Category: Racing

Windy Conditions Challenge National Short Course Marathon Racers

The British National Short Course Championships 2025 provided new challenges for the 180-strong field with unusual windy and cool conditions, but marathon racers still produced an exciting show for onlookers.

A busy one-day competition, Short Course Nationals is marathon racing’s most exciting, action-packed distance with 3.6k and 2 portages of fast-paced tactics and group dynamics.

The event was created by James Symthe, the secretary of the Marathon Racing Committee and Team Manager of international teams. The 2025 edition of the event returned to Nene Park in Peterborough for a fourth year in a row, but sadly, the perfectly calm and warm weather conditions we had come to expect from the location did not return. Competitors were greeted with gusts of up to 27 mph and a cold edge to the area. This did not stop for some very intense and close racing from all categories.

To continue to read the rest of the report, please visit the paddleUK website news article here.

Short Course Nationals 2025 – That’s a Wrap!

It might have been windy but the weather conditions did not hamper the standard of the racing in Peterborough for the fourth edition of Short Course Nationals.

The full results can now be found here.

Photos of all races were taken by Antony Edmonds and can be found here for you to download.

Keep your eyes peeled for the full event write-up on the PaddleUK website in the next few days…!

National Short Course Championships 2025 – How to follow along!

Entries closed ✅

Heat draws confirmed ✅

Race briefing published ✅

The countdown is now on – exciting short course racing is just over 48 hours away! Who are you backing to win?

With international medalists and previous national title holders all present on start lines, this Sunday is billed to be a spectacle for all. Even if you are not racing, try to get yourself to Nene Park, Peterborough to watch!

⏱ Heats start from 09:30am with the Veteran Men K1 with finals starting promptly after a short lunch break at 01:30pm

TimeStart 1Start 2
09:30Veteran Men K1 Heat 1Veteran Men K1 Heat 2
10:00Junior Women K1 Heat 1Junior Women K1 Heat 2
10:30Junior Men K1 Heat 1Junior Men K1 Heat 2
11:00Junior Men K1 Heat 3
11:30Senior Women K1 Heat 1Senior Women K1 Heat 2
12:00Senior Men K1 Heat 1Senior Men K1 Heat 2
12:30LUNCHLUNCH
13:00LUNCHLUNCH
13:30Canoe Final APara Final A
14:00Veteran Women K1 Final A
14:30Veteran Men K1 Final AVeteran Men K1 Final B
15:00Junior Women K1 Final AJunior Women K1 Final B
15:30Junior Men K1 Final AJunior Men K1 Final B
16:00Junior Men K1 Final C
16:30Senior Women K1 Final ASenior Women K1 Final B
17:00Senior Men K1 Final ASenior Men K1 Final B

🎥 Online updates can be found via our social media channels throughout the day as well as live results published on our website throughout here: https://canoemarathon.org.uk/live-results/

Who is going to win some amazing Precision Fuel & Hydration prizes as well as National titles to kick start the 2025 season??

2025 Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race Results

2025 for a tough but exciting event of tight racing. The headwinds were strong and the flow low but all categories produced impressive racing and tight margins. For full results from the race, please visit their site here.

NOTE – We are awaiting the senior team results to be confirmed so the below graphic only shows the main results.

2025 Short Course Nationals: Last chance to get an entry in!

We are now just over a week to go until the 2025 edition of Short Course Nationals in Peterborough and the start lists are heating up.

We are excited to announce that Precision Fuel & Hydration are sponsoring the event with podium prizes for all races and positions. Winners of every races will get a £25 PF&H Giftcard, a bottle, a hat or over eighteens will also receive a PH1500 tube. Second and third place in each race will win a bottle, hat and over eighteens will also receive a PH1500 tube too.

This also included our amazing senior and teams trophies. Our four senior trophies were created under James Symthe’s name and are unique trophies designed specifically for this event and for athletes to take away with them for the year. Who do you think will win them this year?

Standard entries for the event officially close at midnight on Sunday 27th April, with late entries only being accepted until midnight on Tuesday 29th April. We urgently need entries to make the Men and Women Canoe races, the Senior Women Kayak races, the Veteran Women Kayak races and both the Men and Women Para races a little more exciting. Remember for categories need to have 15 entries or more to enable the race to be split into heats!

Race briefing and timetable will be confirmed next week but will follow a similar schedule from last year of the veteran men kayak races kicking off the schedule in the morning.

We look forward to seeing lots of you there!

Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race 2025: How to follow along!

The Marathon Racing Committee would like to wish all competitors racing in the 2025 edition of the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race the best of luck. Have a safe and enjoyable (?) race to whichever finish line in your aim.

We would also like to thank all the volunteers (directors, committee, marshals and more) out on the course over the next few days. Without you, these events could not happen.

There is a variety of coverage happening over the next four days as the straight through crews, juniors and stages compete and you can follow their progress in a variety of ways.

The official DW organisation channels include the following:

PaddleDaily, an independent paddling media company, will also be following the race through their channels. They might also be providing some live stream footage of the senior doubles race for us. You can find their channels below.

We look forward to following along ourselves!

Short Course Nationals 2025: Traders and/or Sponsors

We are now three weeks away from the 2025 edition of Short Course Nationals. If you have a company that would be interested in a trade stand or to sponsor the event in any way (if you are still yet to talk to us), please get in touch.

Email Holly Mobbs the event organiser to start the conversation.

National Short Course Marathon Championships 2025 – Early Bird Entries are now open!

The Marathon Racing Committee are super excited to announce that early bird entries are now open for the 2025 edition of Short Course Nationals on the 4th May in Peterborough. Coming into it’s fourth year of running, Short Course Nationals presents an action-packed day of tight, thrilling racing.

Enter now to get a discounted entry fee before standard entries open on April 1st via our entries site here.

International entries are welcome as well as all national paddlers. We have races in senior, junior, veteran and para categories.

If you are coming to support a family member on the day, why not volunteer to help us run the event? Any size contribution is appreciated to support the event being run as efficiently as possible. Please volunteer via our sign-up form here.

2025 German Nationals Availability Form

On Saturday 29th March, Norwich Canoe Club are hosting the first assessment of 2025 season. This race is the lead assessment for the Junior and U23 Development trip to the German Nationals. It will also be used as supporting evidence for future selections where further data is required. We recommend that all athletes seeking international selections in the 2025 season attend this first race.

A link to the race entry can be found here: Norwich Assessment Race Entry

For those seeking selection for the German Nationals, please note the following:

  • All athletes seeking selection, even those who were preselected for the French Nationals in 2024, must confirm their availability by completing this form by 22:00 on the 27th March
  • The form can be found here: German Nationals Availability Form
  • If there no form, athletes will be assumed to be not available.
  • All athletes seeking selection must race the assessment race on the 29th March, even those who were pre-selected for the French Nationals in 2024.
  • If there are spare places from pre-selected athletes not taking up their place, these places will be offered to U18 & U23 athletes
  • The selections will be done by benchmarking across the classes, but will also be informed by the logistics constraints of the pre-booked trip

If you have any further question about the selection process, please refer to the 2025 Selection policy found here. If you still have any questions, please contact the chair of the Selection Committee, Nanette North: [email protected]

Canoe Marathon International Selection Policy 2025

Please find the 2025 Selection Policy: HERE.

The MRC would like to acknowledge the delay to the publication of the 2025 policy. This was due to a delay in Paddle UK locking the discipline budget.

There are some changes in the International event schedule for 2025. It is important fully review the policy. Key changes are:

  • No Waterlands due to a clash with the Sprint Selection Regatta, instead the German Nationals will be used.
  • No European World Cup, therefore increased numbers have been budgeted for the European Championships.
  • World Cup and Super Cup are in China. No team will be sent but eligible athletes may request to attend, self funded.

Information on the first assessment will follow with the availability form in the next two weeks.

If you have any questions about the policy, please direct them to the Chair of Selections: Nanette North [email protected]