Division Racing in Denmark
For the last year I’ve been involved in a project under the Danish Canoe Federation on promoting and furthering marathon racing(or would that be canoe marathon in the new ICF lingo?).
What can we do to make it more attractive to participate in races around the country? The obvious answer to that question is another question: What is stopping more paddlers from participating as it is? How about: because it’s such a pain and bother to transport our vessels?
Seriously, there are many different angles to this problem. If you dig long enough the complexity of the problem most likely will make your head explode.
Now instead of solving the problem, we decided to aim somewhat lower and simply make it slightly more fun to race. As a test for 2009 we’re trying to implement a system similar to BCUs divisions.
Two weeks ago I gave a presentation of the project at the federation’s annual general meeting and last sunday at a local 10km race we ran a small trial.
Status and various documents in danish listed in a posting at the federation’s forum.
Hi Peter,
I’m learning how to balance a Moskito 85 K1 and hope to continue developing my balance and eventually (sooner than later) get a decent stroke down so that I can paddle her safely and efficiently. I’m a solo paddler, greenland paddler, and training hard to be an expedition paddler. Marathon paddling interests me.
It’s been difficult to find any information on the web for new paddler’s to the sport of K1 paddling. Not sure whether it’s a lack of interest or lack of need. Personally it’s been frustrating and I’m trying to learn watching blurry and out of focus youtube videos of Olympic racers. Difficult.
If you could share some helpful links it would be greatly appreciated.
~daniel~
Hi Daniel
The best technique videos I’m aware of are these of Norwegian Eirik Verås:
http://www.olympiatoppen.no/fag/basistrening/Idrettsspesifikkeovelser/idrettsteknikker/page194.html
You’ll find tons of videos of races at flatwater.info:
http://flatwater.info
Swedish Lars Ericsson maintains a wonderful blog on K1 training and racing:
http://bloggen.motionspaddla.nu/
He writes in Swedish but you might extract something useful information anyway.
Best of luck with the project
/Peter
Thanks for the links my friend :O)
Stay wet!
~d
Peter-
its great that you are involved in popularizing marathon racing-this can be a challenge.
It is even harder in North America, where the sport is much smaller. I am originally from Canada, where ICF sprint racing is quite big in some areas of the country- Adam Van Koeverden developed in one of those pockets. However, marathon racing is a very minor sport, poorly coached, not funded for travel, etc.
A major blow was the removal of the 10 kilometer race from the ICF world championships.
Please update us regularly with your efforts.
David
Peter,
sorry that I cannot comment on your ideas as they are in Danish, but the perspective is even more dire in Germany where they are also at pains motivating paddlers for ICF-Style Marathon.
Well, there’s a simple rule … if the dog ain’t eat it, it ain’t dogfood. City running marathons count thousands and sometimes tenthousands of participants because they are fun. 99.99% of participants don’t bother about winning, but nevertheless do their best.
As for the kayak marathon, by contrast, I imagine that sitting for hours in a wobbly boat, interrupted by these ridiculously artificial portages is not exactly what paddle racing novices would consider fun, but rather torture. It is therefore hardly surprising that ICF-style marathons are almost only attended by former K1 flatwater racers who are already accustomed to the boats. For anybody else the entry costs are very high. As K1 flatwater racing is already a niche competition focused on really winning, we need not wonder that ICF marathon organisers are in trouble.
Compare this to the lively sea kayak racing scene in North America, the surfski races, or simply look at the Tour de Gudenaa … well, perhaps leaving out the portages would already do 80% of the trick. Add the touring boat class on a regular basis and see what comes out. The next step could be introducing the American Sea Kayak race standard to races along the North Sea Coast or on the Baltics. This would enable hundreds of interested guys to test something new with their existing boat. Such an approach could contribute to overcome the separation between two so far completely different universes, i.e. flatwater racing and sea/tour kayaking.
Best, Arnim
Hi David and Arnim
No it’s not going to be easy.
I should say that marathon races in the context of our project involves all races not classified as regular sprint races. So we’re considering conventional races in ICF kayaks and experimental sea kayak races for our divisions alike.
The core idea of the BCU divisions is that all participants regardless of age, gender and type of kayak races against each other in 9 K1 divisions and 5(changed to 9 in 2009 even) K2 divisions.
Hopefully the tactics and fun among the say division 7 competitors will be no less than that of the division 1 competitors.
After each race the result is processed and participants may be promoted or demoted according to their finishing time. Check out BCUs description: http://www.marathon-canoeing.org.uk/results/amended-detailed-calculations-k2.doc
I believe this way of dividing the participants based on their performance will make for more fun and interesting races. On race day you pick the kayak you consider most suitable for the given conditions.
Best regards Peter
Hi Peter,
promotion and demotion … hm, I still do not understand why this should motivate more paddlers into kayak marathon of whatever sort. In Britain they are obsessed with divisions, but on the continent I know this for team sports only.
I rather believe in Cup Series with age classes. To my experience from running, this really makes people turn out. I guess that if you set up a cup series for sea kayak racing and advertise this appropriately, people will be ready to accept even certain class standards like a sea kayak race class (i.e. they will be ready to buy an additional, suitable kayak).
Best regards, arnim
Hi Peter,
I have now been living in Denmark a couple of years and have done a number of marathon races in that time. I have previously raced in Ireland for 20 years before coming here so have plenty of experience! (Ireland has also been suffering in recent years with a decrease in the numbers participating in races…I think partly due to people having busier lifestyles and partly because kids are racing on Nintendo Wiis instead of in the real world!).
I guess I can make some comparisons between contries which may be food for thought…I found that the proceedure for entering races was far easier in Ireland. You just needed to arrive at the race in the morning, pay the entry fee, and go and race…simple as that. There was no complicated on-line pre-paid entries. To me, the date of close of entries to most races here in Denmark seems a very long time before the event…Maybe alot of people don’t like to think so far ahead? I recently entered the waterlands marathon in the Netherlands, and again it was very simple, I just e-mailed them with my name and the race I wanted to do…I could pay them when I got there.
I think maybe the danish system can be a little ‘rigid’ in their adherence to the rules. As an example, I put in an entry to the jyskmesterskab marathon last year. I entered under my local club and I then recieved confirmation of my entry. The night before the race, I recieved a text message telling me not to start the race because my local club was not a member of the Dansk Kajak Forbund!…I was a little annoyed at the timing to say the least! And was it really neccessary…surely if you are suffering from a drop-off in numbers, this type of action is unhelpful?
I also find alot of the races seem to be based on very open water, which can be subject to ‘blowing up’ in the wind. Last year, the danskmesterskab was a disaster in terms of participation (I think 2 senior k2s finished?). Although many had entered, very few started, and many retired (myself included) due to the conditions on Maribo sø. I believe this year it is again planned to race on a very open course (I heard the danish wind-surfing championships had been held there?). Denmark is a windy country…if you want people to be able to race ICF flatwater boats effectively, perhaps river courses would be more suitable (Suså, Gudenå etc). In Ireland, England etc, there are very few races run in the sea!
I’d be glad to participate futher in your project should you wish to ‘pick my brains’!
Regards
Dave
Hi Peter!
You might enjoy today’s Frogma post -
http://frogma.blogspot.com/2009/06/beautiful-things-at-sebago.html
Hi to Peter and all his friends
Hi to Peter and all his friends
Peter arrived here in Ardmore Co Waterford Ireland last night Tues July 13th having paddled from Dunmore East. He was in good form having had a fairly tough day of driving rain and a strong SE winds. He was surprised at the lack of visibility in the rain here in Ireland. He stopped over on route at Helvick, and called to the local lifreboat station, RNLI. he had a good chat and coffee with them. I suspect he will call to the RNLI stations on route around Ireland, as I gave him the list last night. He had dinner with us and set off this morning at 8am. His next port (tonight), he will probably be at Ballycotton, followed by Oysterhaven. In the meanwhile, he will have to negotiate the 500 strong raceing cruiser fleet attending Cork Week, Regata, off Cork harbour.
Then, he will round the Old Head of Kinsale, with its strong tides, and into a real beautiful and wild part of Ireland.
Best of luck
Dick
Hi Peter,
Did not know in the first place that you were circumnavigating Ireland.!?
A ‘good luck, hello and keep up the spirit’ – if you need it.
Saw the gfx with your rudder and keel damage. Tough luck. Beautiful country though, is it not..!!
Cheers
http://picasaweb.google.com/pjunold/IrelandSkerriesToCobh