Racing Events
Worcester Canoe Club welcomes all types of paddlers, and is primarily a flatwater racing club. There are lots of different races and events to get involved with and compete in, even if you are relatively new to paddling.
Race days have a great team atmosphere – even the face paint comes out at sprints!
Marathon racing
The National Hasler Series
Lots of Worcester paddlers compete in the Hasler series.
There are 9 divisions, with most paddlers beginning in division 9 and being promoted up as their speed increases. This means they are always racing against people of a similar speed.
Divisions 9 – 7 race 4 miles, divisions 4 – 6 race 8 miles, and 3 – 1 race 12 miles. Divisions 1-6 also do a portage, which is when you get out of your boat and run with it. Younger paddlers (under 14s) can take part in Geoff Sanders races to introduce them to racing.
Races are held at clubs across each region annually (Worcester is part of the Midlands region), and every paddler can win points for the club. Competitors need 3 qualifying races to compete at the Hasler Final, and the club needs to qualify by finishing in the top 6 clubs in the region. The points table can be viewed here.
The Hasler Final is a competition where the highest-scoring clubs nationally come together in one big race at the end of the season, sometimes hosted in Worcester.
Got questions? Please contact Worcester’s Marathon Captain Dave Smith on 07534418972 or dpsmith79@yahoo.com.
Sprint Racing
Sprint racing is an Olympic and Paralympic sport and lots of sprint racing in the Midlands takes place at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham, alongside spring regattas at other clubs through the season.
To compete, paddlers need to meet a standard to race in a particular category and enter races in advance.
Regattas take place 4 times per year in April, June, July, and September. You’ll get the chance to see (and maybe race against!) some of the best paddlers in the country, as Olympians and World Champions take part.
Geoff Lovell is Worcester’s Sprint Race Captain with entries arranged by Steven Green. Entries for the sprint regattas close 2 weeks before the start, but dates will be shared via email and on the Worcester Canoe Club Facebook group.
Upcoming regatta dates can be found on the Canoe Sprint website.
Canoe Sprint Website
Other Races & Challenges
The Tim Jones Challenge (Worcester Ring)
Worcester Canoe Club is home to the Tim Jones Challenge, the Worcester Ring.
This is our 21-mile circular event through the beautiful Worcestershire countryside. You can speed round (the record in a K1 is under 3 hours) or take most of the day. Everyone is welcome in all kinds of craft: racing boats, open canoes, SUPs, tourers, sea kayaks.
The Worcester Ring was renamed in honour of Tim Jones, our friend and moving force behind the challenge, who sadly died in 2019 doing the DW.
These is no event scheduled at the moment; future dates will be shared here.
Find out more
Devizes to Westminster (DW)
The DW is a 125-mile race which takes place every Easter and can be completed in non-stop or over four days.
Worcester often has crews entered, from those who want the challenge of completing the race to DW winners!
In the lead up to the event, there is a series of races that cover the same course. The Waterside and Thameside races get progressively longer as you get closer to the DW race itself.
Find out more
Flatwater Racing Calendar
All upcoming marathon and sprint races can be found on the calendar.
This is maintained by the Marathon Racing Committee and shows all flatwater competitions, both UK sprint and UK marathon events, along with any international canoe sprint and canoe marathon events that are of some interest.
Find out more
Club Kit
To compete for the club, members need to wear Worcester Canoe Club colours (white and green) on a race vest or t-shirt.
Club Kit Shop
