugal, Czechia and Hungary to fight it out. This time Britain swapped places with Portugal from the day before, securing 4th this time.

In the Women’s race, Nerys led a powerful charge as stroke, but the team remained in 5th. Mollie summed up the experience: “It was amazing racing. We all tried so hard. I want to come back next year and I’ll know exactly what training I need to do to get on the podium.”

Final Result Summary

  • 🥉 1 Bronze (Men, Valladolid)
  • 🎖️ 1 Fourth Place
  • 🎖️ 2 Fifth Places
  • Overall fourth place position for this British team for the International event

A solid showing from a young and determined group of British athletes, many of whom are likely to earn further international honours in the seasons ahead.

Several British paddlers remarked on the sheer enthusiasm and participation in Spanish racing culture, a likely contributor to Spain’s global success. With 50 K4s and exciting racing, its clear culture was evident: More fun fuels more participation, more racing drives more medals.

Thank you to Paul Dimmock, the trip team leader, for his support with the words for this article.

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