Category: Racing

There was a hectic day of kayak racing on Sunday 25th September as more than 600 paddlers took to the River Thames at Runnymede Pleasure Grounds. For the first time ever, Wey Kayak Club and Addlestone Canoe Club paired up to joint host the event at a brand new location for canoe marathon. With the incredible support of Runnymede Council, Environmental Agency and Surrey County Council, the venue was ready for the final national event of the 2022/23 season.

The early morning sunshine was a welcome backdrop for the lowest-ranked classes taking to the water just after 9am. In several races the clashing of paddles and jostling for space left some in the water and out of the action until they could swim to the side, empty their boats and set off again. Tight racing the division 7 K1 saw Rachel Hampton, from Chelmsford Canoe Club, take the win just 2 seconds ahead of Delilah Webb from Wey Kayak Club. Similarly the division 8 K1 podium were all only 3 seconds apart, with Martha Roberts (Elmbridge Canoe Club) taking the top position.

The division 4-6 races had the most dramatic portages of the day, with some of biggest fields all entering the pontoon get out at the same time. Honor Lewis (from Wey Kayak Club) took the win in the division 4 K1, as well as earning the Ross Warland Memorial Trophy. The Ross Warland Memorial Trophy is presented to the highest placed junior in division four at the Hasler Final every year and Honor is the first junior girl to ever win it.

Just after lunchtime, the fastest racers in the country set off for Old Windsor Lock, with smaller but even more-determined fields of paddlers lined up, decked out in their club colours. Completing over the standard 12-mile course, the division 1 race was won by Joe Petersen from Banbury & District Canoe Club, closely followed by Tom Lusty from Solihull Canoe Club. The division 1 K2 race was won by Keith Moule and Matthew Johnson from Chelmsford Canoe Club.

It was also a personal highlight for the Marathon Racing Committee to see the younger (U14) paddlers being able to race in both K1 and K2 in the Geoff Sanders races. This is the first Hasler Finals to ever run a K2 race for that age group and clubs fully engaged with it as eleven crews started the race. It was won by Jessica Peters & Eira Shaw from Wey Kayak Club and the K1 GSA title was taken by Bjorn Bartsch-Cotta from Falcon Canoe Club. Overall, the winning club for the Geoff Sanders Trophy this season was Devizes Canoe Club with 1480 points.

Runnymede mayor Cllr Margaret Harnden joined in the afternoon to present a series of trophies, as well as the coveted Hasler Trophy. Elmbridge Canoe Club were crowned the winners (after an 11 year hiatus from holding the trophy), with Norwich Canoe Club and Wey Kayak Club also making the podium. 

Away from the racing, the day also had a focus on the environment and helping to keep the river and surrounding area clean. Recycling of food packaging, a water station and regular litter picks ensured the event left a minimal impact on the area. British Canoeing set up a Check, Clean, Dry stand to encourage cleaning of boats coming off the water to prevent the spread of non-native species, such as floating pennywort. Pippa Rowlandson, Wey Kayak Club’s environment lead, said that at least 50 boats were cleaned on the day. 

Thank you to Wey Kayak Club and Addlestone Canoe Club for putting on a great event and we look forward to returning to this new venue at some point in the future.

Congratulations to all trophy winners from the day:

• Hasler Trophy – Elmbridge Canoe Club
• Geoff Sanders Trophy – Devizes Canoe Club
• Rhodes-White Trophy (presented to the fastest senior man K1 over 12-mile course) – Joe Petersen (Banbury)
• Adam Thomasson Trophy (presented to the winner of the division 2 K1) – Dominic Stanley (Falcon)
• Barber Trophy (present to the fastest junior K1 over the 12 mile course) – Dominic Stanley (Falcon)
• David Shankland Trophy (presented to the fastest women’s K1 over the 12 mile course) – Lizzie Broughton (Richmond)
• Ross Warland Memorial Trophy (presented to the highest placed junior in the division 4 K1 race) – Honor Lewis (Wey)
• The Committee Cup (presented to the highest placed junior woman K1 in the highest division) – Isla Bethune (Elmbridge)
• Ken Pereira Cup (presented to the highest places junior C1 in the highest division) – Owen Chisholm (Richmond)
• Bill Sparks Trophy (presented to the highest placed veteran K2 in the highest division) – Colin Heard & David Parker (Exeter)

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.