So why would anyone choose to do the iconic overnight kayak race more than once?

“I did it with my father last year and thought this year it would be good to do it with a friend – and if we finish in under fifteen and a half hours, we’ll probably break the record (for the Junior Ladies Long Rec category),” said The Armidale School’s Katie Allen, who will be part of a school team of almost 60 paddlers in the event this weekend.

“The hardest part really is the in the early hours of the morning, when you’re really tired and sore, and just have to keep going. Finishing it also means I’d be amongst the first to do all four legs of the Triple Crown award in the one year, so that’s another incentive,” she said.

Teammate Bronte Garcia is more circumspect.

“I’m excited, but pretty nervous,” she said.

“More nervous than excited, actually.”

The 59 paddlers in the TAS team will hit the water around 4.30 on Saturday afternoon.

Making up the team are 35 TAS boys and girls, current and past parents, Old Boys and friends of the school.

There are three father/daughter combinations; a father/son team, a mother/son crew and two boats of two brothers.

The TAS team also includes 10 paddlers from NEGS and eight from PLC Armidale.

Brothers Joseph and Jack Sewell are under no delusions.

“Fifteen hours in a boat with your younger sibling is sure to test our relationship, but it will be a great thing to have done together,” said Joseph.

“We’re both up for a bit of adventure and also keen to achieve our Triple Crown.”

This year is the 42nd Hawkesbury Canoe Classic, and the 38th consecutive event for TAS, which first entered paddlers in 1981.

Paddlers will be supported by a land crew of 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 around 400 entries, the TAS team comprising almost 15 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.

Returning for his eighth Classic after a hiatus of several years will be the Headmaster Murray Guest,  who will again be paddling with his wife Joanne, as he has done on seven occasions previously.

“Whether our paddlers are doing it for the first time or backing up again, each will be facing an enormous personal challenge – and the ability to rise to that is no doubt a reason for it’s enduring appeal at TAS,” Mr Guest said.