Category: Governance

Marathon Racing Committee’s 2026 Annual Consultative Meeting Papers & Election Profiles

   1 June 2026    ACM, Governance, Volunteers

The Marathon Racing Committee’s 2026 Annual Consultative Meeting will be taking place online at 8pm on Monday 15th June, as previously advertised.

As a reminder, please make sure your club has registered to vote for the ACM to ensure you are represented. All clubs registered and who have raced within marathon races this year have the ability to send a representative for voting as well as raising anything for the committee discuss. Please get involved to help us direct the development of marathon racing in this country.

Please see below for the relevant papers for this years edition.

Any questions, please direct them towards the MRC Secretary, Sally Hartland, here.

Notice of 2026 Marathon Racing Committee ACM & Request for Committee Members

   24 May 2026    ACM, Governance, Volunteers

Please note that the Marathon Racing Committee ACM will be taking place on the 15th June at 8pm. 

Each club needs to nominate a representative to receive voting rights during the ACM. This can be done on the link below and should be done by 10pm on Monday 9th June. Every racing club is entitled to one vote at the ACM.

A representative from each club needs to register in order to receive the voting forms during the ACM: https://forms.gle/sFrU3iBGRLkF3SwH6 

The ACM offers a formal space for the marathon racing community to engage with the committee and support the development of the sport further. We strongly encourage ALL clubs involved with marathon racing to attend and nominate a representative to vote. We also encourage ALL members of the marathon racing committee to attend even without voting rights.

The MRC will also be re-electing committee members at the ACM.

We are always looking for passionate people to join the committee and help drive positive change forward within the sport.  This year we have two unfilled seats and would warmly invite anyone interested in the work of the marathon racing committee to get in touch at [email protected] as soon as possible, particularly if you have an interest in helping with: Coaching, Senior Athlete Development, Events, Junior Athlete Development, Media, Rules & Safeguarding. 

There are various roles available with differing levels of commitment. All perspectives and experiences are encouraged and welcomed too.

We’d love to hear from you!

Paddle England Assembly – Join now!

   15 March 2026    Governance, National, Volunteers

If you have a passion for paddling and want to help shape the future direction of travel, the new Paddle England Assembly presents an opportunity to influence at a national level.


We are looking for individuals who are thoughtful, open-minded and passionate about the future of paddling. You do not need to hold a formal position or title. What matters most is your perspective, your experience, and your willingness to contribute constructively.

Serving on the new Paddle England Assembly is a unique opportunity to play an active role in shaping the future. Members recruited will contribute their skills and experience to national discussions, connect with a broad cross-section of the paddling community and help ensure paddling remains inclusive, progressive and community-led. Membership of the Assembly will be drawn from different paddling communities, helping to ensure diversity of thought, challenge, and innovation. This approach supports more inclusive, informed, and effective development of paddling opportunities across England.

By bringing together voices from different disciplines, backgrounds and communities, the
Assembly will help ensure diverse experiences are heard and valued, encourage healthy debate and fresh thinking, support more inclusive and informed decision-making and help shape priorities and future plans for paddling in England.

We will be recruiting up to twelve members to form the Assembly, drawn from across the paddling spectrum, including:

  • Competition paddlers
  • Recreational paddlers (including at least one member under the age of 18)
  • Delivery partners and uniformed groups
  • Independent paddlers

The creation of the Paddle England Assembly was agreed as part of the constitutional review completed in November 2024. It is an important step in strengthening how paddling is shaped, supported, and developed across England.

All applicants must be Paddle UK members who are based in England. There are similar bodies in place for our colleagues at Paddle Scotland, Paddle Cymru and Paddle Northern Ireland.

If interested and keen to give canoe marathon representation, apply here now.

Invitation from the SRC: The future of sprint

   11 March 2026    Governance, Racing

Please see below message and invitation from Dave Martyn, the Sprint Racing Committee Chair. For more information, visit the SRC website here.

On behalf of the SRC, you are invited to a webinair on Monday March 16th at 20:00 

The purpose of the call is to start a conversation across our community. We know that the sport needs to grow, we can only do this by working together. The SRC does not have the monopoly on good ideas, but might have information some people have not considered. 

Come along and join in the conversation on how we can make our sport more fun for more people.

  • National regattas, how can we be more inclusive, get more people racing and enjoying the venue. What stops us doing everything we all imagine we would like.
  • Local regattas, What is the most fun local regatta, how do we make them all more exciting? What would a local regatta series look like and how would it help?
  • How do we invest in the sport when we struggle to break even. The case for a levy system.

The session is open to anyone who has an interest. Come along, understand the issues, discuss with friends and family and see what ideas we can come up with as a community. The SRC will have a desk at each regatta ,come and see us there or contact any of us at your convenience. 

We intend to have a plan for 2027 by the September regatta so get involved early to make your opinions count.

Please use the link below to access the webinar and please feel free to share the link with others who may be interested.

https://meet.google.com/peb-wnfr-gwi?authuser=0&hs=122

Canoe Marathon Major National Events & Dates 2026 – Get them in your diary!

   14 January 2026    ACM, Athletes, Governance, National, Racing

The Marathon Racing Committee are excited to finally confirm all the dates and venues for the 2026 Major Events. The variety of venues and locations, particularly new ones, makes 2026 a great time to get racing as much as you can!

Thank you to Manvers Lake Trust and Boathouse, Wey Kayak Club and Richmond Canoe Club for supporting canoe marathon by hosting and organising one of our major national events this year.

Keep your eyes peeled for a confirmation of the ACM date and further details on all our major events in the coming months!

Marathon Racing Committee Meeting Minutes

   26 November 2025    Governance

Have you been wondering what happens at the regular MRC meetings recently? The minutes are regularly published under the governance tab on our website here once they have been approved by committee at the next meeting.

If you have anything you wish for the committee to discuss at a meeting, please email the chair or secretary via their details on the committee page.

Notice re Changing Clubs in Marathons

   24 September 2025    Athletes, Governance, Racing

The Marathon Racing Committee would kindly request that any paddlers looking to change clubs for marathon races ensure they contact their Regional Marathon Advisor and Graham Warland, our race records officer. Contact details can always be found on the Marathon Racing Committee information page. This means that all the ranking list is maintained with the correct information.

We would also like to remind paddlers to ensure that they let their previous club know of this change in advance too.

2025 Key Marathon Dates

   3 January 2025    Governance, National, Racing

As we enter 2025, four key dates must be in your calendar so you can get involved in marathon throughout the year.

As always more dates can be found on the racing calendar throughout the racing season, including dates for local regional Hasler’s, international races, sprint regattas and even ocean races! This is the most up-to-date version of racing dates.

Marathon Racing Committee Meeting: Community Points or Issues

   6 November 2024    Governance

The Marathon Racing Committee will be meeting for their annual all day meeting on Saturday 16th November. If anyone has any points, issues or comments that they would like the MRC to consider during that meeting, please email to the MRC Secretary by midday on Sunday 10th November.

Paddle UK are recruiting a new Independent Member of the Safety Advisory Panel

   12 July 2024    Governance, Volunteers

The Safety Advisory Panel provides guidance and advice to Paddle UK to support safety practice within all aspects of paddlesport. The panel comprises of the Director of Recreation and Development, External Safety Advisor, Safety Lead, representatives from each of the National Associations: Canoe Wales, Paddle Scotland, and the Canoe Association of Northern Ireland, RNLI representative, and four independent volunteer advisors who are appointed for their knowledge and expertise within the safety industry and or paddlesport. Occasionally, other relevant representatives are to attend where appropriate.

Paddle UK is now looking for a new independent member who will complement the existing skills within the group. For more information, visit their website here.

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