Saturday the 18th of May proved to be a great day for club members Sarah-Jane Coombes & Claire Holiday in Emsworth, England where they competed in the championships. 100 paddlers take to the water in this great event that is held every year.
When we arrived at Emsworth we had amazing flashbacks to the very first competition that we entered, seeing the familiar faces we got to catch up with friends that we made from the previous year. The weather was on our side and the sun came out. The female category was strong this year with 44 paddlers all going up against each other, including some elite paddlers.
A great event in a stunning location.
Throughout the day as usual there were some great races, Emsworth never fails to come through. "The first race is in my opinion the hardest, as standing on the board on the start line waiting for the klaxon to go your heart starts pumping and you are trying to keep your position and the path you have marked out to give you a head start, the klaxon goes and your adrenaline starts pumping, its only a 2k technical race, but its quiet tough and passing under the finish arch is an amazing experience. We had a short time to have a quick bite to eat and prepare for the next race which is 5k. This race starts with everyone on the start line but the men leave 30 seconds before the females (otherwise 100 paddlers would get a little messy) This is where the endurance comes into play, finding that sweet spot of heart rate and paddle strokes to keep you moving and overtaking was key, this also allowed for a bit of scenery to be taken in too!
With the 5k over a welcome break was had before Sarah and Claire's favorite races were going to begin... sprints.
Sarah had her best results this year and managed to come 3rd and 5th in the sprints which landed her in the top 10 and a place in the final, to which she gave it her all, but with strong competition this year wasn't hers.
Both girls did amazing and their results were fantastic and we are looking forward to see what next year brings for them and the team.
We have already seen an increase in team members for next year and are already in training.
Are you Inspired?
Do you fancy giving this a try or perhaps it's just the training that appeals, we are always looking for more people to join #teamblue so if you are interested then please get in touch.