The club enters teams of all ages and abilities into the Flatwater Winter Series and Eastern Region Hasler Series. In both these events the team are quite competitive and we are always looking for new members to join the team.
The Flatwater Winter Series is run by the Flatwater Racing Association and details can be found at Winter Series Canoe Marathons – Flatwater Racing
There are Hasler races run all over the UK throughout the year, usually on Sundays. Competitors have an official Marathon Division Ranking from 1 to 9 and Geoff Sanders Classes A – C. New adult competitors start in Division 9, and progress through the divisions by winning or coming close to winning races. Juniors (under the age of 14) start in a Geoff Sanders class. Class C being for the youngest paddlers. Geoff Sanders classes race over a 2 mile course with no portages. Divisions 7, 8 and 9 race over a course of about 6.5km (4miles) with no or few portages, which is the Waterworks Turn and back. Divisions 4, 5 and 6 race over a course of about 13km (8miles) often with portages, which is the mill stream before Baddow Lock and back. Divisions 1, 2 and 3 over 20km (12miles) with portages, which is Paper Mill and back. The main competition is the Hasler Trophy, which all canoeing clubs compete for and we won in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
This is done on a regional basis, in our case Eastern region. We compete at Clubs such as Cambridge, Bedford, Norwich and Leighton Buzzard. We have our own race in the Autumn usually October, when well over 150 canoeists will compete. Points are awarded for race positions and the top four clubs in each region go forward to compete in the Hasler Final, which is usually held in September. As an indivdual to take part in the final you have to have competed in at least three qualifying races during the season (1st September – 31st August).
Racing boats are surprisingly accessible. Beginner boats are very stable and steer easily, with most races on calm inland rivers and canals. Top end boats are long, thin, and nippy as they are built for speed. This gives the sport the speed of running with the tactics of road race cycling.
British Success
The club has a history of members representing Great Britain at the highest level. In 2025 one of our members, James Russell, became the first British man to win the Senior Men’s K1 Race at the Marathon European Championships. The club has various racing boats that people can learn to race in until they buy their own boat.
If you are interested in Marathon Racing in general, please use the contact form.
