For those who prefer to compete at speed in straight lines, sprinting is the choice. This is an Olympic sport over 200, 500 and 1000 metres, usually in lanes of 8 or 9 canoeists and we have an impressive track record of training World and Olympic Sprint champions. There are two levels of Sprint racing that our members can enter: club and national.

Canoe sprint races are categorised based on the type of boat, number of people in the boat, the gender of the competitors, and the distance of the race. So, for example, if a race is a K2M 500m, then that means it’s a Kayak race with two people in the boat who are Men, and the race distance is 500m. There are three main variations on the canoe and kayaks that are raced to accommodate one, two or four athletes.

There are a number of club Sprint races in our area and we hold our own, the Wey Sprints, in March every year.  National Sprint events are run at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham.

Unlike Marathon Racing this is not for beginners, as a minimum standard (based upon the time to cover the specific distance) is required to enter the races. Canoeists have normally paddled for a least a year before reaching this standard. Having reached the minimum standard canoeists are categorised by Men, Women, Boys (under 18) and Girls (under 18) and within each category a ranking of A, B, C or D, with D being the slowest. Progression through the ranks is by winning races.

There are four regattas at Nottingham during the year (April, May, June, July and September), each one over a weekend. Some people camp, and obviously there are a variety of local B & B and hotels to suit budgets. One regatta is the National Inter-Club ‘MacGregor Paddle’ Competition, so we try and get as many canoeists from Wey to compete, particularly as we have been UK Champions on numerous occasions.  Other regattas will be age group national title events or selection events for GB international events.

To find out more about sprint racing in the UK visit the British Canoeing Sprint Racing site.