[ A version of this write-up appeared in the Bristol Evening Post's 'The Green-un' on Sat 10th Sep 2005. ]

The National Canoe Marathon Championships,
27th –28th August 2005, River Severn, Worcester.

Stephen Bennett and Tristram Turner win the men’s twelve mile K2 Div 3-4, the first gold medal at this level for Bristol Canoe Club. See some more photos here.

This was a top class event with a very strong entry over a dozen K2s, all with a good chance of winning. Bennett and Turner made a brilliant start and dominated the first lap. They got pushed into the shallow water coming up to the portage, which was in front of the canoe club steps where the majority of spectators were sat, they had to work hard to get back into contention. By this stage the race was between four K2s and the lead changed several times. At the top of the turn the group was still quite tight so with two and a half miles to go Bennett decided to save energy for the sprint finish and let another crew take the lead. The other boat tried to drop Bennett & Turner on several occasions, but the Bristol crew remained tactically alert, to make maximum use of the wash wave. With one mile to go Bennett stepped up the rate and gradually increased it until the last 500 metres when all four K2s were blasting to the finish line. Bennett & Turner held on to first position by a boat length and at last a gold medal for Bristol Canoe Club. The finish was an exciting spectacle for the many hundreds in the crowd watching from the Worcester Canoe Club steps.

Stephen Bennett who has been paddling competitively for over twenty years said ‘the gold rewards the dedicated training, hard work and team effort put in week after week at the Bristol Club. Marathon racing is fantastic fun and not as daunting as is often believed, with competitors ranging from teenagers to the retired. We have some of the best water and facilities in the country here. The racing is structured with races of four, eight and twelve miles depending on ability. Anyone with some paddling skills who would like to improve or simply keep fit should contact the Bristol club via the website www.bristolcanoeclub.org.uk or simply turn up at car park of the Cottage on Baltic Warf on Thursdays between 6 & 7.30p.m. and meet the club’