2026 Marathon Series

• Race 1, Sat 14 Feb - Frank Harrison - Singles - Albury - hosted by MMCC
• Race 2, Sun 15 Feb - Frank Harrison - Doubles - Albury - hosted by MMCC
• Race 3, Sat 14 Mar - Windsor, hosted by WPC
• Race 4, Sun 29 Mar - Lane Cove, hosted by LCRK
• Race 5, Sat 16 May - Davistown, hosted by BWP
• Race 6, Sat 13 Jun - Wagga Bidgee Bash, hosted by WBCC
• Race 7, Sat 4 Jul - Woronora, hosted by SSPC
• Race 8, Sat 15 Aug - Swallow Rock hosted by CSKC
• Race 9, Sun 13 Sep - Narrabeen & Finale, hosted by MWKC

Links

• Marathon series ENTRIES (via webscorer)
• Marathon Series results (via webscorer)
• PNSW 2025 Rules (updated Mar 2025)
• LCRK Marathon Photos on Flickr
• PNSW Marathon Photos on Flickr
• Paddle NSW 2026 Combined Calendar (as PDF)
• 2025 Marathon Series - LCRK Reports
• 2024 Marathon Series - LCRK Reports
• 2023 Marathon Series - LCRK Reports
• 2022 Marathon Series - LCRK Reports
• 2021 Marathon Series - LCRK Reports

For 2026, Paddle NSW again offers the ‘RacePass’ which allows you to pre-purchase 4, 5, or 6 races from the Calendar at a discount (up to $5 per event). No need to nominate which ones – you just use your RacePass to register for your chosen event(s) before respective closing times.

2026 Marathon Series Standings

• Marathon Series Standings on Webscorer

Table below shows podium spots achieved by LCRKers and regular TTers

Table below shows overall participation from LCRKers and regular TTers

Marathon #9 Narrabeen 13 Sep

• RESULTS (via webscorer)

This race was hosted by Manly Warringah Kayak Club.

Report sooooon.

Marathon #8 Grays Point 15 Aug

• Results (via webscorer)
• Photos via PNSW Flickr

This race was hosted by Cronulla Sutherland Kayak Club.

Marathon #7 Woronora 4 July

• Results (via Webscorer)
• Album #1 on PNSW Flickr
• Album #2 on PNSW Flickr

Location: Burnum Burnum Sanctuary, Washington Drive, Bonnet Bay NSW 2226

Hosted by Sutherland Shire Paddle Club

Marathon #6 Wagga Bidgee Bash 13 June

• Results (via Webscorer)

REPORT (from Andrew Pearce)
LCRK were well presented with AP, JD, DJ, ST, ET, WR, GJ along with BG, DT, and Mike Casey (MPA). Whilst some had traveled down to Wagga on Friday afternoon, Daniella took a very comfortable first class train ride, AP, JD and DJ and others traveled down Saturday morning.

We all turned up for the briefing presented by Jason Redlich which included a welcome to all along with a detailed acknowledgment of the assistance provided by the local council and the respective emergency teams that were on safety watch, these groups of volunteers provide an invaluable service to the padding community and their local knowledge is a huge help especially on this river, as very few from outside Wagga would have paddled there previously. The entire Wagga Bidgee team of club members and supporters went to a big effort in getting this race organized, following the postponement of the race earlier in the year due to extreme heat conditions, and seeing the number of paddlers that turned up in support was very well received.

Jason provided a great briefing and fully explained why running a race in the river at this time of year is fraught with all sorts of problems, as there are just so many shallow zones and hazards to consider, along with the down river flow estimated to be around 2.5 to 3.5klm per hour, helpful on the way down to the bottom mark (2.5klm), but brutal on the way back up to the top turn.

The shallow/ gravel beds managed to catch a few, that tried to take the short cuts to avoid paddling back up against the full flow in the deeper river, however the gravel beds were hard work to get across, with rudders scraping across the rocks, the author had rudder issues on the second lap, came off the gravel and the rudder stock just jumped and out (no steerage and a long way from home against 3.0klm flow), fortunately one of the locals (Mal) From Wagga was not far behind and managed to reinstall and we continued the race in company, offer was extended to Mal to take the lead and the finish line for group 8.5, however he had nothing left in the tank so I pushed on for 3rd.

There were a few swims (DT) and the cold water not much fun, however in well recognized stoic fashion Daniela got back and finished the race.

So good to see Eli T paddle and get on the podium, huge effort and a future star, as you can see from the race results LCRK were well represented, the group winners receiving hand cast Platypuses mounted on Red River Gum wooden blocks, this was in place of the usual cheese boards that have been presented in the past. The race was followed by a short presentation at the river and then a wider celebration at the Palm and Prawn, a great night and so good to see the many Paddle NSW clubs represented and supporting the Wagga Bidgee paddle club.

Overall a great weekend good company with a very appreciative club.

REPORT (from JD)
Nine hardy paddlers made the long journey to Wagga Wagga on the weekend for the Wagga Bidgee marathon, the 6th in the series. There was a smaller contingent from Lane Cove and less paddlers overall on account of the event being postponed from January due to the heat at the time. Maybe it was the fact there were fewer paddlers which made the vibe noticeably more relaxed and friendly.

The race was changed from the usual downriver model to 4 laps of a very low Murrumbidgee 5km course. The flow was 1.5-2km/hr which made for a real slog on the return leg. What was also hard on the return leg were the very shallow “gravel races”; small shallow rapids that paddlers would think could be circumvented by shaving the corners rather than maintaining a line close to the middle of the river where the flow was seriously against the paddlers heading upstream. Lost rudders, scratched boats and damaged paddles were the result if paddlers thought they could cut these corners and save time.

All paddlers appreciated the effort by the Wagga Bidgee Club in rescheduling the event and the evening dinner at the local pub was well attended. The performance call-outs were Brett (who made a challenging paddle look easy), President Don (in his first foray in Div2 he held his own), Daniela (who went for a swim in very cold water at 2.5km but still went on to finish) and Eli (older more experienced paddlers opted for their stable boats while he bravely pushed ahead with his K1).

The Wagga event is known for its cheese boards presented to division winners, with the boards carved with a map of the Murrumbidgee course from Oura Beach to Wagga Wagga. With that format cancelled and replaced with a 4 lap event, the cheese boards were changed to a small platypus token. Proudly displaying their platypus were Brett (winner of Division 1) and Wade (winner of Division 5).

from WBCC 24/5/2026: Hi folks, a couple of important updates/corrections for the race on the 13th of June. It is a lap race and it will be staring at Wiradjuri Reserve, as short drive from Wagga Wagga's CBD. Below is a short description of the course by the people who are currently paddling and setting the course for the race:

Bidgee Bash June 2026 Course Description
The section of the Murrumbidgee river that we are running the Wagga PNSW Marathon Round from this year, will be new to many paddlers. It is a beautiful section of water to paddle when river levels low in the middle of winter due to below average rainfall and low dam levels (Burrinjuck and Blowering). The 2.5km section of river downstream of the Wagga Beach, between the Wiradjuri Reserve Boat Ramp and the Gobbogombalin (Gobba) Bridge is a real treat to paddle at lower water levels. There is minimal current, great water, some lovely deeper sections, good river width and a couple of fun gravel races which have several lines to pick from. By your second or third lap, you will have worked out the best lines and the spots to make your move!
''Like all races, we'll book the pub for a post-race catch up and we'll also be getting the trailer out for those that are adventurous enough to join us for a Eunony Bridge to Wagga Beach paddle on the Sunday morning. It's a 40-50 minute paddle and we're looking at 8 or 9am at Wagga beach to load the trailer - details to be advised. There will be another post showing the features of the course, photos taken recently, and we'll discuss why we have chosen this and why we can't do Oura or similar at this time of year. Look out for that one.''

From WBCC 29/4/2026: Starting times to be decided, but we’re thinking 12:00pm or 12:30pm to give travellers time and to put the race in the warmer part of the day. We paddled the course over the weekend and that section of river had good water, even at 0.89m. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone in June. Cheers WBCC

All entries from the original race date have been transferred to the new date. Paddlers who did not enter the original race can now enter the rescheduled race with normal entry processes in place. Early bird entries close midnight Monday 8th June, all entries close midnight Wednesday 10th June 2026. No entries on the day.

Due to the lower air and water temperatures, and increased risk of exposure, this race will be a 5km "lap" course set downstream from Wiradjuri Reserve Boat Ramp (ie downstream from Wagga Beach)

Marathon #5 Davistown 16 May

• Results (via Webscorer)
• Photos on PNSW Flickr - from BWP

This race was hosted by Brisbane Water Paddlers and sponsored by Redback Projects.

Race Report - Don Johnstone
I had 3 goals for 2026 - to get on the podium at Nationals, to get promoted to Marathon Series Div 2, and to set a 12k TT PB. I'm very pleased to have now conquered the first 2 goals so am now chasing a PB - and have set myself a stretch goal of winning the Crudslime. Davistown is a bit of a favourite due to its often bumpy conditions, so I was slightly disappointed to arrive on Saturday to find a distinct lack of wind and chop. However I'd proven at Nationals Short Course that my heart could cope with a fast start so for the first time in a marathon since my ablations in 2021, I led from the get-go. Alongside me early was Max Vitiello who is a newcomer to the sport and fast improving. But he seemed happy for me to take the lead, and so I kept the hammer down and gradually stretched the Div 3 pack then set my sights on the back end of Div 2. By the end of the first lap I'd reeled in Mick Carroll who hollered out that he was tangled in weed. Then by the top turn near the oyster beds on the second lap I caught David Came - but he was harder to shake. The 2 of us paddled together for the next 12k - me mostly leading - and we gradually started to close the gap on the Div 2 lead pack of 3. But by the last lap I was starting to fade, and there's no way I could have matched John Lee when he turned on the after-burners with a km to go. That challenge now lies in wait for me - to be competitive in Div 2 - starting at Wagga on 13 June. I'm determined to look out the front window, though. There's time enough for Alfred Hitchcock movies when I retire.

Nationals - Canberra - Apr 9 to Apr 13

• RESULTS (via webscorer)
• Albums list on PNSW Flickr
• BGCC Website
• Event Guidebook V2 (45 page PDF)

The 2026 Marathon Nationals was hosted by Burley Griffin Canoe Club.

Schedule:
- Friday 10th April: Marathon Short Course
- Saturday 11th April: Marathon Long Course Singles
- Sunday 12th April: Marathon Long Course Doubles
- Sunday 12th April 2026, 6-10pm - Championship Dinner 6-10pm Queanbeyan Hotel
- Monday 13th April: Marathon Long Course Mixed Doubles

70+ Race Report - Phil Newman
A Short Course So Short It Was Practically a Rounding Error

Christine and I left Sydney at an hour so early it should be illegal, heard no sparrows farting... The car, bravely carrying a kayak and a storage pod on its roof, spent most of the trip performing involuntary lane changes thanks to winds strong enough to qualify as an Olympic event. At one point I’m pretty sure we were travelling sideways, fortunately not when Wade and then Don passed us. Canberra welcomed us with 50 minutes to spare and a parking spot so far away it may actually have been in the ACT’s long‑term development plan.

I had entered the “short course,” the only race acknowledging that paddlers over 70 still exist. In marathon terms, “short course” usually means 15 km. In PA terms, it apparently means 3 km. Three laps of a 1 km circuit....seriously??? I’ve done warm‑ups longer than that. I’ve boiled eggs longer than that. Frankly, I think the briefing should have included the line:
“Welcome to the 2026 PA Sprint Championships, sponsored by Confusion.”

A fellow LCRK paddler, thanks Chris , had already finished and looking irritatingly fresh, advised me to start “just right of centre” and warned that the hardest part would be staying upright. I assumed he was exaggerating. He was not.

I positioned myself exactly where he suggested… and immediately six boats materialised on my right like they’d been summoned by a dark paddling ritual. We were the second wave, 30 seconds behind the first — just enough time to regret every life choice that had led me to that moment.

The starter sent us off and suddenly every boat was aiming for the same turn buoy like it was the last sausage at a club BBQ. Paddles clashed. Boats collided. Voices rose. The wind added its own commentary. For a brief moment, it felt like we were all contributing materials to a communal bonfire made entirely of carbon fibre and poor decisions.

The first turn was a masterclass in chaos theory. We wobbled, jostled, braced, and performed manoeuvres that would have impressed a circus acrobat. Eventually the field stretched out into a series of frantic sprints between buoys, each one accompanied by a fresh gust determined to test our balance, technique, and will to live.

And then — before I’d found rhythm, pace, focus, or even the correct emotional response — it was over.

Second place.
Not first.
Not last.
But definitely confused about the term marathon...
I’d come expecting a challenging marathon and instead found myself in a marathon of challenges, a three‑kilometre blender set to “buffet violently.” Did I miss something? Almost certainly. But I stayed upright, didn’t contribute to the bonfire, and can now proudly say I’ve competed in a “short course” that was shorter than my usual warm up paddle at a Wednesday time trial.

Race Report(s) - Naomi Johnson
My nationals was a whirlwind of a five days, with five races, 73-odd kms paddled and a total of 18 portages completed (somehow without stacking any of them). Here is my concerted attempt to condense it all into a somewhat digestible report!

Thursday
After a game of boat tetris to fit 18 craft of various dimensions onto a trailer and JP’s van, Alex, JP and I were on the road to Canberra and only an hour later than planned! We arrived at BGCC to find that it wasn’t just us who had packed more boats than planned, and that the boat pen was already filled to bursting with K-boats, SUPs, skis and trailers of every dimension one might care to think about. The pen took more than a bit of re-arranging to fit the Lane Cove trailer.

Mid-afternoon and we were able to hop onto the course, attend various briefings…and Alex was issued with a state team singlet only to realise a few hours later that he had absolutely no idea where it was. Neither JP or I were overly surprised.

Friday
I had offered to be part of the race commentary team for the morning sessions, and so fronted up nice and early to chat with Bec Mann’s dad Matt about the first two short course sessions of the day. It was great to see first all the ICF Masters and U/16s, and then the general class Masters getting onto the water to give the short course race format a go. Many of us were dubious when this was introduced onto the program six odd years ago, but it is quite the spectacle to see all the effort and tactics of marathon play out in plain sight and three short kms. I hope I didn’t mis-pronounce too many names as they came running through the portage!

Back to the AirBnB to find Alex and JP had undertaken something called a ‘sleep in’ (still unsure what that is), a quick lunch and then it was over to BGCC for our short course race in the Opens. After watching the men run through at blistering speeds, it was my turn, acknowledging that 3kms is absolutely NOT my preferred distance. Seriously, it even struggles to classify as a proper warm-up. On the bright side, there were absolutely no pre-race nerves. My usual difficult start (all the work this year, still can’t quite deliver here) and I found myself rounding the first set of green buoys with a good view of seven boats in front but not too far in front of me. One lap, one lung-busting run later and I had overtaken two of them, and in the next lap I got myself up into 5th, closing in on the paddler in front as we came into the finish. Good day out, especially given that I somehow negatively split my laps. It’s incredible how tiring 15min of hard work can make one feel, and so we headed back to the same pizza restaurant as the previous evening, shaking things up by inviting Tony and Alanna along, and ordering something different from the menu.

Oh, and Gareth sent me a photo of a very wet-looking singlet, still in its packet and labelled ‘Alex’, in the back of one of the IRBs. Needless to say, neither JP or I were overly surprised.

Satuday
Long course singles day, and the race in which I was putting the most pressure on myself to show the results of my summer’s training. Again, I was up bright and early to chatter about the general class Masters, little ones and SUPs as they trekked around the course in the morning session. The wind was already picking up, with the effect on the SUPs particularly apparent; as they came past the finish line tent to complete each lap their heads were bowed into their effort, and for every stroke they seemed to move only marginally forwards before their board was blown to a temporary halt.

At 2pm we ended up with just four women and a C1 in the second start of the Opens session, and it was no surprise to anyone that Ben Mann paddled off on her own and made it look easy. The race was always going to be for the minor placings. The video and pics of our start showed just how close I came to getting on Bronwyn’s wash, and just how much effort I expended in the process. Not to be, and I settled into my traditional ‘first lap out the back’ spot trying not to lose too much time on her and Rachel, who quickly formed into a pair.

For the next two-and-a-bit hours I paddled on my own, save for a brief and very frustrating attempt to work with the C1 paddler as he fell back through the field. I’ve always been strong at the grind of marathon, and was sure that when Rachel and Bronwyn parted ways I could reel the more fatigued of them in. One rather inelegant portage and I still hadn’t lost too much time, by the second portage the gap had widened very slightly, and I was becoming uncomfortably aware of abdominal cramps I had hoped would stay at bay until after the weekend. Not fun, and still very windy. Rachel finally dropped Bronwyn at the start of the final long lap (portage five). I had all the fire for the catch but lacked the time to execute it, coming in 33 long seconds behind Bronwyn for 4th place. All the power in the world on the water still needs to be matched by speedy boat exits and good running, and there are well more than 33 seconds to be gained by my putting in some solid work on the portages!

Back at our now favourite pizza haunt (why make decisions when one is tired?), and we ordered five dinners between the three of us. Alex put away a pasta on site, and then a pizza later in the evening. And a gluten-free pizza was ready and waiting for Andrew when he arrived, somewhat chilly and covered in sweat, on his bike at 9pm. It’s a very Andrew way of joining the party.

Sunday
Compared to my expectations of myself in singles, I went into the Sunday of doubles racing with no expectations other than to try and give my new K2 partner Viv Mauderer a good race. After lots of back-and-forth amongst the team managers and various girls, Viv and I had hopped in the K2 for the first time on Thursday, felt good, and agreed to give open doubles our best crack.

The 8am commentary session was fuelled by plenty of coffee and banana bread (BGCC is wonderfully good to their volunteers), and Andrew set himself up as official photographer for the day. With fewer boats on the water in the general class session than the Saturday, I feel like we mostly matched boats and paddler names quite well. The Lane Cove crews showed that boat choice was the order of the day. Those paddling LRecs looking very happy with themselves, and then Don and Chris in the K2 maybe feeling like they had made better life choices!

The 2pm session had a similar feel to the Saturday – windy, a bit colder than we’d like, and the unspoken understanding that getting round everyone’s prescribed distance was going to take just a bit longer than we really wanted it to. Viv and I were in the mini purple K2 with a plan to give our best and keep communicating. After the chaos of Bec and Rachel thundering off the line with Lily B and Bronwyn in hot (but ultimately fruitless) pursuit, we settled into the position of chasers. A couple of laps and two portages down, and we were definitely reeling them in, holding speeds up around 12kph despite the wind. And running portages is so much easier with a nice light K2. Viv has a wonderful fire to her; I was so impressed by the way that she fronted up to her longest race ever, already tired, and really dug in to give a strong and focused performance. Unfortunately, while rounding the bottom turn, Lily and Bronwyn noticed that we were reeling them in, and kicked the pace up a notch. Wind, fatigue and the glare of the late afternoon sun made the final lap a hard one, but we finished well in 3rd, just 1:10 down on 2nd. Job well done, especially when we saw how many had pulled out of the men’s afternoon races. I do hope that Viv stays around in the paddling community, she could be one to watch.

Monday
Monday’s early start was for all, with AirBnB check-out and then the inaugural ‘Paddle with a Legend’ race, pairing adult paddlers with U16 juniors for a 3km race around the short course. The juniors had to drive, providing a great opportunity for some paddling mentorship, and ensuring that the partnership of each boat was nice and even.

My partner for the ‘Lads & Ladies’ class was 13-year-old Tavish from VIC, who wasn’t that much off my height! He proved a fearless front seat in the mini purple K2, attacking the much bigger washes of the fast ‘Lasses & Blokes’ class boats to put us in a solid lead in our class from the first turn buoy. Even with one boat brace on the third lap (my fault, I was overthinking things), we put together a nice 3kms with a good finish sprint, winning a coveted toy shark for top positions in the Lads & Ladies. Well…Tavish got the toy shark, and the look on Andrew’s face when he realised that was heart-breaking. At least I won’t have to think too hard about birthday presents!

Finally came the mixed doubles, and honestly it was the most exciting race of the lot. The start photos show a forest of paddles, and after a weekend of small starts in the Open women’s races it was exciting to have 16 boats on the line, many of them going at absolutely full gas to find a good wash. With Alex’s turbo-charged sprint in the back, we got onto the diamond of the front wash pack alongside Bronwyn and Connor (also doing the 15km Open race), two V35 crews (12kms) and a few other boats that I couldn’t see. Craig and Laura pulled hard on the front for the best part of the first two laps. Alex and I put in an effort around the first turn that reduced the pack down to four, but that four was still the two Open and two V35 crews.

We all paddled into the first portage together, making for little manoeuvre room on the pontoon and the necessity for quick thinking. It became very clear to me VERY quickly that I was the weakest runner of the eight. Alex was putting down the speed behind, and on that first portage in particular I felt like it was all I could do not to trip myself up and face-plant into the grass. Back in the boat, Craig/Laura and Bronwyn/Connor had opened up a gap on us and David & Katie Cole from VIC. Hard efforts from us and then the Cole crew, and the four-ball pack rejoined, again with us in the diamond. Second portage, more sub-standard running from me, and the two V35 crews peeled off, leaving Alex and I to battle things out with Bronwyn and Connor. Retrospectively we needed to try and ditch them with a long grind, but we stuck together, them doing a bit more of the work than we were as I tried to psych myself up for a final portage. I willed my legs to turn over faster, trying to let Alex’s momentum propel me forwards. Somehow it worked enough that we got back in the boat alongside the others, settled down into the final short lap, and pulled a final sprint. Alas, our sprint wasn’t quite the match for the WA crew, be it thanks to age (they were both under 30!) or pure speed they crossed the line with half a boat length on us. Still, silver isn’t bad for a masters-age crew after a fair whack of kms.

73kms of paddling, 18 portages, 5 races, 2 medals, and 6 hours of race commentary made for quite the weekend, which I have since backed up with quite the crash and cold! Much fun and many learnings, including that I need to spend a heck of a lot more time running to keep up with Alex the speed demon. Oh, and I have a new K1…she’s green, and will no doubt be making an appearance at a TT very soon!

Round #4 Lane Cove - Sun 29 Mar

• 2026 RESULTS (via Webscorer)
• LCRK Flickr - 2026 pix - focus is on LCRK paddlers
• PNSW Flickr - 2026 pix - all paddlers
• Race briefing V2 (4 page PDF)

Race Report - James Pralija
It’s getting to the pointy end now. It’s the last race before nationals. Off the back of a solid hit out at Windsor, I was very keen to get some more racing under my belt before the big dance. It’s been a long time between drinks so I’m very much appreciating and enjoying the racing at the front again. This time with a bit more perspective and a lot more grey hair.

Pre race nerves are a good thing and I hope they never go away. I rolled up to the start line and, as disorganised as ever, wasn’t entirely sure where the line was, and thus caught unawares by the time “Ready-go” came. I took an easy spot on the right second wash, with Alex Roberts leading, Brett Greenwood right, Craig Elliot (Burley Griffin) left and Dimi Medvedev in the back. A few little “stabby” attacks by Alex kept everyone on their toes but when his opening km was done, a gentle rotation and Brett took up the pull. Dimi landed on the second wash at the back, me on the right and Alex rolled into the diamond.

We paddled downstream at a very leisurely pace and I made some very mild efforts at taking the next lead. Craig felt this wasn’t up to par so he pushed forward instead. No complaints from my end. But what it did do, is put me in a great position to attack at the next corner. The sharp-ish right turn around the bottom of the mudbank was a prime opportunity. Brett was wide on Craig’s left, Alex still in the diamond meaning he had to cross my wash. If I wanted to test the pack or even make a break, this was the best opportunity. I had a good dig and got to the bottom turn with only Alex hanging on. Got around the turn and kept the hammer down as long as I could, then called Alex up to do 200m to give me a breather.

Rinse and repeat until we were back to the top turn (7.5km in). With a good gap in hand, we settled in for the next long lap. Nothing interesting to report here until the start of the short lap, where all the sand bagging, games and general prepositioning started. Alex had a little dig out of the top turn - definitely not enough to sting.

The turns in the lead shortened and were less purposeful heading down to the short lap turn. Here’s where decisions needed to be made.The options here were to either go hard before the turn and hope like hell I could keep the hammer on for 2.5k Or go easy into the turn and - hopefully - turn quickly and keep the hammer on. The third option, (the worst option), was the one I chose…to turn slowly and badly, but still have to dig real deep. This would mean to hold the big effort for two minutes. But then I started doubting my ability to hold it all the way home so backed off. Option 3 was a bad choice.

The lesson here kids - back yourself. I needed to wear Alex out before the last 200m. I didn’t do that, and that allowed him his greatest weapon - huge turn of speed for a short period, usually right at a finish line. Maybe one day I’ll learn. As always, such a fabulous gent to have a good dice with and we’re a very lucky club to have him on board. Definitely came away satisfied. And you never stop learning.

Race Report - Don Johnstone
It's always a pleasure to paddle in Lane Cove River - our watery haven in the midst of the big smoke. And with a lot going on in the lead-up (website, roadworks, water outage, shed renovations, fuel-price withdrawals etc) it was quite a relief to leave it all behind for a hundred minutes and just focus on paddling.

I had a faster-than-usual start in Div 3, and took the lead within the first km which was a first for me. But I soon realised that I was a marked man, due to winning the previous race, so there was no sprinting off the front like I did in Windsor. I put in a few Go-Go-Gadget surges and whittled the leading pack down to a group of 3 by the end of the first lap. But Matt Lowe (Penrith) and Laura Lee (Burley Griffin) weren't letting me get clear, and were more than happy for me to take the lion's share of the leads. I modified my tactics, as I knew I'd be disappointed if I burned myself out for 19.5km only to fade to 3rd in the final sprint. Instead, I held back and practised some wash-riding, keeping enough in reserve to step on the gas with 500m to go.

There wasn't a lot of chat by the final lap, and I had a sense that my rivals were racing for silver (or saving themselves for the post-race Lane Cove hospitality), but I also knew that Laura was a way better sprinter, so I kept a twitcher's eye out for any twitchiness. In the end I was happy with a narrow but comfortable win, but I was disappointed with the time, as I'd failed again to get promoted to Div 2. Oh well. Next time Gadget. Next time

Round #3 Windsor - Sat 14 Mar

• RESULTS (via webscorer)

Location: Macquarie Park, 1 Wilberforce Rd. Freemans Reach

Round #2 & 3 - Sat 14 Feb - Sun 15 Feb - Frank Harrison

• Saturday RESULTS(via webscorer)
• Sunday RESULTS (via webscorer)
• Event Pix on LCRK Flickr - photos by Mitta Mitta Canoe Club
• Event Flyer (2pg PDF)

Murray River, Albury, NSW, 2640

There were two races over two days, with singles on Saturday and doubles on Sunday.

Report soooooon.

Nationals Training Weekend - Narrabeen Caravan Park 6-9 Feb

Brett Greenwood and Marathon Paddling Academy are kindly offering this free training weekend over 6-9 Feb

Round #1 - Sat 31 Jan - Wagga Bidgee Bash, hosted by WBCC **POSTPONED**

• Confirmation list (via webscorer)
• Wagga Bidgee Canoe Club website

POSTPONED Wagga Bidgee Canoe Club is happy to be hosting the first round of the PaddleNSW 2026 Marathon Series in partnership with Tango Charlie Lights, which kicks off on Saturday 31 January - offering one-way, down river courses for all Divisions.

Early bird entries close midnight Monday 26 Jan, all entries close midnight Wednesday 28 Jan 2026. No entries on the day.

HOT WEATHER AND START TIME UPDATE!! (as at Sun 25 Jan 4pm)
Wagga Bidgee Canoe club is monitoring the current weather situation across Australia closely. We have been in consultation with Paddle NSW, local committee members and Wagga’s VRA Unit. While temperatures throughout the week are going to be in the extreme, some forecasting models have conditions abating for Saturday.

With the current available data, we will be moving the start time of the race to 9:30am.

In discussion with Paddle NSW, we may also compress some of the division start times to assist in having the majority of paddlers off the river before the hotter parts of the day.

Please note that further comms will be provided Thursday morning if there are any changes to this advice. In addition to the start time, we ask paddlers and supporters to note the following:
* Everyone must be well hydrated and should bring their own hydrolyte/sports drinks and carry sufficient for the duration of the race

• River egress points will be Breahour Reserve (second start location), Eunony Bridge Reserve (third start location) and Wagga Beach (finish)
• Water will be available at Eunony Bridge Reserve
• All paddlers must make it known to other paddlers and the VRA rescue boats if they are exiting the race, or are experiencing any difficulties - mechanical, medical or other issues.

The river height is currently sitting at 2.4m, which is a good height for paddling. Last year’s race was between 2.4-2.7m for reference.

Information regarding Sunday's criterion race, the Bidgee Dash will be advised in the coming days.
WBCC