Canoeists battle it out in marathon race through Lee Valley Regional Park
Date Published: 10/12/2009
Over one hundred paddlers from across London and the South East took part in a marathon canoe race through Lee Valley Regional Park near the site of the White Water Canoe Centre being built between Waltham Abbey and Waltham Cross.
In the third of this year’s Essex Winter Series events, 12 teams, including clubs from Cambridge, Southwold, Ealing, Richmond and Maidstone, battled against each other on the stretch of the River Lee between Cheshunt and Dobbs Weir in Hertfordshire. Managed by the Essex Canoeing Association, the competition includes a range of races categorised by age and boat over three different distances from three to seven miles.
The event was hosted by the Herts. Young Mariners Base, a canoeing, sailing and outdoor activities centre that offers courses throughout the year everyone aged over nine.
Herts Young Mariners Base is just a 20 minute walk from the construction site for the White Water Canoe Centre, which is being built between Waltham Abbey and Waltham Cross just north of the M25. This is the only brand new venue open to public ahead of the Games, and will be a major centre for white water rafting and canoeing from April 2011. It will be owned, funded and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park.
Paddlers yesterday were awarded individual trophies as well as competing for their clubs, with teams vying for the overall series trophy as well as the Dick Grieves trophy for the club with the most successful junior team.
Chelmsford Canoe Club was the outright winner of the club competition with an impressive 269 points with Bishop Stortford CC coming in second (136 points). Hackney based Leaside, finished a close third (134 points) and home team, Herts. Young Mariners finished just two points behind (132 points) in fourth position
The next event in the series will be held in Chelmsford on 24 January, with the final race of the season returning to the Regional Park, to the Hackney based Leaside Canoe Club on 21 February.