Governance – Canoe Marathon Racing UK

Safety Reminders: Marathon Races

26 October 2023 Governance, Organisation, Racing, Rules, Safeguarding

Following a number of incidents over the past 12 months, race organisers are reminded of the recommendation in Part C of the Marathon Racing Rules. See below for a summary of Item 3 from Part C.

3. SAFETY

Safety measures are largely at the discretion of the organiser, since courses and conditions vary considerably. All paddlers ranked in Divisions 7, 8, & 9 or competing in GST and fun races must wear a buoyancy aid [Rules 5 (a)(v) and 56 (a)]. Make sure you have adequate safety cover for all GST and Div 9 races. On the open sea it is wise to insist on buoyancy aids for all. On open water, rescue boats are very important. Ensure that no one is stranded or lost halfway round the course; it is important to account for all competitors. On calm water it is usually sufficient to have a back marker paddling the course. Marshals at turns and portages should carry safety equipment including an absolute minimum of space blanket or similar, throw line and mobile phone. Where possible a checklist of boat numbers will help marshals tick off those who have passed them.

All Race organisers shall appoint a Safety Officer, prepare a Risk Assessment and Safety Plan well ahead of their event and put in hand appropriate safety measures. Risk Assessments must be forwarded to the Regional Marathon Advisor before the event.

Paddlers, parents & Team Leaders are also reminded how important it is to keep race organisers informed of information such as health issues, retirements or incidents that may occur during a race.

Updated Committee Roles for 2023/2024

14 October 2023 Governance, Organisation

Following the ACM and the new Marathon Racing Committee’s first meeting in September, the committee roles for 2023/2024 have been confirmed. You can now view the full list of roles and contact details here.

After 20 years of looking after the money, David Enoch has decided to step down from the role of Treasurer. From the 1st November, Joe Fitzpatrick will officially take on the role, after shadowing David for the last six months. David will still sit on the committee and will be supporting the transition over to the new Treasurer. If you wish to contact Joe, his email is J.Fitzpatrick93@outlook.com. All enquires around budget, race levys and more should go to Joe from the 1st November. We thank David for his incredible work that he has done in this role over the last twenty years as a volunteer.

Vacancy: Trophies Co-Ordinator

4 October 2023 Governance, National, Volunteers

The Marathon Racing Committee are seeking an organised and consistent individual to take over the responsibility of trophies and medals for our three major events.

For a overview of the role and responsibilities, click the document below.

Trophy and Medals Job Description

If you are interested in taking on this role, please contact our chairman, Stan Missen, here. If you have any particular questions about the role, the current co-ordinator, Neil Urquhart, is willing to be contacted here.

We would like to have this role filled by December as we prepare for the 2024 season.

ACM Change of Date

21 June 2023 ACM, Governance

We have had to postpone the MRC ACM to Wednesday 12 July. This will still take place on Zoom, starting at 7.30 and lasting approximately 1 hour.

The Agenda and papers are all in the pdf pack below, along with the Zoom link. Please note, we do encourage paddlers to bring up any topics that they would like the MRC to discuss/review during the year, and there is an opportunity for that at the end of the meeting.

MRC 2023 ACM Agenda and Papers

Race Insurance

12 June 2023 Governance, Organisation, Racing

We understand that some clubs have recently had their race permissions returned from the CRT saying that they/BC did not have enough insurance, which may be due to supplying the wrong document. The CRT require £10,000,000 and the BC insurance is structured as £5,000,000, that is then insured with another £5,000,000, and which is confirmed in this document – To Who It May Concern Letter.

This was covered in the webinar with the insurance company in November 2022, which is available from the Clubhouse Archives page.

New Athlete Representative required for selection committee – Urgent!

25 May 2023 Athletes, Governance, Selection

The MRC Selection Committee are seeking a volunteer to join as Athlete Representative.

The athlete representative will be invited to all selection meetings, and will be able to contribute to the discussion, but is not a voting member of the selection committee.

Requirements of the athlete representative:

Act as an independent member of the committee (not MRC, a current athlete seeking selection or club coach).
They should bring with them experience of being an international athlete (where possible).
Know and understand the selection policy.
Question and challenge the process during the meetings to ensure selections are made in line with the policy

The next meeting of the selection committee will be in the days following the assessment weekend 10th/11th June, and the new athlete representative should be available to join this meeting.

For more information and to register interest please contact Tom Sharpe by Sunday 4th June.

MRC Annual Consultative Meeting 2023 – Initial Information

24 April 2023 ACM, Governance

The MRC Annual Consultative Meeting will take place online on Wednesday 28 June 2023, starting at 7.30pm. This will include the elections for the 2023/24 committee.

Joining details for the meeting will be available on the MRC website nearer the time, as will a full set of papers. Each BC affiliated club which has participated, or has an interest, in marathon racing is entitled to a vote, and that club’s voting member will need to be registered in advance.

In addition to the annual election of the Chair this year there will be an election for seven committee members.

The following are due for re-election and have expressed an intention to stand again to stand again:

Stan Missen (Chair) – elected annually
Graham Warland
David Enoch
Evan Shephard
Holly Mobbs

Standing down mid-term or/not seeking re-election:

Dyson Pendle
Kat Wilson
Siobhan Urquhart

Anyone wishing to stand for a place on the MRC must inform the Secretary of their candidacy by 18 May 2023. They must be a full member of British Canoeing and be proposed and seconded by two other full individual members of British Canoeing.

Standing as an elected member of the MRC is a great way to make a difference to our sport and be involved directly in how it is run. Committee members are expected to attend around four meetings per year (there is usually an online option), and to play an active role in the administration of the discipline in between meetings. Roles covered by those named above include: Treasurer, Committee secretary, rules, short course, communications, junior development, secretary to Selection Committee, major events, safeguarding and race management. If you are interested in standing and becoming involved in any of the above, please feel free to contact the Chair (Stan Missen) or Secretary (Siobhan Urquhart) by 18 May, supported by two full members of British Canoeing.

Anyone wishing an item to be raised at the ACM needs to be a full member of British Canoeing and have submitted it to the secretary by 18 May 2023 supported by two additional full members of British Canoeing.

Other items may be discussed at the meeting at the Chairman’s discretion.

Email addresses:
Stan Missen – Chair – marathon.chair@vol.britishcanoeing.org.uk
Siobhan Urquhart – Acting Secretary – marathon.secretary@vol.britishcanoeing.org.uk

Update to Marathon Selection Policy 2023

6 March 2023 Athletes, Governance, International, Selection

The selection policy has been updated for March 2023 to include confirmation of the venue of Elmbridge Canoe Club for the first assessment race on Saturday 22nd April.

Another amendment is that the MRC have had to adjust the athlete contributions in line with the current inflationary environment to enable the trips to run as scheduled. These changes can be found in sections 3.3.b and 3.3.c of the selection policy.

Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the policy. Any questions, please direct them to Nanette North, the Chair of the Selection Committee.

International Selection Webpage

Division 1 K2 at Hasler Races 2023

21 February 2023 Athletes, Governance, Racing

Based on athlete feedback, the Marathon Racing Committee are excited to announce the addition of a Division 1 K2 to a select few Hasler Races. In recent years, there has been no provision for Division 1 standard K2’s to race on a regular basis due to lack of engagement from paddlers historically. This addition will allow Division 1 ranked paddlers, as well as Division 2 ranked paddlers, to race K2’s outside of assessment and selection. This could be with a potential selection-worthy boat, supporting younger juniors to race up or to race mixed boats.

The following races have agreed to host a Division 1 K2 race during the 2023 season:

Nottingham Hasler – Sunday 30th April
Worcester Hasler – Sunday 14th May
Norwich Hasler – Sunday 21st May
Reading Circuit Hasler – Sunday 28th May
Falcon Hasler – Sunday 25th June
Richmond Hasler – Sunday 18th June

These events have been selected due to timing’s in the racing calendar, location in reference to current Division 1 paddlers and course specifics that will allow for good racing.

The MRC would strongly encourage Division 1 and Division 2 paddlers to engage with this provision.

For more details on how Division 1 K2 will work at the above Hasler’s, visit our race organisers information document below.

Division 1 K2 Race Organisers Guide

Marathon Selection Policy 2023

25 January 2023 Athletes, Governance, International, Selection

The Marathon Selection Committee are excited to announce the 2023 selection policy is now live on the international selection website page on the Marathon Racing Committee website.

Any questions on the policy should be directed to the chair of selection committee, Nanette North, via her email here.