Race Report 24 November 2019
Ross Warland Memorial Canal Challenge Banbury
A small contingent of adult members travelled out of the Eastern region to Banbury for the Ross Warland Memorial Canal Challenge. This event is organised by Banbury and District Canoe Club in memory of a much loved young member who tragically died from bone cancer. At 20 miles it is one of the longest events on the calendar and so a big challenge for juniors even though they have to do it as a relay. Not only are there 20 miles on a cold and frequently windy Oxford Canal but also there are 16 portages to contend with.
Charlie Smith teamed up with fellow team GB paddler Tim Pendle from Norwich and together they won the K2 and overall event. Their time of 2 h 20 m was reported to be a record for the event.
Paul Stenning did the solo K1 race and came in a creditable 14th in that event since many of the competing paddlers were in higher divisions than him, and normally paddle longer distances in races.
Amy Carter, who is relatively new to canoe racing, went in for a very big long distance event and paddled much further than she can have previously. She finished, with a smile, in 3h 54 and was 38th in the K1 event. This is both men and women and so is a fantastic performance. She did comment later that the smile was because it was over.