A slightly chilly wind was offset by beautiful sunshine and the shelter for most of the course made race conditions fairly pleasant. Spectating was less comfortable than paddling and I ended up doing 3 separate warm ups. My boat was even less prepared than I was, as the rudder lines snapped as I started my warm up on the water. Having just made it to the line in the old pale blue club Javelin that Nip had just vacated for his Div 8 race, the Div 4 start left me bobbing behind the rest of the field. The two local paddlers were obviously not at their peak as I would not normally expect to catch Simon or Gordon these days. However, I had a very enjoyable paddle, finishing with a sprint where Simon just squeezed past in the last 10 metres for 3rd place. James Cordery of Wey won Div 4 ahead of Bruce Blackman of Gailey.
Other Nottingham paddlers shared 4th place in their races too - Kath & Donna in Div 8/8 K2 and Abbie in Under 12 Girls to name a few.
Geordie & Tadek managed a great 1st in Div 7/7 K2, so did Tom in Div 6 K1. Nip managed a 2nd place. The teeshirts, that Anker Valley have presented as prizes for a few years now were once again in evidence.
Mention goes to Damian & Caroline, completing their first ever Div 9 race without mishap.
Lincoln & Banbury clubs dominated the prizes in both the Under 10/12 races and the Division races. It was another enjoyable day all round and I heard no complaints from any Nottingham paddler. Thanks go to NKC parents & Gilly for help with transport, support & safety.
More photos can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/nottmkc/AnkerValley2009#
The results will be on the Marathon Website at: http://www.marathon-canoeing.org.uk/results/Results.html
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