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Marathon

Long distance endurance and strategy

While in Flatwater Racing events, paddlers race on a straight course, Marathon Racing involves paddling sleek racing craft over long distances, on either the flatwater of lakes, and dams, or the flowing water of a river. Traditional Marathon Racing competitions, like ICF World Cup and World Championships, involve a fixed flatwater course with regular portages, where the paddler must carry the canoe or kayak. Each race lasts approximately 3 hours.

Many popular marathons are raced down sections of river, where the paddler must negociate the currents, rapids or weirs, or else portage around these obstacles. Some of these events attract over 2000 athletes each year and are often run inseveral stages over several days.

DOCUMENTS can be found here.

ECA Competitions

2026 ECA Canoe Marathon European ...
January 1. 2026, Pitesti, ROU
2027 ECA Canoe Marathon European ...
January 1. 2027, Mirandela, POR
All competitions

NEWS

Portuguese and Hungarian Triumph at the Conclusion of the Canoe Marathon European Championships
Portuguese and Hungarian Triumph at the Conclusion of the Canoe Marathon European Championships

The organisers of the 2025 ECA Canoe Marathon European Championships in Ponte de Lima could hardly have hoped for a better end to the competition, as Fernando Pimenta and Jose Ramalho claimed victory in the elite men's kayak double, while Rui Lacerda and Ricardo Coelho took the title in the men's canoe double. The remaining two titles of the day went to Hungary.

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New Faces on Top at the Canoe Marathon European Championships
New Faces on Top at the Canoe Marathon European Championships

The penultimate day of the 2025 ECA Canoe Marathon European Championships in Ponte de Lima featured individual races in the senior events, where spectators witnessed a few surprises and new faces at the top of the podium.

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European Canoe Association Signed Cooperation Agreement with World Rafting
European Canoe Association Signed Cooperation Agreement with World Rafting

During the 2025 ECA Wildwater Canoeing European Championships in Mezzana, a cooperation agreement was signed with the World Rafting Federation.

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