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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.
On Saturday, 19th April, the 20th Vohandu Marathon celebrated its anniversary with remarkable participation numbers and unseasonably warm weather. Recognised as the world’s largest paddling marathon, this year’s event brought nearly 3,000 paddlers from 30 countries to the Voru and Polva regions of Estonia. A record-breaking 1,341 boats lined up at the starting line.
Read moreThe upcoming weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the Võhandu Marathon, with more than 3200 paddlers registered in 1415 boats, representing 30 different countries.
Read morePortugal, Canoe Marathon superpower, will host the 2025 ECA Canoe Marathon European Championships from 2nd to 8th June. The competition week in Ponte de Lima will include Senior, U23 and Junior events, as well as Masters races and paracanoe demonstration races. Before the championships, the 2025 ECA Marathon Talent Identification Camp will be held, and the deadline for applications is 14th April.
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