Joe Petersen and Brynde Kreft have set a new world record for paddling the navigable length of the River Thames, completing the route from Lechdale to Teddington in just 14 hours and 3 minutes – 1 hour and 44 minutes faster than the previous mark.
The pair launched beneath the bridge at Lechlade at 6:26am, beginning a relentless push down the Thames that would see them cover nearly 200km of river, tackle 43 lock portages, and paddle the final stretch in darkness before reaching Teddington at 8:29pm.
To read the full article and interview, visit the Paddle UK News page here.
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.
The first marathon assessment race of the 2026 season is being held at Norwich Canoe Club on Saturday 28th March. Results from this event will be used to select the Under 18 and Under 23 Waterlands Marathon development team for the trip in April. For full information on the selection process, please visit the selection policy here.
To be considered for selection, athletes must complete the availability form by 22:00 on 25th March. This can be found here.
Entry and details for the race are available on the marathon racing entry site here.
Sign up is now open for the fourth JDS winter series event for 2025/26. This will be taking place at the Norwich Canoe Club on Saturday 21st March and will be led by Matt Robinson & Scott Hynds, alongside the wider Junior Development Squad coaching team.
In addition to the event on the Saturday, Norwich Canoe Club will be running a sprint regatta on Sunday 22 March for juniors, in conjunction with hosting the BUCS regatta. Therefore, the JDS is partnering with Norwich CC to offer a full weekend of activity for juniors engaged in the JDS programme.
Saturday will focus on racing skills that can be applied at Sunday’s regatta and Sunday’s regatta will consist of K1 500, K1 5000 and a K1 200 mixed relay. Both Saturday and Sunday will be in K1s.
The cost to attend the full weekend is £22.00, but there is also a ticket option for those who just want to attend Saturday’s JDS session.
Travel, accommodation and food are to be organised individually, unfortunately we cannot offer any of these as part of the weekend.
For standards to attend and to sign up, please click HERE. Sign up closes on Friday 13th March at 17:00.
Junior Development Squad (JDS) is a joint initiative between the Marathon Racing Committee, Sprint Racing Committee and Paddle England Talent. Having been running as a collaborative exercise since 2021, the JDS has supported hundreds of juniors from a wide spread of clubs to develop their racing skills, create long-term friendships and increase exposure to crew boats. For more information on JDS, please visit our website page here with further links onto the main JDS site.
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!
On Sunday 30th November, Banbury & District Canoe Club hosted the 25th Anniversary of the Ross Warland Memorial Canal Challenge, with over 192 competitors taking part. The course ran 20 miles from Cropredy to Nell Bridge near Anyho and back, including 12 portages along the Oxford Canal. Paddlers travelled from across the country, from Truro to Norwich to Runcorn, with both international-level crews and newcomers to racing. The event raised almost £1,500 for the Bone Cancer Research Trust.
The race is held each year in memory of Ross Warland, who died of bone cancer in February 2000 at the age of 21. Ross joined Banbury Canoe Club at the age of 8 and was an active and popular member. When he was no longer able to paddle, he devoted his time to coaching and training others. His courage and attitude during his illness inspired everyone who knew him.
The format of the Challenge is distinctive, offering options for different abilities. Competitors can complete the full 20 miles in K1 or K2, race in relays over 10 miles, or enter special categories if clubs are short of paddlers. This makes the event particularly appealing to junior crews and those new to racing, providing valuable training in a competitive but welcoming environment.
This year’s race produced several notable results. Sam Dickson (Falcon Canoe Club) matched the Junior Men’s K1 record with a time of 02:33:22. Andrew Birkett (Richmond Canoe Club) set a new Veteran Men’s K1 record at 02:41:32. Elise Montagna (Royal Canoe Club) and Katie Brookes (Richmond Canoe Club) won the Senior Women’s K2 title in 02:42:25. Brynde Kreft (Falcon Canoe Club) set a new Senior Women’s K1 record at 02:51:29, while Frankie Scrivener (Falcon Canoe Club) broke the Junior Women’s K1 record with 03:07:39. Rebecca Bird (Newbury Canoe Club) and Anja Whelan (Gloucester Canoe Club) also set a new Veteran Women’s K2 record at 03:18:55.
The 25th Anniversary Canal Challenge was a successful day of racing and community spirit, continuing the tradition of honouring Ross Warland and supporting bone cancer research. The MRC would like to thank Banbury Canoe Club for their support in creating this write-up as well as their dedication to creating such a stable winter marathon event within the British racing calendar.
200m Experienced Knockout Heat (Credit: Adam Reid)
The National School Canoe Championships returned to Hawley Lake in Farnborough in 2025 for its fourth consecutive year as a joint-organised partnership between the Paddle UK Marathon Racing Committee and the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race Organisation. The event was created with the main objective to encourage grassroots paddling at a school level, and the development of school teams in paddlesport.
Six schools took part this year, with paddlers representing Norwich School, Cokethorpe School, Lord Wandsworth College, Kimbolton School, Heathside School, and Bryanston School. To take part, all schools have to show an active commitment to supporting paddlesport with their students, whether that be leading the coaching through their own staffing body or using a clubs expert coaching to run a school canoe/kayak club as part of their co-curriculum/sport offering.
Sargeant and Walker (Norwich School) with their experienced sprint and marathon trophies (Credit: Tim Scott).
The morning programme featured sprint races over 500 metres and 200 metres in both Experienced and Novice categories. In the Experienced 500m final, Jasmine Sargeant and Dominic Walker of Norwich School claimed victory in 01:58:20. The Novice 500m final was won by Henry Wills-Cole and Charlie Williams of Lord Wandsworth College in 02:18:20, an impressive result given they only began paddling in September. The 200m knockout races added further excitement. In the Experienced final, Sargeant and Walker once again came out on top, securing the overall sprint trophy for the second year running. Imogen Field and Madison McKernan of Heathside School finished second, while Tom Barrett and Theo Brown of Kimbolton School took third. The Novice final was chaotic, with only three boats crossing the line upright, but Hugo Dawe and Hayden Nundy of Norwich School managed to win in their first ever race. Consistency across both sprint distances, however, saw Eddie Bird and Abi MacDonald of Lord Wandsworth College secure the overall Novice sprint trophy, ahead of teammates Daniel Dain and Xander Ramage in second and Dawe and Nundy in third.
After lunch, crews turned to the marathon races. The Experienced category covered six laps with five portages, while Novices raced four laps with three portages. Sargeant and Walker once again showed their strength, breaking away after the final portage to secure the marathon win. Field and McKernan of Heathside School took second place and the women’s trophy, with Sam Price and Ariana Mackie, also of Heathside, finishing third.
Speaking after the overall marathon and sprint win, Jasmine said, “It was a great day of racing, and exciting to see all the other schools taking part. It was fun to do – the multiple types of races in one day made it really special particularly as it was very well organised.”
Wills-Cole and Williams (Lord Wandsworth College) with the Novice marathon trophy (Credit: Adam Reid).
In the Novice category, Wills-Cole and Williams of Lord Wandsworth College opened an early lead and held it to win by more than a minute. Luca Duncan and Freddie Kornerup, also from Lord Wandsworth, finished second, while Bird and MacDonald secured third place and the Novice mixed trophy. Daisy Mathieson and Lottie Graves of Cokethorpe School claimed the Novice women’s title.
Lord Wandsworth College’s depth was evident, with 12 of the 17 Novice crews coming from the school. Their dominance earned them the Novice team trophy, for another year, and the Novice women’s team trophy.
After reflecting on Lord Wandsworth College performance at the event, Adam Reid (Head of Canoeing at the school) said, “For LWC’s novice paddlers the Schools Nationals was a fantastic experience. Not only was it a great opportunity to mix with teams from other schools, and to start to build relationships, it also exposed them to competitive flat-water paddling across a range of distances, and enabled them to see some top-flight paddlers in action. To come away with the novice trophy was a tremendous boost to their confidence, and has inspired them to continue to work hard on their technique and stamina.”
Lord Wandsworth College Team with their trophies (credit: Adam Reid).
Heathside School reclaimed the Experienced team trophy after returning to the competition following a year’s absence.
The National Schools Canoe Championships will return to Hawley Lake in 2026 on Sunday 15th November. Schools wishing to enter should review the entry criteria here.
If you are currently working within a school and interested in how to get more paddlesport programmes up and running, contact Holly Mobbs, the MRC Junior Development Lead, for guidance.
The PaddleUK Marathon Racing Committee invited Brett Scillitoe to discuss AquaPaddle to highlight an emerging, community-led initiative that combines accessible 5 km timed paddles with safety education and charitable outreach; this interview explores how AquaPaddle supports youth development, broadens club membership, benchmarks performance across craft, and funds BlueSpace therapeutic sessions that extend paddling opportunities to vulnerable and underprivileged local groups.
Who are you, and what is AquaPaddle?
I’m Brett Scillitoe, and I have been in and around the water since I was 9, whether it was sailing, canoeing, rowing or stand-up paddleboarding. I also have a tendency to start clubs: Dittons Velo (Cycling) in 2012, Dittons Paddle Boarding in 2017, from which AquaPaddle grew.
AquaPaddle is a free, community-run, 5 km timed social paddle. It’s not a race; you can paddle it as fast or slow as you like. We also run therapeutic and educational sessions under the BlueSpace banner.
Why did you start AquaPaddle?
AquaPaddle developed out of a tragedy on The Thames when a teenager went missing while the paddleboarding club were about to go out on a Social Paddle. I wanted to help reduce preventable drownings by offering gentle on-water teaching and awareness through BlueSpace sessions. To fund that work and harness community energy, I introduced a Parkrun-style 5 km timed paddle. A number of our members had started racing, and I wanted to tap into that enthusiasm and community spirit.
How does AquaPaddle differ from a traditional club time trial?
I think the biggest difference is that you are lining up with unknown paddlers. Within a club, there is a “pecking order”, and very quickly, you pretty much know your place in that order. Yes, from time to time, you might have a good day and rise up the rankings or some paddlers from another club come and join your time trial. But most of the time, you will be following the same boats and paddlers as you did last time.
With AquaPaddle, that is not the case. Anyone can show up, and chances are you won’t know them. Then you add to the mix other paddle craft, and that is where the fun and magic happens. It becomes a mini paddling festival. Hardened SUP racers chasing K1s and sometimes overtaking them. People in inflatable kayaks, being inspired to buy something solid. The chat around craft and equipment before and after the event is now an established part of AquaPaddle. Then you add in the fact that the times are published online immediately after the event, which means you can see the times of other events on the day or recently, to compare paddlers you might know. It all adds to the enrichment of the whole time trial experience than a closed club time trial.
Why would marathon clubs benefit from running an AquaPaddle event at their club?
There are many reasons why a Marathon club would want to run their own event.
It is about regular training, particularly for the youth side of the clubs. It adds a different dimension to a training outing. The fact that the club paddlers could go out and do a warm-up and then take part in the AquaPaddle is all part of the fun, as happens at Nottingham Kayak Club. It gives a focus to the warm-up/training as the paddlers know they will be pushing for that personal best. AquaPaddle allows juniors to take part as long as it is part of an organised Club paddle and the coach is on the water with them, as they would normally be.
It is a great way to attract new members. We have all seen the inflatable kayaks out on the water, and to the casual paddler, speedy K1s flying by can seem quite daunting, and when Kayakers are in the “Zone”, they can seem fairly unapproachable. AquaPaddle takes all that away as ordinary people come to their clubs and chat before and after. I’ve seen this work first-hand with Hampton Canoe Club, gaining members as they let the AquaPaddlers have a go after the event.
AquaPaddle is becoming a benchmark for 5 km times. Especially from some of our faster locations, such as Lincoln, Hampton or Kilsyth, where the record has recently been broken with a time of 22 minutes 45 seconds, by a young 17-year-old paddler called Rory.
Can you tell us about any marathon club success stories already?
John Handyside from Nottingham Kayak Club says: “NKC has embraced Aquapaddle in quite a big way. Initially attracting mainly SUP’s, there is now a healthy mix of canoe, kayak, SUP’s and outriggers. The events are friendly, relaxed and fun. There has also been an increased interest in joining the club, and our rules now include membership from other craft users.”
John’s final point is very good for Marathon Clubs in general. Don’t limit yourself to one type of craft. We have just witnessed the “DW” have a successful SUP trial with Paddy McCormack and AquaPaddle’s own Patron, Emily King, taking part in the stage race. The juniors with whom they were paddling and themselves got a lot of pleasure pushing each other along and hopefully improving their finish times. It is also worth noting that Nottingham Kayak Club is currently AquaPaddles second busiest location with one event attracting up to 43 paddlers! That’s a lot of teas, coffees and bacon butties sold for the benefit of the club!!
You have recently started a BlueSpace sessions initiative. What does this mean?
BlueSpace is the heart of AquaPaddle. They are the Charity sessions we run for underprivileged or those in need. We are working with Young Carers, Neurodiverse, Refugee, and Veteran communities, to name a few. They have been slow to get off the ground due to the nervousness of other charities and groups we work with to trust us with their vulnerable people out on the water. You can imagine the risk assessments some of these organisations need to do when booking sessions with us.
The way it works is that AquaPaddle funds local Delivery Partners to run the sessions. We are not asking for anyone to volunteer for these sessions as there is cost and equipment that needs to be maintained.
Our Delivery Partners are generally involved with AquaPaddle Locations in some form, but not exclusively. For instance, if a Marathon Racing Club were to run AquaPaddle, then we would be happy to talk to them about becoming a Delivery Partner and starting to help their local community. They could, obviously, do this themselves; however, as we grow, we will be able to help more people through the publicity of the events we run nationally.
All our locations have their own donation pots that local paddlers can donate to their local BlueSpace sessions. Once there is enough in the pot, we then work with the local charities and groups to help people in need.
Thank you to Brett for spending some time chatting with us about AquaPaddle and how it could strengthen marathon club offerings and more. If you are intrigued about how AquaPaddle and also the BlueSpace sessions could integrate into your club offering already, feel free to get in contact with AquaPaddle directly to start the conversation or explore their website for more information. The MRC strongly believes the more people getting on the water safely, the better.
Please see below statement for Stan Missen, Chair of the Marathon Racing Committee:
Not for the first time the Marathon Racing Committee have had to investigate some totally unacceptable language and questionable racing behaviour at a Hasler event. The latest incident involved unacceptable language, which was directed without any regard to those competing or those supporting. It was also likely that members of the public could have heard the exchange.
We must remind ALL paddlers that PaddleUK and the Marathon Racing Committee expect a high degree of sportsmanlike behaviour at all levels of event. Proven examples of unacceptable language or poor behaviour will be followed up and PaddleUK disciplinary action could be the result. The MRC will again look at the powers conferred by the rules, upon all race organisers, to deduct points or disqualify, in cases proven.
Entries for the 2025 National Schools Canoe Championships are now open via the marathon racing entries system here.
The National Schools Canoe Championships are jointly organised by the Devizes to Westminster (DW) Race Organisation and the Paddle UK Marathon Racing Committee to promote schools canoeing in the UK by providing an event specifically for inter-school competition. Particularly, the MRC and DW Organisation want to promote schools having an active involvement in getting students on the water and in boats.
It provides the opportunity for racing against paddlers from other school teams, particularly for crews preparing for the DW season, both returning 2025 crews and new crews making preparations for 2026.
For full information and full detail on the criteria for entries, please visit the entries page here.
Any queries should go directly to the race organisers:
Gareth Scragg – Junior Teams Liaison, Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race
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