The 2024 Paddle Australia Canoe Marathon and SUP Championships will begin tomorrow morning on Australia’s south coast, with the best paddlers from around Australia and New Zealand making the journey to Encounter Lakes to compete.
More than 200 paddlers will converge on Victor Harbour to compete over the three day competition from April 5-7.
Head of the organising committee, Marc Brehin is thrilled to see the event welcome so many paddlers to South Australia.
“We’ve got 201 paddlers coming from around the country and New Zealand which will make for an amazing few days of competition,” said Brehin.
“The weather is going to be sensational, and we are excited to host competition in single kayaks, double kayaks, single canoes, double canoes and SUP paddlers in three different disciplines.
“We’ve got a range of ages taking part in the event, from under 18’s, under 23’s and open paddlers vying for Australian team selection to Masters paddlers who just love the sport,” he said.
With the course set and the area closed to the public, official training begins today with racing to take place from tomorrow through to Sunday 7 April.
“Racing will start tomorrow with our single craft events across the different age groups, including selection events,” he said.
“The second day of competition will see our double crafts take to the water as well as the technical course competition for our SUP paddlers.
“Sunday will begin with mixed doubles followed by short course events and a SUP Sprint event, which is a 218 sprint in a straight line.
“It’s a very technical and strategic course, so it won’t just come down to muscle and endurance, it will come down to good planning and decision making,” said Brehin.
While the course has been used for state championship events for the past 20 years, this weekend’s event will be the first time a national Canoe Marathon and SUP event will be hosted on the renowned course.
“Logistically there is a heavy load on our volunteers and officials because the course is quite windy and it requires a large number of people to be compliant,” said Brehin.
“On behalf of the organising committee, I extend my heartfelt thanks in advance to those taking part in a volunteer capacity, the event would not be possible without them.”
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