This&That
New Race Series Broadening Field Placing well means getting first dibs on ribs at the post-race BBQ.
W by Ian Merringer
When 60 boats crowded the start line for the final race of the Simon River Sports and Paddlefit kayak racing series last year they marked a significant improve- ment over the series’ inaugural event of just a few months earlier.
“The first race consisted of eight of my buddies,” says Jodi Bigelow, organizer of the Ottawa-area series.
Bigelow is hoping for a similar growth rate this year for the after-work races he has planned.
The key to getting lots of paddlers out on the water, Bigelow believes, is to be inclusive.
Inclusive is a good word to describe the fleet that gathered at the last races of the first season. The flotilla of boats comprised everything from performance sea kayaks to tripping canoes to dragon boats.
Such diversity comes from Bigelow drawing competitors from established paddling communities, including marathon canoeists, adventure racers, club members and dragon boaters. Though most of the paddlers opt to race in sea kayaks, Bigelow’s policy is simple: “If it floats, you can race it.”
The eclectic armada lines up en masse and races in one heat, with standings being sorted out afterward according to which class the different boats belong. “It’s just another avenue for people to have fun paddling,” Bigelow says. Sponsors provide prizes, but racers are as likely to win a prize for having a mishap as they are for winning a class. Though there is no shortage of pad- dling competitions across the continent, most are stand-alone events and many
place an emphasis on competition. The seven races in the Paddlefit series are geared more toward socializing in that they are weekly and include an after-race BBQ. The shorter race distances of five to seven kilometres make the races realistic for those who have just heard about the events and pulled a recreational kayak out from behind their garages. Boatless racers can pre-arrange for rentals to be available at the race. “The people who are most excited at
the registration are the people who appear least likely to be racers,” says Bigelow, before admitting that a certain percentage seems to be only interested in earning bragging rights. “But, then again, there are quite a few who just really want to beat their friends.”
www.paddlefit.ca
ADVENTUREkayakmag.com 11
photo Scott MacGregor
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