2011 Racing Calendar

The Racing Calendar is now up on the marathon canoeing website.

Hare and Hounds 2 (28 December)

While much of the country was either snowed in or iced up the second Hare and Hounds ran as normal on the river Wey in Guildford. A handicap start from outside the clubhouse, portage over Millmead lock, turn at St Katherine's Lock (where the ice was just beginning to form) and all the way back to a hot shower, coffee and a bacon butty. 10 km in all, or 9.6 km if you have a GPS and want to be pedantic.

There is a link to the results here while our WebMaster has something better to do than sit in front of a keyboard.

Results

U14's Dash-Hound & H&H's

Well done to all the U14's who raced our new Dash-Hound Race Series along with the Hare & Hounds.

We had 15 kids taking part, all doing incredibly well. (There were a couple of 'old girls' who the kids had taken along for the ride, but I reckon they need to ditch those two a.s.a.p. !)

We got really positive feed back from the other two clubs who took part & all the kids seemed to thoroughly enjoy the friendly competition !( Matt & Charlie I thought you were supposed to be mates !!)

Huge well done to Kuba Cranmer for getting the u10 race record on his first attempt ! Well done to Dan James who also did the full H&H's & still had a smile on his face when he finished !

Other U14's who got records where Joe Hayman-Joyce C1 U14 (Max J said he enjoyed getting the record for 60 seconds ! & watch out next time Joe Boy !!)

Gabi De Ferrer u10 also got the record with impressive style !

See you all next time !

Pam, Kathryn & Alison

First Dash-hound race:

'Kayak races are really good fun because you are racing with all your friends and just competing against yourself. When I did my race it was really good because when I got into town people were there looking and cheering and shouting nice things!'

Isla Ward (aged 9 soon to be 10 !!)

Today I took part in the first Wey U14’s Biathlon, a 3km paddle to Seven Arches and a 2km run around the ‘big block’. This was my first home race after taking part at Richmond last week.

I paddled well and I had got ahead by a couple of places when I came off the water for the start of the run. The run was tiring but managed to find some energy for the finish.

I came 1^st in the U10 boys’ race and 6^th overall. It was great being presented my trophy by Rachel Cawthorne.

I enjoyed taking part, although it would have been nice if the sun was shining!

BY ALEX BICKNELL

Richmond Hasler 23/10/10

Kuba Cranmer's Post on the Richmond Race

I was a little more confident because it was my second race so I knew more what i was doing, but I still felt a little nevous.

At first i thought that I woudn't be able to keep up with them, but I managed it more or less by conserving my strength till i got round the second island and past the bridge.

I now see what they mean by river conjestion.

I really appreciate the support I was given - thanks to all the people cheering me on I managed it.

I would recommend racing to everybody out there, it's incredible fun.

thank you all,

kub(a)

Richmond Hasler 24/10/10

Ten of our U14's (plus Max J) bravely competed in the Richmond Hasler last Sunday. They all took it very much in their stride- I was far more nervous than they were! Kuba Cranmer & Alex Bignell raced the U10 lightening Race coming 3rd & 4th ! Josh snell, Jack Oliver & Rian Butler raced the u12 all doing incredibly well, Rian getting 2nd place.

Matt Esselens & Charlie Singlton raced the U12, K2 & looked like they had been paddling together for years rather than weeks ! Alice Fellows & Ella Jamieson paddled U10, K2 & looked very comfortable together, coming 3rd. Max J did really well in Div 9 coming in 1st placed Canoe. Well done guys! They are all now looking forward to competing in the H& H's over the winter.

Helen Weston & myself also raced at Richmond together only for the second time, with much trepidation, as virtually everyone we spoke to had a bad word to say about the conditions there!

We started well- well we didn't fall in, & quickly saw off a couple of mad teenagers from Richmond. We paddled on in our own unique style 'grannies on a day out' & finished in 2nd place.

Meanwhile we understand that although we had got away from the mad,bad teenagers Amanda & Alison hadn't & they ended up being paddle battered - drawing blood ! & pushed into the trees! Sorry girls- but as Eric says "A win's a win!" well almost- the K2 in front of us was so far in front it felt like one to me! Oh & according to Dave Halliwell & son their race was greatly impinged by a hole in the boat - yes Dave it's called a cockpit ! (Only joking Dave !) Happy paddling - sort of , Pam

In addition to Isobel and Naomi’s achievements in the K2 and Phil’s heroic effort in doing over 1000 200m races in a row, credit is also due to a couple of other Wey paddlers.

James Dunlop was aiming to do the Senior Doubles but his training partner had to pull out injured (a dislocated shoulder which apparently plays havoc with the technique) a few weeks before the race. Undeterred, James climbed into one of the club’s K1s and finished the K1 Senior event in under 24 hours in 35^th place, with no capsizes, which given the fact that he’s only got a few months kayaking experience and was repeatedly attacked by a swan on the pound is some achievement.

Shane Thomas was also aiming to compete in the Senior Doubles but his paddling partner was sent off to Saudi Arabia or somewhere not renowned for its kayaking so he press-ganged a mate with no paddling experience whatsoever into joining him. Waterside B was one of their first outings and the DW was a mere 6 weeks later. Shane and Simon set off from Devizes just after 7am on Easter Saturday, had a bit of a “rest” at Old Windsor when they realised that they weren’t going to make the morning tide at Teddington, finally finishing at Westminster at 22.48 Sunday evening, having paddled the tideway in the dark. That’s over 39 hours. Hats off to them for sticking with it and not giving up.

By all accounts they’ll all be back next year for more when hopefully we'll be able to enter an armada of senior doubles....