The Marathon Racing Committee will be meeting for their annual all day meeting on Saturday 16th November. If anyone has any points, issues or comments that they would like the MRC to consider during that meeting, please email to the MRC Secretary by midday on Sunday 10th November.
The MRC Selection Committee are seeking expressions of interest from members of the canoeing community who would be like to become part of the selection panel for Great Britain marathon canoeing.Â
We are seeking people who have a sound understanding of marathon canoeing in the UK and an awareness of the processes involved for athletes seeking International Selection. We are particularly looking for individuals who demonstrate integrity, impartiality and good communication skills to join our committee.
All interested parties should apply by email with a supporting statement (approximately 500 words) to the Chair of the Marathon Selection Committee, Nanette North, by Wednesday 6th November.Â
The MRC and Devizes to Westminster Organisation are looking forward to hosting the 2024 edition of the National School Championships on Sunday 17th November at Hawley Lake.
For full information on entry requirements, please visit the DW website page here.
To enter, you can download the entry form here.
The MRC, SRC and Paddle England Talent Department pleased to announce that our first JDS winter series event is now open for booking. Please click HERE if you would like to book a spot.Â
The event will be taking place at Gloucester Canoe Club on Saturday 19th October. The day will be in K2/C2s and will seek to develop crew boat skills amongst paddlers, including building an understanding of how to run the boat, the importance of communication skills and pacing. Paddlers will need to bring a K2/C2 to the event, please speak to your club about borrowing if needed and/or liaise with other paddlers who may attend. Â
The day will be led by Alice Murphy & Holly Mobbs.
For more information about the JDS, including entry criteria and to sign up please click HERE. As a reminder, the cost is £10. Sign up closes on Friday 11th October at 17:00. Late entries won’t be accepted. Â
Club Coaches are encouraged to attend. If any coach would like to play a more formal role in the day by supporting the delivery to paddlers we would be very appreciative, to do this please sign up HERE. Coaches that will earn 10 CPD points for their coaching record. These days would not function without volunteer coaches and we are greatly appreciative of ALL coaches that can offer some time to support and are also willing to learn and develop practices during the day.
Please see the below letter from Richmond Canoe Club, the organisers of the 2024 Hasler Final.
Dear Participants, Volunteers, and Supporters,
It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the cancellation of the Hasler Final 2024, scheduled for Sunday, 6th October, at Ham Riverside, Richmond upon Thames. This difficult decision was made with the safety and well-being of everyone in mind.
Why we’ve made this decision
As of 1st October, river flow at Kingston is 246.171 m³/sec—far exceeding safe levels for paddling. Unfortunately, with more rain expected and high water levels unlikely to recede in time, we cannot guarantee safe conditions for the race.
We know it’s a regular occurrence for races to be cancelled on this stretch of river. Even though we Richmond paddlers like to blame all the water from upstream, we also know how dangerous this stretch of water can be, and as such, we have spent significant time in our risk assessments and PLA condition negotiations, all of which are telling us it’s not safe to proceed.
The river is just too dangerous, with strong currents and increased debris that even experienced paddlers would struggle to navigate. Safety measures we’d normally rely on are also less effective in these conditions. We cannot take the risk.
Looking ahead
We are considering the possibility of rescheduling the event. We are looking at the feasibility of holding the event at a November race date at an alternative location. We will keep you updated with any developments over the next 14 days, including refunds and transfer of entries.
Volunteers & Vendors
Volunteers will be contacted personally with further information. Vendors and suppliers will hear from us individually to discuss arrangements.
Thank You
We want to extend our deepest thanks to everyone. Athletes, volunteers, sponsors, and the community of Richmond Canoe Club, your support has been incredible, and it means a lot. We know how much time, energy, and passion you’ve all invested in this event and the Hasler series in 2024, and we share in your disappointment.
While we can’t race this time, I have no doubt that we’ll come together for future events when conditions allow us to enjoy the sport we love.
Please stay safe on the water, and we look forward to seeing you all soon. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out at marathon@richmondcanoe.club, and stay tuned to our website and social media for updates.
The final international of the 2024 season is here and it is going to be a busy week of racing in Metkovic, Croatia. Our Masters racing team kick off the event tomorrow morning with the K1/C1 races, followed by the K2/C2 races on Tuesday. You can follow along via the live results page here. There does not seem to be a live stream for this part of the event.
The team of junior, senior, under 23 and para athletes will start competing on Wednesday afternoon with Shaun Cook’s VL2 race and conclude on the Sunday afternoon with the Senior Men’s K2 race. Last time we competed in Metkovic was the 2018 European Championships where we came away with four medal (1 gold and 3 bronzes). Those who competed will remember the hot and bumpy racing conditions, which will make for some more challenging races this year. Good luck to all! We will be cheering you on every paddle stroke of the way!
Start lists and live results for all events can be found here. Any live updates from our British team will be shared via our social media platforms throughout the event.
All racing will be live streamed via the PlanetCanoe Youtube Channel. For full information on how to join to access the live stream, visit our how to watch Canoe Marathon website page.
| 14:25 BST | VL2 Men | Shaun Cook (Norwich) |
| 08:00 BST | K1 Junior Women | Kamila Sklenarova (Norwich) Sienna Payne (Chelmsford) |
| 09:50 BST | K1 Senior Women Short Course Heat 1 | Greta Roeser (Wey) |
| 10:15 BST | K1 Senior Women Short Course Heat 2 | Melissa Johnson (Chelmsford) |
| 11:05 BST | K1 Senior Men Short Course Heat 2 | Matthew Johnson (Chelmsford) James Russell (Chelmsford) |
| 13:30 BST | C1 Junior Men | Owen Chisholm (Richmond) |
| 16:00 BST | K1 Senior Women Short Course Final | |
| 16:30 BST | K1 Senior Men Short Course Final |
| 08:00 BST | K2 Junior Women | Kamila Sklenarova (Norwich) & Sienna Payne (Chelmsford) Annabel Hutchinson (Reading) & Mollie Ball (Devizes) |
| 08:05 BST | C1 Under 23 Men | Owen Chisholm (Richmond) |
| 10:05 BST | KL2 Men | Jonathan White (Exeter) |
| 10:05 BST | KL3 Men | Timothy Lodge (Wey) |
| 13:30 BST | K1 Under 23 Women | Greta Roeser (Wey) |
| 15:45 BST | K1 Under 23 Men | Tim Dowden (Norwich) |
| 07:15 BST | K1 Senior Women | Melissa Johnson (Chelmsford) |
| 13:00 BST | K1 Junior Men | Joe Enoch (Nottingham) Will Short (Elmbridge) |
| 15:10 BST | K1 Senior Men | James Russell (Chelmsford) Finn Cadell (Nottingham) |
| 08:00 BST | K2 Junior Men | Joe Enoch (Nottingham) & William Short (Elmbridge) |
| 10:00 BST | K2 Senior Women | Greta Roeser (Wey) & Fay Lamph (Wey) Melissa Johnson (Chelmsford) & Sienna Payne (Chelmsford) |
| 13:00 BST | K2 Senior Men | Tim Dowden (Norwich) & James How (Norwich) Matthew Johnson (Chelmsford) & Matthew Collinge (Fowey) |
We are looking forward to some exciting racing over the next few days!
Tomorrow will see the debut of marathon races at the FISU World University Championship Canoe Sports. Hosted by Montemor-O-Velho, the 2024 edition has been running since Wednesday with the Canoe Sprint races but Marathon will debut tomorrow with four races. Two of which will have British representation.
At 14:40 tomorrow, Freya Peters (Richmond) and Katie Brookes (Exeter) will race in the K1 Women race over a 4 laps, 2 portages course. Matthew Collinge (Fowey) and Tim Dowden (Norwich) will race in the K1 Men race at 16:30 over a 5 laps, 3 portages course.
You can cheer them via the FISU official live stream here and live results can be found here.
Are you a University student or about to be a University student? Do you want to keep paddling at your local flatwater racing club? Visit our guide here to find the closest club and key contacts for you.
Good luck to all four!
Paddle England’s Athlete Support Fund is open for a third and final round of applications from eligible English athletes competing internationally this year.
The purpose of the fund is to provide some financial assistance to support athletes competing at British or English team representative competitions.
Deadline for applications in this window closes on Monday 26th August.
To apply and to check eligibility, please visit the website page here for more information.
Please see below the selection notes for the 2024 World Championships and the 2025 Under 14 and Under 16 Development Trip as well as the Assessment Data used to support selections.
We would like to congratulate the athletes on their selections to their respective teams.
REQUESTS FOR REVIEW
As per the 2024 Selection Policy (published here), any requests to review the selections must be made in writing to the Chair of the Selection Committee, Nanette North at Marathon Selectors marathon.selectors@vol.paddleuk.org.uk within 48 hours of the publication of this document, i.e. by 6:30pm on Thursday 14th August 2024.
The lead assessments for the World Championships 2024 takes place this weekend, 10th-11th August, at Falcon Canoe Club. Standard entries close Friday at 9pm, although entries are possible until 1pm on the day. Live entries can be found here: Assessment Entries
The program sees the K2 / C2 racing on Saturday 10th and K1 / C1 on Sunday 11th. Note that Sunday is looking very hot at 28 degrees. We remind all athletes to ensure they have the right clothing, sun protection, hydration and nutrition for the conditions.
Following the European Championships, the following athletes have secured pre-selection onto the team:
We would like to congratulate these athletes on their achievements. Please note this leaves only one place for the Para team which will be selected by benchmarking cross class. Further selections for SMK1 can only be achieved through securing a release place. Please ensure you have read and understand section 3.3 of the policy.
If you are seeking selection for the World Championships, you must have completed an availability form. Note the deadline has now passed (7th August at 10pm).Â
Please find a full list of available athletes below. If your name is not on this list but you still seeking selection, please contact Kat Wilson urgently.
| First Name | Last Name | Club | Category | Interested Classes |
| Fay | Lamph | Wey | SWK | K2 |
| Melissa | Johnson | Chelmsford | SWK | K1 |
| Emma | Russell | Chelmsford Canoe Club | SWK | K1, K2 |
| Freya | Peters | Richmond Canoe Club | U23 WK | K1 |
| Sam | Martyn | Wey | U23 WK | K2 |
| Katie | Brookes | Exeter | U23 WK | K1, K2 |
| Elise | Montagna | Royal Canoe Club | U23 WK | K2 |
| Nerys | Hall | Wey | U23 WK | K2 |
| Greta | Roeser | WEY | U23 WK | K1, K2 |
| Annabel | Hutchinson | Reading Canoe Club | JWK | K1, K2 |
| Mollie | Ball | Devizes Canoe Club | JWK | K1, K2 |
| Kamila | Sklenarova | Norwich canoe club | JWK | K1, K2 |
| George | Durden | Elmbridge | SMK | K2 |
| Albert | Hicks | Norwich | SMK | K1, K2 |
| Matthew | Johnson | Chelmsford | SMK | K1, K2 |
| James | Russell | Chelmsford | SMK | K1 |
| Finn | Cadell | Nottingham Kayak Club | SMK | K1, K2 |
| Matthew | Collinge | Fowey | SMK | K1, K2 |
| Timothy | Dowden | Norwich | U23 MK | K1, K2 |
| Benji | Cabrera | Fowey | U23 MK | K1 |
| Daniel | Sklenar | Norwich Canoe Club | U23 MK | K1 |
| Flynn | Holt | Richmond | JMK | K1, K2 |
| Joseph | Enoch | Nottingham Kayak Club | JMK | K1, K2 |
| Lochlain | Lovell | Worcester | JMK | K1, K2 |
| William | Short | Elmbridge | JMK | K1, K2 |
| Jack | Niland | Falcon Oxford | JMK | K2 |
| Alexander | Worgan | Richmond | JMK | K1, K2 |
| Marcell | Nagy | RDG | JMK | K1 |
| Malachi | Grant | Nottingham Kayak Club | JMK | K1, K2 |
| Owen | Chisholm | Richmond canoe club | JMC | C1 |
| Andrew | Elliot | Richmond Canoe Club | JMC | C1 |
| Lucy | Keyworth | Leamington Spa | Para | KL1 |
| Shaun | Cook | Norwich | Para | VL2 |
For more information on the selection policy and process, please refer to the selection policy: 2024 Selection Policy . If you have any further questions please direct them to the Chair of the Selection Committee, Nanette North, via email marathon.selectors@vol.paddleuk.org.uk