RACE REPORT- RUNCORN- 20/05/01
The news that a race was to be held after months of non activity (for some/most) came as a bit of a shock. MADCC had only been given permission to resume using the canal about ten days previously, so not a lot of training had been done. In fairness to some dedicated individuals, they had been out on the 3\4 mile stretch of canal we could use and also completed several laps of Brereton pool, after a while dizziness sets in! For most club members though, race day was to be their first time in a marathon boat for some time!
The weather was particularly kind on the day, warm with a slight breeze, perfect for staying relatively cool whilst racing. Most of the squad was told to take it steady and just enjoy the paddle as to try too hard could have resulted in an injury after such a long period of inactivity. Fourteen members of MADCC bravely (or foolishly) turned out for what was to be a particularly hard paddle. Ten K1’s is a good number to field as it gives you a greater spread of results to gain points from. Unfortunately, these were only accompanied by two doubles, which meant our team total was allways going to be a lowish one.
There seemed to be some delay at the starts and all the paddlers were forced to mill about for about ten minutes, in boats, on the water. This seemed like hours as nerves got worse and stomachs were twisted into even tighter knots! The first race eventually got away and with it went MADCC’s highest ranked paddler, Richard Uttley in the lofty heights of Div 4. It wasn’t his day though, and the strong opposition soon pulled away from him. The same terrible fate awaited the club’s second paddler away in Div 5. Simon started the new season much the same as he finished the last with a very poor performance. Richard and Simon both came home in last position after what seemed like a very, very long eight miles! Next off was Div 6, and this saw Neil and John in action. Thankfully these two restored some respect to the club by finishing 1st and 3rd respectively. Theirs was a particularly hard fought race with just 78 seconds between all four finishers, well done to them both and could they spare some of that energy and performance for those in the divisions above! Div 7 is where most of MADCC’s paddlers seem to be at the moment, and 5 out of the 15 entries in this race were from us. After a sluggish start Paul went with the leaders and held on to finish 6th, Mike Corrin came in10th, with Don hard on his heels in11th. Chris and Kerrian found the pace a little too hot and finished up 14th and 15th, both picking up D notices along with Simon and Rick. Div 8 was a fairly tame affair but Pat picked up bronze position, and earned the club some badly needed points, ggod on you Pat! Div 7\8 doubles has always been a strong field of contention for our club, by mixing the right paddlers you can get some very good partnerships and today was no exception. Claire teamed up with Roger to power their way home for the club’s second gold of the day. This was an even greater achievment when you consider that they were racing against a Div 5\6 pair who only carried a two minute handicap, which wasn’t enough to hold of the might of MADCC’s pair! A very good performance indeed! In Div 9 doubles Pauline and Margaret were together again for another trip out in the tourer. It’s hard work in an Ardeche and they both must have worked hard to keep pace with the much quicker craft in the race. Eventually they had to settle for 4th place, but again it earned the club some valuable points.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the day, allthough it’s true to say some were dissapointed with their own results. If you were being honest though, the results we achieved were the best we could have expected or hoped for given the distinct lack of paddling that has NOT been done due to the circumstances. On the day, the difference between the clubs which have had access to the water for a while and those that have only just returned showed and unfortunately will continue to show for the rest of the season. I just hope that the regular paddlers don’t become too down hearted in the lean times that will follow. The fact that the club managed two gold’s and two bronze medals should be shouted about and congratultions go to those paddlers. The biggest surprise came when the team results were revealed. Freestyle had won the day but MADCC had taken second place pushing Chester into third! Warrington claimed fourth spot while Runcorn went into fifth with the Welsh club, DCP ( don’t ask me to spell it) were sixth. That puts MADCC back into the lead as far as the Hasler points are concerned for this season! Well done to everyone and with a bit more effort in certain quarters, wake up Nixon and padle, we may well successfully defend our place at the top of the North West league yet. MADCC also took top honours in “Bums on Seats” as well, but only by a single point.