“In fact, we see it as being comparable to many courses in Europe, where they use all sorts of canals, dams and rivers for long-distance races.”
He credits that suitability of location for the approval to bring the event to Gisborne, along with the ongoing support of club sponsor Eastland Port, and some fresh energy at Canoe Racing NZ.
Mr Thompson says that’s courtesy of new chief executive Tom Ashley, a former Olympic windsurfing champion who, after just a year in the job, has shown he’s receptive to new ideas.
“This event, in particular, is generally held in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch, but Tom was open to seeing it go to another location and knew our club had the skills to pull it together.
“He is like a lot of people in canoeing who believe that to have a strong sport you need thriving clubs in the regions. If you don’t have that, you don’t have anything.”
The championships — to be based at Poverty Bay Kayak Club’s premises in Anzac Park — are expected to attract up to 150 competitors and supporters to the region.
Alan Thompson says that while it will be great to see some of the top paddlers in the country, there will also be age-group races from under-12s to masters.
For the kayakers there will be distances of between six and 28 kilometres, with some competitors having to run across the park with their boats, adding extra fun for spectators.
There will be separate categories for surf ski and waka ama paddlers.
“It makes it a more exciting and diverse event,” Thompson says.
“Plus it’s a chance to show younger paddlers that there’s more to the sport than just sprints.”
For top-level competitors, success at the Gisborne event could help win them a place at the Canoe Marathon World Championships, to be held in China in October.
Even if they don’t place, Thompson says marathon events are seen as invaluable training for shorter races.
“It’s like (running coach) Arthur Lydiard’s famous approach that endurance training should be more than 70 percent of what you do, even if you’re doing sprints. So most short-distance paddlers are already on form to do a marathon.”
From Canoe Racing New Zealand’s perspective, the marathon championships regatta is the flagship long-distance event on its calendar so it is imperative to choose a top-quality venue.
“We have no doubt the Waimata River will provide a fitting home for the 2019 edition,” Tom Ashley says.
“The vibrant Poverty Bay Kayak Club has produced an abundance of paddlers who have performed on the world and Olympic stage, all from using the river as their training base. So we are very confident the rich tradition of the event will be maintained in Gisborne . . . a hotbed of New Zealand kayaking.”
Eastland Port general manager Andrew Gaddum was unfamiliar with the marathon event before the idea was mooted for this region. He says the calibre of the people bringing it to Gisborne and the exciting land-based part of the event captured Eastland Port’s attention.
“We’ve been long-time supporters of the Poverty Bay Kayak Club so we’re thrilled our region has been chosen,” he says.
“The portage part of the race, where fit athletes repeatedly drag their boats over land and then launch themselves back into the water again will be great spectator fun.”
