Kayak marathon beckons for students

Louis is among more than 50 paddlers who will be fronting up this weekend for his second crack at one of the toughest adventure events in Australia, the 111km overnight Hawkesbury Canoe Classic from Windsor to Brooklyn Bridge.

“The Hawkesbury has always been known for its gruelling hours and fatigued limbs accompanied by the lonely splashes of fish, but the experiences I had completing it last year are among my fondest memories,” said Ben, who will be partnered by first-timer Nick Makeham this year in The Armidale School’s team.

“No amount of physical robustness or training can ever prepare a paddler for what lies ahead.

“The mental strength is entirely up to paddlers; after the last stop at Wisemans Ferry in the early hours of the morning when your head is tipping in and out of sleep, it is your mental strength that will determine your overall outcome.”

First timer Sam Marshall admitted to some nerves ahead of the event.

“I’m hoping we have everything we need and that we will have good weather, to make it as easy and comfortable as possible,” he said.

“I suppose I’m most nervous about getting lost on the river, but I know the satisfaction of completing this extremely challenging event, will be rich reward.”

The 53 paddlers in the TAS team will hit the water around 4.30 on Saturday afternoon. Making up the team are 32 TAS boys and girls; current and past parents, Old Boys and friends of the school.

There are five father-daughter combinations; two father-son teams, a brother-sister duo, and the TAS team also includes three paddlers each from PLC and New England Girls’ School.

This year is the 41st Hawkesbury, and the 37th consecutive event for TAS, which first entered paddlers in 1981.

Paddlers will be supported by a land crew of almost as many parents and staff who will assist them through the night.

Training began in winter on Malpas Dam north of Armidale for the event, which this year has 394 entries, the TAS team comprising more than 12 per cent of starters.

The event is a major fundraiser for the Arrow Bone Marrow Foundation, and over the decades TAS paddlers have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cause.

Headmaster Murray Guest, who has paddled it on eight occasions himself, said it was an iconic endurance challenge at the school, made all the moreso with its inclusion alongside the 2km Coffs Ocean Swim and the 14km City to Surf footrace as the components of the Triple Crown.

“I am sure that all those who have been preparing for it will be feeling some sense of trepidation as race day approaches, but I also know it will be an experience that is remembered for a lifetime,” he said. 

“The school is proud to again be fielding so many paddlers in the 41st year of the event and be one of the longest- running participants.”