Marathon

Marathon Series

July 9, 2018

Upcoming Marathon Races

We have lots of winter Marathon racing coming up to keep the winter blues away!

Next race is Round 8 which will be held at Bilarong Reserve on Narrabeen Lagoon on 15 July, Hosted by Manly Warringah Kayak Club. Click here to enter: https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=130137

Please note that the Sprint Series 1 event originally planned for the same weekend has been cancelled.

August will provide us two races, with the Round 9 venue at Teralba Bowling Club on 4 August. This event will be hosted by the Hunter Valley PaddleSports Club (HVPC). Round 10 on 25 August with Windsor Canoe Club (WCC) will be held at Macquarie Park (not the suburb. This park is located off Bridge Street, Freemans Reach.

Latest Club Standings

Penrith – Race 7

many thanks to Naomi from LCRK for this write-up!

Round 7 of the 2018 Marathon Series took us to Penrith for a newly designed course on the Nepean River. A single up-and-back loop that took us deep into the gorge, the race was both a beautiful view of a remote river spot, and a rather different marathon experience to those so far.

The day started off on the uncomfortable side of chilly, with those starting the morning early noticing icy puddles and numb fingers aplenty! By the time we arrived at Penrith, though, the sun was shining and everyone was debating whether to wear long or short sleeves. With a race briefing that suggested both taking along a camera and steering clear of kneeler C1s, it was clear we were in for a fun day on the water.

Penrith hasn’t been on the racing calendar since 2015, but unlike the regular lap-based races of the marathon series, the Nepean River offered a rare chance for an up-and-back loop. Some were excited about the prospect of a race with only one turn, while others quickly saw that this was to their disadvantage! The course was wonderfully laid, with clear turning buoys for each of the four distances and then very little need for other markers along the relatively straight, pleasantly roomy course. Div 6 joined Div 7 in starting a little ahead of the other divisions, giving everyone ample space to complete the race without any time pressures.

With a strong turn-out of 130 boats, competition was exciting across all 13 divisions. A great part of the race was that PVC had secured a full river closure for the event. Without the discomfort of speed boats, there was only the paddle steamer Nepean Belle a beautiful floating presence to keep us company. It was a particularly impressive sight to see the steamer waiting patiently as the final boats in Divs 4 to 7 crossed the narrows on the home stretch.

Of all the races on the 2018 marathon calendar, this one stands out as a course that offers both great competition and a stunning paddling experience. There were several new faces on the water, paddling everything from C1s to a downriver racer, and it would be great to see more newbies enjoying the spectacular gorge in future events.