| PADDLER ELIGIBILITY |
Paddlers may compete in races specified for those of a higher ranking but will not be allowed to compete in races specified for those of a lower ranking. (E.g. an Under 18 may race as an Under 23 or Senior but not as an Under 16 or Over 34). Senior and Veteran Women paddlers may compete in a doubles crew in Senior and Veteran Men kayak races of the same or higher ranking. |
| AFFILIATION |
All paddlers must prove current comprehensive BCU/SCA/WCA/CANI with membership or youth membership of an affiliated club. All competitors must be valid members on race day. Membership proof needs to be confirmed on the online entry system. A competitor who has not raced before may buy an Event Ticket. A competitor claiming to have membership but unable to provide evidence may also purchase an Event Ticket. |
| NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE ELIGIBILITY |
An athlete must either be a British Citizen and a current member of British Canoeing; or have been both a resident in the United Kingdom and a member of British Canoeing for at least two years. Please look at page F13 in the Racing Handbook for clarification. |
| SELECTION RACES |
As per the Marathon International Selection Policy 2021, the following National Championship races (along with the short course assessment), will be used to assess paddlers for selection for the World Championships: Senior Men K1 Senior Men K2 Under 23 athletes wishing to be assessed for selection for the team at Under 23 must enter their respective Under 23 class. Any Under 23 athlete who enters the Senior class will only be considered for Senior selection. C1s and C2s must race their respective National Championship classes. All Junior kayak paddlers seeking selection for the World Championships should enter the appropriate Under 18 Men or Under 18 Women race. Under 16s wishing to be considered for World Championship selection should race in the Under 18 classes. Performance in Under 16 classes at the National Championships will only be considered for the Junior Development trips. Athletes seeking selection for the GB U16 development team for the French National Championships (should it be possible to travel) should race in their age-group classes (U14 and U16, K1 and K2) at the National Championships, as all of these races will be taken into consideration when selecting athletes for this team. All paddlers are reminded that a Marathon Racing Online Availability Form must be completed and submitted by the 5th July for consideration for selection. Link to the form can be found here: GB Marathon Team Availability 2021 Please refer to the Marathon International Selection Policy 2021 for more information. |
| RACING RULES |
The Marathon Nationals is a GROUP A Divisional race and therefore all of Part A rules 1-18 and rules 42-48 in the Canoe Sprint & Marathon Handbook apply. |
| CLUB VESTS | Paddlers must race in their club vest to be eligible for points and trophies. |
| PROMOTIONS/ DEMOTIONS | The British Canoeing Marathon Committee reserves the right under rules 32-33 to promote or demote on the basis of the results at this event. |
| BOAT NUMBERS | Team leaders will be given a pack of pre-numbered vertical boards for all boats. Paddlers must only use these number boards.
Number boards must be returned after respective race. |
| DISPOSABLE DRINK SYSTEMS |
All paddlers using disposable drinks systems are required to mark them with their boat number. Paddlers will not be allowed to proceed through boat control with un-numbered bags. Paddlers found with un-numbered bags at any time on the water will be asked to leave the course. During the course of the competition, any items discarded by a competitor anywhere other than in a proper bin must be recovered by the athlete, or their bank support immediately. It is the athlete’s responsibility to ensure that this has happened. An event official witnessing non-compliance with this rule shall report the infringement to the race organiser and the offending competitor could be disqualified from the competition. Any repeat infringements by the same competitor shall be subject to disciplinary proceedings by the Marathon Racing Committee. |
| BUOYANCY AIDS |
Buoyancy aids are compulsory for all Under 10 and Under 12 paddlers and those ranked in Division 7, 8 and 9 irrespective of the race they are entered in. This applies in singles and doubles races. Team leaders should decide if other paddlers should wear a buoyancy aid according to prevailing conditions. Buoyancy aids must comply with either the European Standard ‘EN393 or 395 or the International Standard ‘ISO 12402’. RCC Race organisers may require life jackets or buoyancy aids and spray covers to be worn and will have the final say as to who should wear them (except where this is covered by rule 5a(v)) depending on weather and water conditions. Such equipment must be provided by the competitors. The penalty for infringing any safety rule is disqualification from the race. |
| BOAT CHECKING |
All paddlers and boats must go through boat control before each race. All boats must display the correct race number. All boats must have sufficient buoyancy to remain afloat and to support the crew in rough water in the event of capsize. No boat will be deemed to be sufficiently buoyant purely as a result of its construction (e.g. vac bagged/sandwich or other construction) to fulfil this requirement, additional fixed buoyancy will be required in the form of foam, air bags and/or sealed bulkheads. Once boats have been checked they must all remain in the pre-race holding/launching area. Once a boat has passed through boat checking it will be assumed that the paddler starts their race. If a paddler does not then race it is their responsibility to notify Race Control. Failure to notify control will result in your club incurring a penalty point. Failure to go through boat control will result in disqualification from the race. |
| RETIREMENTS | Please let race control know ASAP if you retire.
Failure to do so will delay results being processed and your club will incur a penalty point for any notification not received. |
| GENERAL SAFETY | Competitors must be able to swim adequately in the waters on which the race is being held.
All paddlers are required to render assistance to other competitors in distress. |
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PHOTOS & LIVE STREAMING |
There will be photos taken throughout the weekend as well as live streaming of the races to Facebook and YouTube. By entering the race(s) you are giving your consent for videos and photos to be taken. Please contact us if you have any questions. |