SUCCESS AT THE RIVERLAND PADDLING MARATHON
For the 23rd consecutive year the Riverland community has viewed with interest as a host of canoes, kayaks, surf skis, outriggers and even surf boats have descended on their community over the long weekend. The spectacle was not confined to just the river with the streets of the Riverland towns alive with water craft of all sorts on the tops of cars or on specialised trailers.
With more than 190 paddlers this year, the Marathon Canoe Club of SA successfully hosted the Riverland Paddling Marathon. The event, which is held annually over the three days of the QueenÕs Birthday long weekend is one of AustraliaÕs premier long distance canoe marathon events.
The Riverland Paddling Marathons (RPM) is actually four paddling events in one with human powered paddle craft taking to the Murray River in either Ð
* The Murray 200, a 208 km three day paddle from Berri to Morgan,
* The 200 Relay, a Relay paddle with 3 sections per day from Berri to Morgan,
* The less arduous Murray 100; which is actually a 93km paddle in sections starting at Loxton,
This yearÕs event was held in very good conditions. Saturday and Sunday were very pleasant days on the river with cool conditions and only occasional wind. Sunday was a cold start to the day but sun was shining for most of the afternoon.
The youngest paddler on the water was only 14 and the oldest was 75. Interestingly the gender balance was pretty close to 50/50 but there was a great diversity in boats on the water with kayaks, canoes and a number of outriggers as well as a surf boat.
Some outstanding performances were achieved this year. There were paddlers from Brisbane, Hobart, Coffs Harbour, Darwin and of course a big contingent of Victorians. In fact more than a third of the field came from interstate this year and several prominent members of the Australian paddling fraternity participated.
Graeme Bowes put in an outstanding effort travelling from Ballarat to paddle the full distance of 208km as a single paddler in a TK1 and the evergreen Bill Robinson from Victoria not only paddled the 208 km in a single kayak but he also made the sea kayak that he paddled in.
Jak Bain put in an outstanding effort on the water and was subsequently awarded the $200 Junior Incentive Prize
Evergreens Bob Schmidt and Ron Blum from the Onkaparinga Canoe Club paddled like the well oiled team they are in the Murray 100 event, TK2 MenÕs Vet while Russell and Katie Knight put in an outstanding effort in the mixed TK2 Vet class.
The Redfins team sponsored by Mount Barker Family House deserve a special mention as they paddled double plastic kayaks for 208kms with a one able bodied paddler accompanied by a person with an intellectual disability. Interchange works in partnership with volunteers to provide a range of respite options for families of children and young people who have intellectual disabilities.
Holdfast Canoe Club won the club incentive award narrowly surpassing the efforts of the West Lakes Canoe Club.
The local community of the Riverland benefited significantly from the RPM event with over 1000 people visiting the Riverland area over the three days to either participate or view the event. Waikerie Football Club was particularly supportive of the event, hosting a dinner on the Saturday night for over 100 people. The assistance of local First Aid volunteers and emergency service personal was also greatly appreciated as was the assistance provided by the Scout Association Radio group.
The Marathon Canoe Club of South Australia specialises in long distance paddling and competition on predominantly inland, flat water. The marathon discipline is considered to be any paddle or race longer than 10km.
Interested persons wanting to know more about marathon paddling or the Riverland Paddling Marathon should contact the club at MarathonCanoeClubofSA@live.com.au. More information is available from the clubs website Ð www.mcc.paddle.org.au
