On Sunday 24th September, more than 600 paddlers gathered on the River Severn in Worcester for the highly anticipated 2023 Hasler Finals. This event, a highlight of the racing calendar, marks the culmination of the regional club Hasler season, with the top clubs from their respective regions competing for the prestigious title of the best club in the country.
Since hosting the National Marathon Championships in 2022, Worcester Canoe Club stepped up yet again to host one of the major marathon events in the British racing calendar and did yet another exceptional job! Despite concerns about challenging weather conditions due to heavy rain in the days leading up to the event, Worcester Canoe Club demonstrated a calm and professional approach to safety. They asked all competitors to bring buoyancy aids and relocated the portage to a safer location, ensuring the race could proceed safely. Additional safety measures were put in place, and a comprehensive briefing was conducted.
The racing action commenced bright and early with the Division 7 to 9 categories. Some racers excelled in the tricky and bumpy conditions of the river. In Division 8 K1, the podium spots were separated by mere seconds, with Edward Hellman of the Royal Canoe Club clinching the win over Harry Luck (Wey Kayak Club) and Reuben Hardy (also from Wey Kayak Club). Wolverhampton Canoe Club dominated Division 7 with Shayne Dawson-Dymond securing a strong win, while Keiron Yates triumphed in Division 9.
The Division 4 to 6 races featured a substantial number of participants, with over 30 boats in the K1 races and more than 20 in the K2 races. Thanks to the efficient efforts of the Worcester pre-starter and starter, all races began smoothly. However, conditions on the course became more challenging as traffic increased and the wind picked up. This resulted in a couple of boats needing stops to empty and even one or two boats filling up with a little too much water!! The Marathon Racing Committee would like to emphasise to clubs that they have a duty to ensure equipment is up to standard when racing in challenging conditions and all paddlers should consider spraydecks and/or foot pumps to ensure boats do not fill up with too much water.
In keeping with Hasler Finals tradition, special trophies were awarded for outstanding individual performances throughout the day. The Ross Warland Memorial Trophy, named in memory of Ross Warland, a member of the Banbury & District Canoe Club, was presented to the highest placed junior in Division 4, which was claimed by Dominic Walker from Norwich Canoe Club. Notably, juniors excelled in the challenging conditions, with Toby Visser (Bradford-on-Avon Canoe Club) winning Division 5, James Lynn (Banbury & District Canoe Club) winning Division 6, and Martha Roberts and Katharine Boon (Elmbridge Canoe Club) securing the Division 7 K2/C2 win.
After a midday break, the fastest marathon paddlers in the country lined up to compete in the Division 1 to 3 categories. With the wind further intensifying, the racing became demanding. The crowd was treated to thrilling portaging just outside the club house. The Division 1 race concluded with Albert Hicks (Norwich Canoe Club) emerging victorious after a closely contested sprint finish against Alex McIntrye (Chelmsford Canoe Club) and Andrew Birkett (Richmond Canoe Club). The fastest junior of the day was awarded to Arthur Morley (Wey Kayak Club) for his fourth-place finish in the Division 1 category.
A head-to-head race in the Division 3 category pitted junior Lochie Lovell (Worcester Canoe Club) against the experienced and accomplished veteran Ivan Lawler (Elmbridge Canoe Club). The experienced Lawler trumped youth in a tight sprint finish. In the Division 2 K2 race, William Short and James Ross (Elmbridge Canoe Club) delivered a strong performance, securing victory with a remarkable three-minute lead, the largest margin of the weekend.
To conclude the day, the youngest competitors took to the water for the Geoff Sanders races. The remarkable growth in participation was evident, with over 40 under 14’s competing in the three K1/C1 categories. The Marathon Racing Committee expressed excitement about the continued growth of this racing series over the coming years. The GS K2/C2 open was won by Zahan Benford and Ollie Clare (Wey Kayak Club), GSA was claimed by Reuben Hearn (Banbury Canoe Club), GSB was secured by Agnes Grant (Wey Kayak Club), and GSC was triumphed by Fredrik Hellman (Royal Canoe Club). Wey Kayak Club emerged as the overall winner of the Geoff Sanders series for the 2022/23 season, earning the honour of having their names engraved on the trophy for the first time.
As the day came to a close, the final task was to award the coveted Hasler Trophy to the winning club. Elmbridge Canoe Club successfully defended their title, claiming the top spot for another year. Bradford-on-Avon Canoe Club achieved an exceptional second-place finish, a remarkable achievement considering they didn’t even qualify from their region the previous year. Wey Kayak Club maintained their third-place position from 2022.
In 2023, a brand-new trophy has been added to the Marathon Racing collection. In memory of David Green, Kirton Kayaks donated a trophy to be awarded to the highest placed senior British paddler over the long course at the World Championships. The first person awarded this trophy was Melissa Johnson after her 11th place finish in the Senior Women’s K1 race.
Thank you to Worcester Canoe Club for yet again putting on a fantastic major national event. We look forward to the 2024 Hasler Finals as it returns to the River Thames in Richmond.
Congratulations to all trophy winners from the day:
Hasler Trophy – Elmbridge Canoe Club
Geoff Sanders Trophy – Wey Kayak Club
Rhodes-White Trophy (presented to the fastest senior man K1 over 12-mile course) – Albert Hicks (Norwich)
Adam Thomasson Trophy (presented to the winner of the division 2 K1) – James How (Norwich)
Barber Trophy (present to the fastest junior K1 over the 12 mile course) – Arthur Morley (Wey)
David Shankland Trophy (presented to the fastest women’s K1 over the 12 mile course) – Jessie Urquhart (Nottingham)
Ross Warland Memorial Trophy (presented to the highest placed junior in the division 4 K1 race) – Dominic Walker (Norwich)
The Committee Cup (presented to the highest placed junior woman K1 in the highest division) – Sienna Payne (Chelmsford)
Ken Pereira Cup (presented to the highest places junior C1 in the highest division) – Andrew Elliot (Richmond)
Bill Sparks Trophy (presented to the highest placed veteran K2 in the highest division) – Colin Heard & Peter Maycock (Exeter)
David Green Kirton Memorial Trophy (presented to the highest placed highest placed senior British paddler over the long course at the World Championships) – Melissa Johnson (Chelmsford)
For full details of the results, please visit our race management site here.
If you, as a club or a group of clubs, are interested in finding out more about hosting a major event, contact our major event lead, Dan Seaford, here. We are still looking for Nationals host for 2024 so get in touch now for more information.
At the end of August, our 12-strong World Championships team flew out to Vejen, Denmark to compete in the final marathon international of the 2023 season. The Danish held a fantastic European Championships last year and they didn’t fail to disappoint, mimicking last year’s slick and well-organised event. The deep, idyllic Lake Jels was the perfect venue for tight racing, big groups and exciting portages.
After earning five medals at the European Championships earlier in the summer and having seen the Masters kick off with a successful two days of racing (including four medals, two of which were gold!), the team was excited to get on the water and race! This was supported by the enthusiasm demonstrated from all the British spectators and supporters who made the journey out to cheer on the team.
Paracanoe Race’s
2023 saw the return of the Paracanoe demonstration races with four paddlers selected to represent Great Britain at this years event. After a hugely successful competition last year, the International Canoe Federation is starting to see the potential of including Paracanoe in marathon racing. We are hoping it will become a permanent edition in 2025!
The first day of para racing took place on the Wednesday and it was Shaun Cook’s (Norwich Canoe Club) chance to race against the other Va’a paddlers representing Brazil. After achieving bronze last year, Shaun was back for more and keen to improve on the result. A consistent race saw him claw his way through the field to demonstrate a quick sprint finish, claiming the gold medal for his men’s VL2 race.
Speaking after his race, Shaun said, “Very, very excited to win the gold medal. It hurt like hell but I really enjoyed it. It was a tough race especially the last corner. I was fighting waves on the last corner and I could see Brazil closing the gap so I paddled like crazy until the end. As I crossed the line I was pushing myself so hard I wasn’t sure if I’d done it. So it was fantastic to hear the result.”
“The venue is amazing, a beautiful place to paddle and there’s been a friendly welcome from everyone. I want thank everyone here and everyone at Norwich Canoe Club. The support I’ve had has been amazing. The Gold medal is shared with all of you.”
After a nervous couple days of waiting for their turn, the rest of the team took to the water on Friday. In the men’s KL2 class, Jon White (Exeter Canoe Club) found himself on a combined start line with the men’s KL1 and KL3 class, including fellow team members Tim Lodge (Wey Kayak Club) and Charlie Knowlden (Royal Leamington Spa Canoe Club). A quick start saw a strong break for the top group of the KL3 class, with Tim and Charlie making the cut. Jon was not sure whether the racers in front of him were his class or another so he put down an impressive chase to be sure. A strong head-to-head battle saw an intense last small lap in the KL3 class. Coming off the final turn buoy, Charlie launched an attack and managed to hold the pace as he got closer and closer to the line. In his debut international race, Charlie Knowlden took gold with Tim Lodge coming in an incredibly close second.
Speaking to Charlie after his win, he said, “I haven’t really processed it yet, I’m going to feel great in about an hour and my ego is going to be through the roof, but for now I’m just trying to not be sick.Before the race I was pretty nervous as this was my first world championship ever and I was competing against some of the best. As soon as those start gates dropped I just tried to remember all of my training and tried to get on the side of one of the washes.I remained on that right side for all three long laps and then on that short lap I saw that they might try to push me out on the finish line so I thought I’m going to make a move now and I just sent it and came first.“
“I’ve done about four (marathon races before today). I have to thank all my coaches for pushing me well out of my comfort zone and all that training has paid off. I got this first place because of them. A shout out to my coaches Sam Glover, Attila Herbent, Tibor and Sam Cribbett, my main marathon guy, and Tim Scott. I started off doing pool sessions in a recreational boat. They saw I had a talent for it and the slalom team picked me up and I did a couple races there and enjoyed it. All of the white water guys were pushing me to do bigger white water so that is where I get my balance from and that has shaped me into a well rounded paddler. When I did start sprint about a year ago, I picked it up really fast and now I’m here. I’m really proud of myself and I enjoy this sport so much. It’s been a life changer.”
In the KL2 race, Jon White was putting down the hammer and had opened up a massive 3-minute gap over the rest of the field as he crossed the line to take gold. This was a step up the podium for Jon as he took silver in the same race in 2022.
Speaking after his race, he said,“I’m pretty excited. It was quite stressful racing because we had a combined start, so I knew three of the people in the race ahead of me weren’t in my category, but the fourth person I wasn’t sure about. But around halfway around the race I got the news that he wasn’t in my category and that I was in the lead.After that I focused on holding my pace and worked hard right to the end. I’m very very happy and tired. My heart rate was probably averaging up around 190 for the race, so I was working really hard.
“I got a silver in this race last year, so to get the gold this year is pretty amazing. I was hopeful but the problem is with the para races, we don’t have any other races throughout the year, so you’ve got no idea who is going to turn up, what they’ve done in the last twelve months, so you just have to give it your all and hope for the best.”
Jon’s medal concluded an incredibly successful championship for our para team with the highest possible medal count we could earn (three golds, one silver from a race where we also won gold). This strongly reflects the para talent and support within our country and puts us in a good place moving into the next season.
The Para Team Manager, Tim Scott, reflected after a successful few days, “Our British team were an inspirational squad, all with individual backstories showing a remarkable tenacity that has underpinned their ability to even paddle, let alone train and compete at an international standard.”
“There is a danger sometimes that para achievements can be taken for granted or not seen as demonstrations of elite sport, but attitudes are changing and it’s a huge credit to the MRC and British Canoeing in going out of their way to support the development of the British Para marathon team.”
“[The results produced] reflect not just individual excellence but also are a credit to a club system that has really supported them, along with valuable input from the British Canoeing para coaches. [This demonstrates] a comfortable performance department/ club partnership in para.”
“It was an amazing privilege to be team manager for the group and they all should be incredibly proud not just of their performances on the water but also of their positive, generous, trail blazing and inspirational attitude that will allow other para paddlers to follow in the future.”
For a recap of the full results, you can visit the event results here.
Junior Race’s
The K1 Junior Women were first on the water on Thursday Morning taking on the long course distance of 17.7km. Greta Roeser (Wey Kayak Club), current European Champion for the short course distance and vice-European Champion in the long course, was joined on the start line by fellow Brit Isla Bethune (Elmbridge Canoe Club) and both girls had a stellar start to the race. They successfully avoided the collisions and carnage that caused one of the race favourites, Molner (Hungary), to capsize off the start.
Both Isla and Greta established themselves at the front of a large lead group and held their positions throughout the opening lap, showing strength and confidence around washes.
However the second portage brought heartbreak for the Elmbridge paddler who knocked her rudder on the get out of the portage. After battling some some serious steering issues, Isla was unfortunately forced to withdraw from the race.
Greta continued to power around the course and maintained a top three position throughout, desperately battling for the gold. However, no matter the move, Szerafin of Hungary was too strong and broke away to claim the title. Greta matched her European Championships results with another silver medal in the long course. She completed the course in a time of 1:27:32.
Speaking after her race Greta said, “I’m happy with my race today especially when I’m up against some clever racers which all contribute to the bank of experience I’m gathering.I’m really looking forward to watching my teammates race over the next few days.”
In one of the arguably most exciting Junior Women’s K2 race in years, Greta returned to the water with Sienna Payne (Chelmsford Canoe Club) to see if they could clinch another medal for the British team on day two of the championships.
It was fast off the line and the British crew found themselves in the chase group as four boats broke away, led by a fast Hungarian crew. It was a long first lap of chasing for our girls but they were able to close the gap during the middle of lap two as they approached the first portage. Both girls were fast on the portages and had a good get in, ready to push on around the next lap, but the chasing started again as another Hungarian crew decided to break away into the lead. It seemed the British, South African’s and Spanish were in competition for silver or bronze as the gap remained consistent over the next few laps.
And then suddenly it wasn’t. The gap started to close ever so slightly and pressure kicked in. Into the approach of the second to last portage, the chase group overtook a canoe paddler off the back of another race on the course. A slight lapse of judgment caused Roeser & Payne to collide with him, leaving a gap between them and the medals to open up. The only hope they had was to chase and chase hard.
However, the group in front of them were also chasing and the gap to the lead boat started to close drastically. Within half a lap, the leaders and the chase group were back together and Roeser & Payne found themselves a matter of metres away from making the group. A strong last portage run put them back into contention for the medals as they battled around the final small lap. They crossed the line in an impressive fourth place with a time of 1:21:40.
Speaking with the star duo after their race, they said:
S “We did really well. We’re really happy with the result.”
G “It was quite exciting to see how it kept changing and forming and moving around. Being behind and watching the race ahead you see the front group moving around and doing so many burns. Whereas we were doing a steady pace in a group and doing equal leads.”
S “The Hungarian boat broke free and then we were in a group of three with us the Spanish and the South Africans and we were trying to catch them and then on the turn one of the C1 boats didn’t move out the way on the turn”
G “The C1 was going wide so I thought we could nip through but then they went close so we had to do a bit of back paddling and then I think we struggled to try and recover from that. It was a really hard lap”
S “As we neared the bottom turn we were definitely a lot closer, you could see the V but we just couldn’t quite get there in time”
The weekend saw the turn of the Junior Boy’s races with Harry Freeland (Reading Canoe Club) taking on the K1 in his final international as a junior and James Ross & Will Short (both Elmbridge Canoe Club) racing in the K2, despite only being under 16 at the time.
Bright and early on Saturday morning, Harry lined up on a packed and competitive start line ready to face the 21km distance. Freeland managed to maintain pace with the leaders as the race got underway, but dropped back after the first turn due consistent jumps and changes in the front group.
He put an effort in to reach the back of the leaders going around lap one, but was unable to maintain the positions as he dropped back to lead the chase group around the next laps. He put on a dedicated performance around the course to finish in 15th place with a time of 1:38:13.
On Sunday morning, it was the turn of the K2. It was a packed start line and carnage ensued within the first 100m with multiple crews taking a dip. Unfortunately, Will and James were amongst them with a crash, spin and swim at the start of their race.
Despite the cold dip, the duo showed their commitment to finishing their international racing debut race and continued to graft around the 21km course. They crossed the line in a commendable 20th place with a time of 1:41:22. As they are both under sixteen, they still have two years within the junior category to develop their skills further.
Under 23 Race’s
The Under 23 category offers an opportunity for athletes to continue developing their skills on the international stage once they have left junior, without having to jump straight into the senior ranks. However, these races tend to be just as competitive as the senior races and offer a fantastic challenge for our British athletes to compete against some world class paddlers.
Isla Bethune (Elmbridge Canoe Club) was back in action in the U23 Women’s K1 after an unfortunate rudder issue meant she had to retire from her race in the junior. Racing up into the category, she had a great start to her race and established herself in the leading group. She maintained the strong position around the first two laps, demonstrating skill and speed as she fought for washes against some racers that are four years older than her.
Coming into the first portage, Bethune lost contact with the race leaders and she started to drop back within the field. She powered on and put on a dedicated performance around the course to finish in 16th position. She completed the 21k course in a time of 1:51:04.
Luke Shaw (Norwich Canoe Club) and Matt Collinge (Fowey River Canoe Club) were representing the Brits in the U23 Men’s K1 race. Both had had a very busy season after competing at the boiling hot European Championships as well as many of the U23 Sprint internationals and even some of the senior ones! The Marathon World Championships presented a last opportunity for Luke and Matt to race within the U23 category on the international stage.
Collinge stormed off the start and established a great position within the lead group. Luke battled with a crowded field off the line and ended up being involved with a couple collisions, making it hard to maintain the high speed the front group was setting. The first few laps was just a battle for survival and as lap two started, both Brits were back paddling together within a chase group and attempting to return to the front of the race. The gaps between the group continued to yo-yo throughout majority of the distance.
A huge effort from Luke in lap six saw him spectacularly rejoin the leaders heading into the penultimate portage. He had a strong and determined portage, and settled into the second v-wash of the lead group.
The Danish boat of Knudsen set the pace high on the last portage. It caused the group to split and Shaw was left in a chase group again for the final small lap of the race.
The Norwich paddler crossed the line in an impressive eighth place with a time of 1:47:00. Collinge continued to power around the 24.3km course after dropping back. He finished in an admirable 14th place with a time of 1:50:16.
A valiant effort from all three racers in the U23 category and hopefully lots of reflections and lessons learnt as they continue to develop within the sport.
Senior Race’s
Short Course
Short Course racing has been taking place for a number of years now at the World Championship stage and it is quickly becoming a highlight to the schedule. Both the Senior Men and Women K1 finals required athletes to qualify from heats earlier in the morning. The first six boats across the line and the next eight best times across the two heats secured places in the final. This resulted in some tight racing.
Melissa Johnson (Chelmsford Canoe Club) was first up to compete around the 3.4km course. She had a great heat, finishing in sixth place and earning her automatic qualification to the final. Later in the day, she took to the water within an incredibly competitive final. The race was dominated by Swedish paddler Melina Andersen, and Johnson spent the majority of her race in the chase group hunting down the leaders. Johnson put in a dedicated effort and secured an impressive top 10 finish in her first Marathon World Championships as a senior.
James Russell and Matthew Johnson, both also Chelmsford Canoe Clubs paddlers, both comfortably qualified for the final after success in their respective heats earlier in the day.
It was a stacked start line for the Men’s K1 final. Matt Johnson worked his way through the field and attempted to establish a position towards the front of the group. There was plenty of movement within the group and the first portage was an opportunity for Russell to gain a few places and push back up the field. Both Brits continued to power around the 3.4km course. A sprint to the finish line secured Russell his top ten finish. He earned ninth place with a time of 00:14:53.
Matt Johnson was not far behind, he finished in 14th place with a time of 00:15:09.
Speaking with James after his race, he said: “It was pretty tough today, it didn’t go quite my way, not as well as I would have hoped for going into it after my strong performance in the heats. I didn’t get out the start particularly well for me.“
“Usually I can get towards the front of the race early on, but I wasn’t able to do that this time and once you’re on the back foot in those races, it’s hard to get to the front foot. Going forward from my side I now know I need to work on the start a bit more, and hopefully that will help me improve a little bit.”
“With so many people in the race, you can find someone to drag you back, and Alonso was my ticket back to the front, but as soon as I got there Pimenta, just went off again, and when he goes, he’s quite quick. He’s fresh off winning the K1 1000 sprint race in Duisburg (2023 Canoe Sprint World Championships) so it was very tough being on the uphill side of that burn.“
“Once everything settled down, I was happy with how I raced and I was comfortable within the second group and nearly won it on the sprint finish, but still made the top 10 and I’m happy that I’ve managed to stay in the top 10 this year.”
Long Course
The long course racing saw another chance for our senior paddlers to make their mark on the international fields.
First up on the Saturday was Melissa Johnson (Chelmsford Canoe Club) as she took on the Senior Women’s K1. She didn’t quite make it to the lead group off the line and had to put a huge effort paddling solo around the first lap in an attempt to chase down the leaders
Heading into the first portage of the race, Melissa was joined by the Argentinian boat of Collueque. She had a great run and both boats went into lap three paddling as a duo.
She continued to power around the 24.3km course, paddling in the same pair for the remaining laps, and finished in 11th place, completing the course in a time of 2:07:43.
Speaking after her race, Melissa said, “It’s been a great learning experience at my first senior worlds. I’m looking forward to a solid winter to see what I can improve on for next year.”
The last race of the day on Saturday saw James Russell (Chelmsford Canoe Club) line up for the K1 Senior Men’s race.
It was yet again a highly contested start line and Russell has a brilliant start finding a back wash position in the large lead group. Trouble struck coming into the first portage, Russell lost valuable time due to a rudder issue that needed sorting. A quick fix and James pushed on into the next lap, determined to make up ground.
However, another stop on the fourth portage to fix his rudder once again meant he unfortunately dropped further back in the field. Despite his boat issues, James was committed to the race around the 27.6km course and ultimately crossed the line in 20th place with a time of 2:08:10.
The last race of the event saw the Senior Men K2 crews line up within a field of high caliber athletes.
Great Britain had two crews in the mix with Chelmsford Canoe Club’s Matt Johnson and Alex McIntyre, plus James Russell (Chelmsford Canoe Club) was also back in action teaming up with Luke Shaw of Norwich Canoe Club.
Both crews were swift off the start line and gained good positions in the back of the lead group. This was maintained around lap one, however Russell and Shaw dropped back to lead the chase group at the start of lap 2.
Johnson and McIntyre clung to the back of the leading group around lap two, but as the pace quickened coming into the first portage, they fell behind and joined fellow Brits in the chase group.
As the lead group arrived into the first portage, the Danish boat of Knudsen and Maretti took a swim on the get out. Johnson and McIntyre came into the portage whilst the Danish boat were trying to recover, and in the heat of racing caused an obstruction for the Danes that landed them with an unfortunate 30 second penalty. The penalty was only awarded as they headed out into lap three and were not aware.
In lap three, both British crews put in a huge effort in an attempt to catch the leaders and significantly closing the gap. Russell and Shaw got away well after the second portage hunting down the leaders. However, it was heartbreak for the Chelmsford duo as they stopped to take their penalty.
It was a huge effort for Johnson and McIntyre around the next lap, and on the get in of the fourth portage, they joined the Spanish and Danish crews as a chase trio. A hard graft saw them rejoin the chase group ahead.
The race shifted in lap six as the gap between the chasers and the leaders was bridged. The 2022 K2 World Champions, Pimenta and Ramahlo of Portugal, put down another burn in an attempt to split the group but Russell and Shaw made it stick and continued on with the lead group.
The pace slowed going into lap seven and the Chelmsford and Norwich team secured a solid place on the lead side wash. Matt and Alex endeavoured solo behind the large lead group, grinding hard to gain contact.
James and Luke stayed with the leaders until the final small lap as the group started to thin out towards the finish line. An impressive top ten for Russell and Shaw on the world stage as they cross the finish line in 9th place with a time of 1:55:16. It was 13th for Johnson and McIntyre with a time of 1:57:23.
After the race, James and Luke said, “It was the first time we had raced this boat internationally. The first two laps we had a technical issue which sorted itself out after we had a chance to run at the first portage. We really enjoyed ourselves, riding the big waves in the second group, catching up to the front group and then racing within that front group. We were a little caught out with a little bit of firepower coming out of that last portage but we are really pleased with the race.”
Team Leader, Fay Lamph, reflected on the busy week of racing, “We took a small team of twelve made up of some experienced paddlers and some racing at this level for the first time. The support for each other amongst the team was brilliant to see and our athletes demonstrated some really intelligent and determined paddling even if the race didn’t always go to plan. It was particularly great to watch all our crew boats getting involved in such exciting K2 racing. All the athletes should be proud of their performances and I was impressed with the professionalism shown by the team. Thank you to Scott, Andy and Julian who worked tirelessly to ensure that boats, athletes and the team leader were in the right place at the right time.”
For a recap of the full results, you can visit the event results here.
Full live streams for each day have now been uploaded to the Planet Canoe Youtube Channel. Click the link below to see the full list of live streams.
River levels are forecast to rise over the next few days in Worcester. We are monitoring the situation closely with Worcester Canoe Club as organisers so please look out for updates here and in pre-race briefings on the day.
As a contingency, please could you ensure ALL paddlers bring buoyancy aids as they may become mandatory for all competitors to wear due to river conditions.
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.
Edgar Boehm (Reading) racing for his bronze medal
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.
Full results
Men’s K1 65-69:
15th – Derek Marshall (Linlithgow Kayak Racers)
18th – Peter Gorman (Wey Kayak Club)
21st – Kenneth Fraser (Independent)
27th – Bryn Price (Maidstone Canoe Club)
Men’s K1 70-74:
1st – Brian Greenham (Reading Canoe Club)
3rd – Gilbert Speirs (Linlithgow Kayak Racers)
18th – Gordon Bullock (Barking & Dagenham Canoe Club)
Men’s K1 75-79:
8th – Robert Scholey (Chester Canoe Club)
Women’s K1 65-69:
10th – Jane Millar (Nottingham Kayak Club)
Men’s K1 35-39:
6th – Juan Caruncho (Barking & Dagenham Canoe Club)
Men’s K1 55-59:
15th – Onno Bokhove (Cambridge Canoe Club)
27th – Calum Urquhart (Nairn Canoe Club)
28th – Donald Gardner (Linlithgow Kayak Racers)
Men’s K1 45-49:
3rd – Edgar Boehm (Reading Canoe Club)
Men’s K1 60-64:
20th – Mark Blatchly (Nottingham Kayak Club)
Women’s K1 45-49:
7th – Gina Moullec (Gloucester Canoe Club)
Women’s K1 50-59:
10th – Kelly Barkway (Broadland Paddle Sport)
Men’s K2 65-69:
5th – Brian Greenham (Reading Canoe Club) & Peter Gorman (Wey Kayak Club)
Thank you to Bryn Price for his help in putting this report together. We look forward to hearing all about the Master’s adventures in the 2024 season next year.
Worcester Canoe Club are now making their final preparations for the 2023 Hasler Finals taking place on Sunday 24th September. The final countdown is on!
You only have two more days to get your entries in with the closing date being this Saturday. You can find the full details of the event and enter here. Make sure you don’t miss out.
Reminder, you need to have qualified to race. Check the full details in the racing rules here. The qualifying clubs for each region are below. Who will take the overall win next weekend? Will Elmbridge Canoe Club retain their title or will another club be successful?
The winning club for the 2023 Geoff Sanders Competition will also be announced at this event.
Our 2023 World Championships team has successfully arrived in Denmark ahead of racing starting tomorrow. Our paracanoe athletes will be first on the water on Wednesday afternoon while the rest of the team competes over the remaining four days, finishing on Sunday 3rd September.
Start lists and live results for the para events can be found here, whereas all over events can be found here. Any live updates from our British team will be shared via our social media platforms.
All racing will be live streamed via the PlanetCanoe Recast Channel. For full information on how to use Recast, visit our watch canoe marathon page. Recast is currently offering a 7-day pass for 450 credits, which will give viewers unlimited access to all PlanetCanoe streams for the next 7-days. Visit the main channel page for further details on how to access it.
The 2023 National Canoe Marathon Championships were hosted by Norwich Canoe Club three weeks ago, with some sunshine, lots of wind and rain greeting paddlers from across the country who competed for the canoe marathon national titles.
Race briefing number one of the day
Ever an exceptional host, Norwich Canoe Club ran a professional looking event with their event branding and sponsors evident throughout the main site area, as well as being incredibly adaptable with the rainy conditions.
Day one saw some tight racing as athletes navigated around the course on the tidal River Yare, with over 47 clubs being represented on the water. The tidal river added an extra element into the racing. As the tide came in later on in the day, what was a pontoon portage in the morning submerged and became a beach style portage for the afternoon races. Racers had to learn to read the river successfully to ensure that they were maximising the direction of the flow and not trying to paddle against it. Additional challenges included the course being covered by weeds which saw some extra decorations to boats.
Kamila Sklenarova (Norwich Canoe Club) demonstrating the weed decorations on her boat.
The National Championships are also serving as a crucial assessment event as athletes battle it out in the hopes of securing their ticket to the upcoming 2023 Canoe Marathon World Championships in Vejen, Denmark as well as for junior development athletes wanting to achieve selection to the French Nationals trip in the later part of September. Both teams have now been announced and can be found by clicking the event names above.
Senior K1 Races
James Russell (Chelmsford Canoe Club) was crowned canoe marathon National Champion in the Senior Men’s race for the second year in a row. After a flying start the Chelmsford paddler joined forces with Charlie Smith (Nottingham Kayak Club) in a huge effort that saw the two boats go clear from the rest of the field early in the race.
Completing one long lap, and two short laps, along with five portages, the duo created a huge lead which secured them the top two positions. It was decided with a sprint finish that saw Russell claim gold. He completed the 24km course with a time of 01:49:22.
James secured this national title, coming off the back of competing at the Canoe Marathon European Championships last weekend in extremely hot weather. There he took fourth in the Senior Men K1 Short Course event, heartbreakingly close to the medals.
Reflecting on his race, James said, “It was good…I knew it would be crucial after the first portage because it was only 2-3k into the race so I just positioned myself in the group to ensure I could cover any moves if it did happen or exploit any mistakes and that’s what happened in the end. [I] got to the other side of the portage and it was clear there was going to be a break so I just dropped the hammer down and pushed on for twenty minutes… and that was probably the biggest point in the race.”
“European Championships [was] last weekend. Short Course went really well. It wasn’t ideal starting on the less favourable side of the course but I made it work. Fourth place was pretty strong for me. Long Course was less good. I think I positioned myself well and did everything right leading up to it but it was just too hot for me. Mid-thirties nearly forty degrees….Hopefully I have done enough to be selected for Denmark. Little bit cooler there, which is good, I think it will suit me [and] I can have another crack at it.”
Charlie was back in action after some time away from racing, and proved his marathon talent once again by crossing the line a second after Russell. Smith claimed the silver national medal completing the course with a time of 01:49:23.
Matthew Johnson (Chelmsford Canoe Club) was joined in a chase pack by Finn Cadell (Nottingham Kayak Club), Joe Petersen (Banbury & District Canoe Club) and Albert Hicks (Norwich Canoe Club). Johnson was third across the line claiming bronze with a time of 01:53:00 after a head-to-head sprint to the line.
Russell & Smith at the finishJohnson, Peterson, Cadell & Hicks portagingSenior Men K1 start with Smith leadingBoehm, Fitzpatrick, Poole & Rix heading into the portageHicks leading Peterson and Cadell through the portage
There was sibling success from the Johnson family as Melissa Johnson (Chelmsford Canoe Club) was crowned National Champion in the Senior Women’s Race.
The senior women were joined on the start line by the U23 women for a combined start due to numbers in their race. Something for us on the Marathon Racing Committee to work on with the community…
A fast paced start saw Melissa caught in the washes while fellow competitor, Fay Lamph (Wey Kayak Club, taking a lead but digging deep through the first long lap saw her power back through the field to reach Fay.
The pair continued to endeavour around the 24km course alongside the race leaders in the U23 women’s race (see report below). The senior duo broke away in the final lap and it was a sprint finish that decided it, with gold going to Johnson and silver to Lamph. Lamph recently competed at the European Championships, taking 7th in the long course distance.
Johnson completed the course with a time of 02:07:12 and Lamph followed closely with a time of 02:07:14. Chelmsford’s Leah Falltrick was third across the line in the senior women’s after a dedicated performance that saw her finish with a time of 02:29:39.
After her race, Melissa said, “Really happy I got the win. It’s been really tight all season between me and Fay so quite glad I finally managed to get the win. Started off with a rocky start but had to make my way back through the field… I had a strong first portage,[and it] broke down to a group of five, which was tough but it was a good group… Got caught out by a couple of the [junior] boys coming round the top turn by the portage but made that into my little advantage. Got away with just me and Fay and we then just worked together for the rest of the race. [It] came down to a lovely sprint finish.”
“[The] seasons been going really well this year. I moved up to Nottingham last year so I’ve had a strong training group up there, being coached by my brother. I had a great World Cup winning a bronze, which was very unexpected but very happy to get that, which has increased my confidence the whole way through the season.”
Johnson & Lamph at the finishJohnson leading the portage runSenior Women’s K1 startSenior Women’s K1 start with Lamph leading
U23 K1 Races
In the U23 Men’s class, it was Norwich’s Luke Shaw who claimed the National title. Competing on home waters, Luke got away strong after a tense battle for water in the first few strokes with fellow Norwich paddler Tim Dowden. A group quickly formed after the line with Chemsford’s Alex McIntyre, and fellow Norwich paddlers Daniel Sklenar, Shaw and Dowden.
Shaw demonstrated great skill throughout the five portages of this 24 km race and proved he was the fastest U23 Men’s boat, crossing the line to claim gold with a time of 01:52:56. McIntyre was following close behind to secure the silver medal with a time of 01:53:03 and Dowden made it two Norwich boats on the podium at their home National Championships finishing with a time of 01:54:43.
U23 Mens K1 StartU23 Mens K1 StartU23 Mens K1 StartU23 Mens K1 StartU23 Mens K1 Start
The U23 Women completed the same 24km course with Sam Martyn (Wey Kayak Club) being crowned National Champion.
Martyn completes a back to back racing weekend after competing at the canoe marathon European Championships last weekend. The Wey paddler completed the course with a time of 02:09:48, one minute ahead of the rest of the field. She tried to stay with the senior women pair of Lamph and Johnson but dropped off just before the second portage.
Freya Peters (Richmond) had a strong performance that saw her claim silver with a time of 02:09:44 after managing to stay with Sam for the first full lap. The national bronze went to Nottingham’s Jessie Urquhart. She completed the course in 02:13:20.
Peters at the finishMartyn taking the winUrquhart running through the portage with Brookes (Exeter)Peters & Martyn running through the portage
Paracanoe Races
Paracanoe returned for a second year at the Canoe Marathon Nationals with athletes hoping to get selected to compete at the Paracanoe demonstration races at the Canoe Marathon World Championships later this year. With more entries than the previous year, particularly in the Kayak categories, it looked to be a much more competitive category.
All the Para categories joined on the start line for a combined start.
Tim Lodge (Wey) was the first boat across the finish line, competing in the KL3 class, after taking gold in the same class at last years World Championship Exhibition Event. He completed the 13km course with a time of 01:11:02, with Charlie Knowlden (Royal Leamington Spa) claiming second in the KL3 at his very first national championships. He completed the course in 01:14:37. Jeff Vincent (Norwich Canoe Club) took third.
After his race, Tim reflected on para-racing in canoe marathon and said, “It was great. Really enjoyed it. There was more paddlers this time round than last year. A couple more people getting involved, which is fantastic as we really want to grow the sport. It was a good race. Spent most of it round with Jon [White] and Charlie [Knowlden], one of the new guys.”
“It’s great because I trained at 200m for probably about nine years and I was part of the set-up at Holme Pierrepont [British Canoeing National Base], which was… a fantastic opportunity. But away from that environment, the training for 200 is quite isolated. Not many of the clubs do specific 200m training so from my perspective of wanting to carry on canoeing, because I love canoeing, it’s a really good opportunity to be involved with club training sessions. We are on the water at six thirty every morning. There’s groups of between five and ten of us out every day training for an hour… and we come to wonderful events like this which are really relaxed and friendly and it was the same in Portugal and hopefully it will be the same in Denmark. We have this year and next year and then hopefully the ICF [International Canoe Federation] will make a change and make it an official World Championships for the first year in 2025.”
Competing in the Para KL2 class Jonathan White (Exeter) completed the course in a time of 01:11:23, just being beaten by Tim Lodge in the sprint finish but taking the win in his category.
Jen Warren (Royal Leamington Spa) was leading the way for women in marathon paracanoe as the first female para-athlete to compete at the National Championships. Competing in the Para KL3 race she came third with a time of 01:23:52 but took the women’s title for the first time. Reflecting on Para-racing in canoe marathon, she said, “Pretty tough conditions and it’s tough being the only woman and trying to make your own race but I’m just so overwhelmed at the opportunity to race at this kind of event because I saw last year that they had included a para wave in the Nationals so I’ve been training in the background and I felt ‘wow’ I’ve actually got a purpose. I’m just going to come and set a bench mark and… to be honest, I didn’t do as well as I wanted to but it’s one of those things. Now I’ve set a mark, if there’s no-one to race next year, then I can just try and beat that mark. I so hope that I have someone to race next year. I hope that people see this… and feel inspired to come and join me. It would be so awesome to have some more women. You don’t need to be the finished article or a paralympic athlete standard.”
Shaun Cook (Norwich Canoe Club) took the Para VL2 for the second year in a row with a time of 01:19:47.
Cook & Warren on the start lineParacanoe start lineLodge & Knowden on the start lineVincent, Cook & Warren on the start line.
Junior K1 & C1 Races
The U18 K1 athletes completed a 19km course on the River Yare. In both the Junior Boys and Junior Girls races, it was competitive throughout with at least four boats actively fighting for podium positions and therefore, any mistakes had the potential to be pivotal. The Juniors Boys race was decided in the final sprint to the line with Joe Enoch of Nottingham Kayak Club claiming the national champion title with a time of 01:26:10, Arthur Morley (Wey Kayak Club) taking silver and Sam Cribbett (Royal Leamington Spa Canoe Club) taking third. In the Girls U18 race, it was Isla Bethune (Elmbridge Canoe Club) who secured gold with a time of 01:33:04, with Sienna Payne (Chelmsford Canoe Club) taking second and Matilda Enoch (Nottingham Kayak Club) taking third.
In the U18 Junior Men’s Canoe race, it was a Richmond 1, 2, 3 with Owen Chisholm was crowned national champion after completing the 6.5km course in a time of 00:33:01, Areg Sarkisyan in a close second place and Andrew Elliot in third. All three Richmond boys still have a number of years left within the junior category.
William Short (Elmbridge Canoe Club) was the U16 Junior Boys’s champion. The U16’s completed a 13km course, where the Elmbridge paddler crossed the finish line with a time of 01:01:26. Toby Bullock (Exeter Canoe Club) took second and Oliver Mazur (Reading Canoe Club) finished in third in his first year within the under sixteen category. In the U16 Junior Girls race, Kamila Sklenarova of Norwich Canoe Club claimed gold with a time of 01:09:42 after a dominating performance, with Dianora De Bilio (Royal Canoe Club) taking second (even though she is still within the under fourteen category!), and Frankie Scrivener (Falcon Canoe Club) taking third.
Racing over 6.5km, Freddie Heard (Exeter Canoe Club) claimed the U14 Junior Boys win with a time of 00:29:43 and the U14 Junior Girls national title went to Dianora De Bilio (Royal Canoe Club) with a time of 00:34:34.
Short after winning the U16 Boy’s K1Shephard after winning the U12 Girl’s K1 for the second year in a rowEnoch leading Cribbett and Morley into the portageU14 Girls K1 StartU18 C1 StartU18 Boy’s K1 startU16 Boy’s K1 StartU16 Girl’s K1 Start
The U12 Junior Boy’s winner was Jack Wade (Reading Canoe Club) with a time of 00:38:11. The Girl’s champion Ruth Shephard (Reading Canoe Club) finished with a time of 00:35:59 in her second year taking the title.
The U10 races took place on the Great Broad with the paddlers completing a 3.5km course. In the Junior Boy’s, it was Marcell Barat-Farkas (Elmbridge Canoe Club) who came out on top completing the course with a time of 00:21:57. In the Junior Girl’s Adriana De Bilio (Royal Canoe Club) took the win with a time of 00:23:58.
In the evening, the under 13 paddler’s took in the water in rocket K4’s for a fun but rather rainy competition, cheered on by parents, coaches and friends. Thank you to Tim Scott for organising the fun event!
Some of the Rocket K4’s competing on the lake in the evening
Masters K1 Races
There were plenty of medals to be won in the masters classes too. Athletes in the O34 and O39 Men’s races took on an 18 km course on the River Yare. It consisted of three laps and five portages. The O34 and O39 women took on a 13km course alongside the O44 and O49 races classes. Their race consisted of two laps and three portages. The remaining race classes competed over 6.5km, completing one lap of the course.
A summary of the podium places for each class is below.
Enoch leading Boehm and Mayer through the portageLovell and Bates running through the portageVallance and Chapham heading into the portageO54 Men K1 StartO59 Men K1 StartO54 Women K1 StartO59 Women K1 StartWalsh leading the O34 Men K1 Start
Day 2 of the 2023 Canoe Marathon National Championships hosted by Norwich Canoe Club saw the turn of the K2 crew boat races.
After some action based racing in the K1 and C1 races on day 1, the second day of racing was looking to be highly competitive too with further World Championships spots up for grabs as well as the important National Championship titles. The highly anticipated Mixed K2 rounded off the weekend with roughly 60 boats on one start line.
Senior K2 Races
The Senior Men’s K2 field was as a competitive as ever with fourteen boats lining up on the start line to compete over the 24km course with five portages. A competitive first few kilometres saw an intense run into the first portage with a big group of boats. A break away pair broke away consisting of Daniel Johnson (Chelmsford Canoe Club) & Tom Lusty (Solihull Canoe Club), and Matthew Johnson (Chelmsford Canoe Club) & Alex McIntrye (Chelmsford Canoe Club). They managed to open up a big gap of as they headed towards their second portage and the gap remained.
The Chelmsford and Solihull team came out victorious, completing the course with a time of 1:43:59 earning their national title. Matt Johnson and Alex McIntyre were close behind as they crossed the line with a time of 1:44:05. The pair added the silver medal to the individual medals they both secured on Saturday.
Keith Moule and Will Stroud (both from Chelmsford Canoe Club) stormed the final portage in an endeavour to catch the leading two boats. The Chelmsford crew were third across the line to claim bronze with a time of 1:47:27.
Speaking after their win, Dan and Tom said, “It was really good. Pretty big field today. Probably one of the best Men’s K2 fields that we’ve had on a start line in Britain for a long time so it was really good to make a break and get to the front with the other boat and hold them off in the end to take the win. Really happy with that.”
“We set the K2 1000 record at Nottingham a few months ago, one that was a set quite a long time there. and we’ve had two good World Cups [Sprint] and hopefully we’ll carry that on at Duisburg this summer and hopefully get one of the 1000 team qualified for the games in Paris next year.”
Stroud & Moule running through the portageJohnson & McIntrye leading Johnson & Lusty through the portageSenior Men K2 StartSenior Men K2 Start
In the Senior Women’s K2, it was a dominant performance from Fay Lamph and Greta Roeser (Wey Kayak Club) that saw they take the national title with a two minute lead ahead of the next crew.
Both athletes were coming away from back to back racing weekends, after competing at the Canoe Marathon European Championships last weekend. After their European success with Greta claiming a gold and two silver medals and a top five finish for Fay on the European stage, they added a home soil National title to the haul. They secured gold with a time of 2:02:56.
Lucy Guest (Nottingham Kayak Club) teamed up with Freya Peters (Richmond Canoe Club) to take home the silver National medal, completing the course in a time of 2:03:53. It was the sister duo of Olivia Geddes (Falcon Canoe Club) and Libby Geddes (Cardiff Bay Kayakers) who crossed the finish line in third, with a time of 2:17:19.
Speaking after their win, Fay and Greta said, “It was good thank you. I enjoyed it. It was quite tough out there and the wind on the way back down, it was quite a headwind, which is always challenging. It felt like a long race but we were pleased to get away at the portage and just plowed on. It was fun.”
“We sort of decided to train through [the week after European Championships] so recovery has been non-existent but I think you have kind of do that as you can’t constantly be resting up for races. I think it was tough out in Croatia with the heat but everyone had that. We then had a lot of early morning and journeys. There’s always something to challenge us and that’s why we like marathon racing!”
Lamph & Roeser at the finishPeters & Guest at the finishSenior Women’s K2 StartSenior Women’s K2 Start
The highly anticipated Mixed K2 race rounding off the weekend with a bang. The start line saw 60 crew boats lining up to compete around the 13km course consisting of sibling pairings, parent and child pairings, junior and senior pairings and more. It was an action packed start with a couple of collisions and two crews ending up swimming – not too bad this year! The Mixed K2 race really shows the spirit of the canoe marathon community.
It was a tight finish between the top three as they powered toward the line together for the sprint finish.
James Russell (Chelmsford Canoe Club) added another national title to his Senior Men’s K1 from Saturday. This time teaming up with Mags Dilai (Nottingham Kayak Club) to complete the course with a time of 00:58:59. Matt Johnson (Chelmsford Canoe Club) took to the water again and teamed up with sister Melissa Johnson (Chelmsford Canoe Club) to take silver. They finished with a time of 00:59:00.
After securing gold in the Senior Women’s K2, Fay Lamph (Wey Kayak Club) teamed up with Senior Men’s K2 bronze medallist Keith Moule (Chelmsford Canoe Club) for the Mixed K2 race. They were the third boat across the line, finishing with a time of 00:59:01.
After their win, James and Mags said, “It feels pretty good. I think we’ve had three silvers [before]. The first one in 2017 so it’s been quite a few years now so quite a drilled crew and done quite a few sessions together. I had to get a super-sub in last year, Emma [Russell, James sister], took the win…so it was really good to win again with Mags after so many seconds.”
“I didn’t know whether I would even be able to make it round the race so to even finish good and then taking the win was even better. We never get a good start. Stressful. We started on the second line this time so it was a little bit hard work getting to the front and then I think we had a little bit of a disaster on the second portage and we had to do an almighty catch-up. Then we got back to the front and managed to regain control of the race.”
Mixed K2 StartMixed K2 StartMixed K2 StartMixed K2 StartRitchie & Saunders, Rees-Clark & Enoch and Bunyon & Falltrick racing into the portageSprint finish for the Mixed K2 Podium positionsRussell celebrates as him and Dilai take the win in the Mixed K2
Junior K2 Races
In the U18 Junior Boy’s K2, it was the young Elmbridge Canoe Club crew of William Short and James Ross who claimed the national championship title. They completed the 19km course with a time of 01:20:58. This result is even more impressive considering that both boys are still under sixteen. It was an incredibly tense finish for second, third and fourth, with Ivan Barritt (Gloucester Canoe Club) and Sam Cribbett (Royal Leamington Spa Canoe Club) taking silver. Joe Enoch and Huw Singleton (both Nottingham Kayak Club) took third.
In the U18 Girls, it was Matilda Enoch (Nottingham Kayak Club) and Isla Bethune (Elmbridge Canoe Club) who finished victorious. They took the win with a time of 01:31:16. Nerys Hall (Wey Kayak Club) and Kamila Sklenarova (Norwich Canoe Club) took second, and Frankie Scrivener (Falcon Canoe Club) and Beth Perry (Southampton Canoe Club) taking second.
Freddie Heard and Toby Bullock of Exeter Canoe Club were the U16 Junior boy’s K2 national champions. They raced over 13km and completed the course with a time of 01:01:10. Oliver Mazur and Tyler Kinder (both Reading Canoe Club) took second and Isaac Aveson and Tom Hatton (both Royal Canoe Club) took third.
In the U16 Junior girl’s race, it was Dianora De Bilio (Royal Canoe Club) teamed up with Charlotte Fulford-Perez (Reading Canoe Club) to claim gold. They finished the course with a time of 01:10:45. Sophie Dunlop and Katharine Boon (both Elmbridge Canoe Club) took second and Emily Bowles-Trow (Addlestone Canoe Club) and Delilah Webb (Wey Kayak Club) took third.
Racing over 6.5km the U14 Junior Boy’s K2 national champions were Marcell Nagy (Reading Canoe Club) and Freddie Heard (Exeter Canoe Club). The Exeter paddler doubled up his K2 races to secure double national championship titles. The U14 duo completed the course in a time of 00:28:33. The Elmbridge Canoe Club crew of Madison McKernan and Imogen Field took the gold medal in the U14 Junior Girl’s K2 with a time of 00:32:09.
In the U12 Junior Boy’s race, Fergus Barnett (Worcester Canoe Club) and Jack Wade (Reading Canoe Club) secured the gold medal. They completed their 6.5km course with a time of 00:35:17. For the Junior Girls in the U12 class, it was Ruth Shephard (Reading Canoe Club) and Orla Anderson (Southampton Canoe Club) who took the win. They completed the course on the River Yare with a time of 00:37:45.
The U10 races took place on the Great Broad with the paddlers completing a 3.5km course. In the Junior Girl’s K2 race, Adriana De Bilio (Royal Canoe Club) joined up with Celelia Blanchard (Norwich Canoe Club) and took the win with a time of 00:24:47.
It was great to see such competitive racing and full start lines in the junior races over the weekend. There were lots of juniors racing hard no matter where they were in the field and not giving up when things weren’t going their way or following their plan. Well done to all who competed.
U18 Boys K2 StartLandsborough & Maloney at the finish of their U16 Girls K2U12 Boy’s K2 StartU18 Girl’s K2 StartMckernan & Field after taking the win in the U14 Girls K2U18 Boys K2 finish for silver and bronzeBullock & Heard at the portage of the U16 Boy’s K2
Masters K2 Races
Athletes in the O34 Men’s races took on an 18 km course on the River Yare. It consisted of three laps and five portages. The O34 women took on a 13km course alongside the O44 race class. Their race consisted of two laps and three portages. The remaining race classes competed over 6.5km, completing one lap of the course.
Caroline Dallimore & Stephanie Robinson (Cardiff Bay Kayakers)
O54 Men K2 StartWatts & De Bilio at the finish of their O44 Women K2 RACEO44 Men K2 racing into the portageO34 Men K2 StartO44 Women K2 Start
Congratulations to everyone who competed at this year’s Canoe Marathon National Championships. It was highly competitive competition with Norwich Canoe Club taking the overall win in the club points, Wey Kayak Club taking the win in the junior points and Nottingham Kayak Club taking the win for the Ladies K1 trophy.
Nottingham Ladies collecting the K1 Ladies Team TrophyWey Juniors collecting the Junior Team TrophyNorwich Canoe Club collecting the overall club winner trophy
A huge thank you to Norwich Canoe Club for organising and hosting this brilliant event, particularly Sarah Walker who did an exceptional job of leading the organising and running of the event.
You can still see all the official event photos here.
We are still seeking a host for next years National Championship so if you, your club or a couple of clubs are interested in discussing with us about the possibility, contact Dan Seaford here.
The 85th Descenso Internacional Del Sella will take place this Saturday 5th August in Asturias, Spain. We have a long history with paddlers competing in the event from teams being selected historically to several clubs now supporting paddler entries over recent years.
In the 85th edition, we have 39 boats with 62 paddlers representing Great Britain and their clubs on the start line. You can find the full start lists via the event results page here. All paddlers will start at 11am BST from Arriondas and racing the 20k route down to the sea at Ribadesella. If you have not had the opportunity to watch any of the previous Sella Descents, you can find live streams and videos on youtube here.
While majority of the racers will only compete on the Saturday, the Senior Men K2 and K1 racers also compete tomorrow morning in a time trial to determine their starting order on Saturday. You can view the full results from this time trial here.
Spanish television live stream the whole descent, with a focus on the front of the race. You can find the live stream for this on the RTVE website here.
We wish all British racers the best of luck and we look forward to cheering you all on via the live stream on Saturday.
Gloucester Canoe Club have announced new club racing colours for their club which is active as of now for the 2023 season. Club members will be wearing the below vest while racing but might still wear the old vest for the time being.
You can view all active club racing colours on our website here.
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