Category: Masters

The British Masters Team produced an outstanding set of performances at the European Masters Canoe Marathon Championships in Romania, returning home with an impressive collection of medals and podium finishes.

With a squad of 19 paddlers, Great Britain was one of the largest Masters teams among the 126 athletes competing at the championships. Racing took place in challenging conditions, with high temperatures throughout the event and race starts on both Sunday and Tuesday delayed due to thunderstorms and the associated risk of lightning.

The results reflect the strength and depth of the British Masters team. The squad combined long-established international competitors, paddlers returning to the sport after many years away, and two athletes making their championship debut. Together, they achieved an impressive 12 podium finishes, underlining the continued success of British Masters marathon paddling on the European stage.

Special congratulations go to Jane Millar (Nottingham Kayak Club) and Anja Whelan (Gloucester Canoe Club), who both secured medals in their K1 and K2 events, which is a remarkable achievement at a championship of this calibre.

These results are a testament to the dedication, experience and competitive spirit of the British Masters team. Congratulations to all the athletes who represented Great Britain so proudly in Romania and showcased the strength of British canoe marathon racing at Masters level. 

For full results, you can visit the Memosoft site here. 

If you wish to find out more about competing with the British Masters team, you can contact the MRC Masters Lead Bryn Price here.

Thank you to Bryn Price for his support in creating this write-up.

2025 will see three great international races that we hope to have GB Masters competing in.

The Waterlands International race, 12^th April,  in Holland is a challenging marathon on canals and a lake. The windy conditions make this a true test of stability and stamina. Entries are now open and there may be places on the Paddle UK trailer or car share with other paddlers.

European Masters Championships will be on the 2^nd & 3^rd June in Portugal. Provided there is enough interest, we will be taking the Masters trailer.

World Masters Championships will be in Hungary on the 2^nd & 3^rd September. We will be taking the Masters trailer to this great event.

To help with planning and coordination please let the Masters lead, Bryn Price, know if you want to join the team for any of these events via his email here.

For those Masters considering entering the 2024 World Cup Masters event in Brandenburg, please see the attached bulletin and entry form.

As with previous internationals, there is the option of Masters boats being taken on the main team trailer if space allows. This will be at an additional cost.

Any questions, please contact our Masters Racing Lead Bryn Price here.

Jel, Denmark, 28^th August & 29^th August 2023

This year the British Masters Team was made up of 34 paddlers, even bigger than the 30 paddlers we had in Portugal in 2022. The growth doesn’t seem to be just for our team either! The number of paddlers entered and racing was far bigger than in most of the recent World Masters Championships, with many of the starts having over 30 paddlers on the start line and causing some very intense racing!  

Similar to last year when Denmark hosted the European Championships, the weather was un-predictable. Monday was windy and Tuesday was rainy, with short sharp showers in the afternoon.

As typical, the Monday was dedicated to the K1 races and we soon showed that our strength was not only in numbers. Brian Greenham (Reading Canoe Club) got the Gold in the Men’s 70 -74 K1 with Gilbert Speirs (Linlithgow Kayak Racing) winning the bronze medal.

Not to be out-done, Edgar Boehm (Reading Canoe Club) got the Bronze in the Men’s K1 45-59 category.

Tuesday saw the K2 and C2 races.  Edgar Boehm (Reading Canoe Club) and Juan Abellanas (Barking & Dagenham Canoe Club) showed the way with a gold medal in the  35-39 Men’s K2 race after a dominant performance.

Our team was made up of some experienced British Masters paddlers and boosted by some of our International novice paddlers who showed that they were equal to the challenge. We were honoured to have Ivan Lawler (Elmbridge Canoe Club) join us on the water as well, when his commentating duties permitted.   

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