Canoe marathon
Canoe marathon is a long distance canoe racing discipline . The races are held on natural waters and canals, nowadays they usually start with a mass start, occasionally also with a Le Mans start .
Route length
Competitions are traditionally held over the classic marathon distance of 42.195 km or longer distances (up to 500 km). For some years now, shorter distances (in the performance class from 25 km) have also been possible. International competition classes are single and double kayaks (men and women) (K1 / K2) and single and double canoes (men only) (C1 / C2). In some competitions there are also races in a four-person kayak .
Portages
A special feature are portages , so-called portages , where the boats often have to be carried over land for several hundred meters. The athletes usually carry their boat on their shoulder. In competitions traditionally held on a natural river course, such transfer points were necessary in order to pass existing obstacles such as weirs and locks. Even when in the 1990s marathons were mostly run on circular courses, the portages were retained because the transition from paddling to running routes is particularly interesting for spectators and the change is also intended to prevent physical damage from one-sided movement.
Boats
The start is generally in boats from canoe racing , on white water stretches e.g. T. also in whitewater boats . In the top range, special marathon boats are increasingly being used, which represent a compromise between the two types of boat. Marathon boats in the canoe marathon must have a weight of at least 8 kilograms in the (K1 / C1) or 12 kilograms in the (K2 / C2) and may therefore be lighter than corresponding boats in canoe racing. As in canoe racing, the length measurements are set at 5.20 m for the singles and 6.50 m for the two. In the canoe marathon, the installation of a bilge pump is permitted, with which water that has penetrated the boat hull due to waves or splashes can be pumped out.
Competitions
International canoe marathon competitions have been held around the 1970s. Since 1980, the International Canoe Federation has held a Grand Prix competition with several stations every year. The highlight of the season was the Grand Prix final, which was called the "World Cup" and was the unofficial world championship.
Since 1988 the ICF has organized world championships , first every two years, later every year ; initially only for the performance class, later also for the junior class. Canoe marathon is also an invitation sport at the World Games 2013 in Cali .
In addition, there is a World Cup series with three stations that change every year as well as numerous other competitions with e.g. T. international participation. The marathons on the Ardèche and the Sella are famous here .
Canoe marathon in Germany
Canoe marathon is organized in the German Canoe Association as part of the canoe racing department. German canoe marathon championships have been held annually since 1988. While the German canoe racers are world leaders, the German marathon canoeists only occasionally win international medals. Antje Manfroni and later Olympic champion Anett Schuck won the first world championship title in the women's two-man kayak in 1992. Matthias Ebhardt from the Wiking Bochum canoe club won the single canoe title at the 2011 Canoe Marathon World Championships in Singapore (C1) for Germany.
German marathon routes include the Isar Marathon , a section of the Ems near Rheine or the Beetzsee regatta route in Brandenburg an der Havel .