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Kayak Krazy 10km Series- Arawa

 After spotting this event on the CRNZ website I knew I had to add it to the calendar. While paddlers (especially multisporters) seem to avoid any form of flatwater racing, they are a brilliant way to track your performance over time as there is typically less external factors that can impact results such as flow rate or different line choices like on a river. While the Avon isn’t exactly the best example of this due to being tidal, timed efforts can still be performed reasonably consistently on an out and back course. Adding in tactical elements and the lost art of wash riding, and flatwater racing is actually quite fun and provides an interesting challenge compared to river racing. I’m always disappointed to see paddlers pull out or not enter events because it’s a flatwater race or the B course is on flatwater. You were going to be racing that day anyway, get out there and race!

While talking about things that are disappointing, it’s pretty disappointing that a national series has 6 races in the North Island, 1 in the South Island, and then the final/Nationals in the North Island as well. When the prizes for the series require you to enter 2 races and attend Nationals, its not very conducive to being supported by South Islanders. I did point this out and try to get some clubs to hold some more South Island rounds but they unfortunately didn’t organize anything…

While the race wasn’t well supported, it had a pretty quality field of multisporters and K1 paddlers turn up so I knew it was going to be hard to finish near the front. While I’m doing reasonable for a multisporter, and can be competitive in a double, dedicated K1 paddlers are on another level I’m yet to achieve. While racing at low tide would make for slow times, the benefit of low water would be bigger wash to hang off.

Wash riding to a kayaker is like drafting to a cyclist. If you are wash riding someone who is fast, it allows you to travel faster for the same effort, or the same speed you otherwise would by yourself but for less effort depending on the speed of the other paddler and how you are working together. Two paddlers working well together will cover a distance faster than two paddlers not working together. There aren’t many paddlers around in the Christchurch race scene that really understand this concept so you will often see groups in races just sitting beside each other rather than working together.

Unfortunately for me, I never even really got the opportunity to use this technique. I was still setting up for a good position on the start line when the starting whistle went off. Lesson learnt, I should have setup earlier rather than warming up, and this resulted in me being on the back foot from the start. I tried to bridge up to the leading group but I didn’t quite make it before being hit by side wash. I’ve put a lot of hours into my K1 in recent months but I’m still not 100% comfortable, especially in choppy conditions. As soon as you feel unstable you are unable to put all your effort into moving forward, and if you aren’t moving forwards with 100% confidence, you’re moving backwards through the field.

There’s not really too much to say about the rest of the race. The bunch were close for most of the paddle but I just wasn’t strong enough to get across to them. There were a lot of rowers all over the course which made things interesting at times as they got in the way and weren’t following the rules (not that they really ever do) with a couple of paddlers actually getting hit. At the time of writing this the final results aren’t out but I believe I finished in 7th overall with a time of 54:30ish. When I was hoping for a low or sub 50 it’s not a flash time, but the combination of slow conditions, a bad start meaning I missed the bunch of fast guys and the course being longer than it was supposed to be at 10.3km, I can’t be too disappointed. Every race is just another step closer towards bigger goals.  

Up next was going to be National 10km Champs in Rotorua and then Cambridge to Hamilton the following day but with a change in the ferry schedule and vehicle spaces being all being sold out, it’s not looking likely I’ll be able to get a boat up there to be able to compete. If anyone is heading up and has roof space for a boat let me know!

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