Nelson paddler takes Waimak race
Nelson paddler Hadyn Lockie beat a former champion to win the Rasdex Classic River Race on the Waimakariri River.
Some 108 boats lined up at the start of the Arawa Canoe Club event on Sunday.
Paddlers had hot sun on their backs and a pleasant westerly to north-westerly wind for the contest on the Coast to Coast kayaking course.
With the river level just under the maximum standard for the race to be held through the Waimakariri Gorge, hopes were initially high that race records held by former Olympic kayak silver medallist Ben Fouhy (3 hr 26min 21sec) and Bianca Teague (3:45:32) could potentially tumble.
That prospect was dashed when a wind shift meant paddlers had to contend with a head wind in the middle of the gorge.
The power of the water meant competitors had to have their wits about them with numerous paddlers taking unscheduled swims in the cold Waimakariri water.
The first corner past Esk Rock certainly screamed: ‘‘Welcome to the Gorge’’. The swift turn proved particularly tricky, especially for those in longer boats. Credit must go to the hard working safety crew, on land, in jetboats and kayaks, who provided valuable help. The open men’s category was hotly contested.
Sam Manson (2014 winner) and Sam Goodall were both top three finishers in the three prologue races, looking to grab bragging rights on the longer 67km main event from Mount Whyte and Gorge Bridge.
Manson started badly but recovered to take the lead which lasted through the fast water in the gorge. Lockie, 34, race runner-up in 2012 and third-placed finisher in 2013, had travelled down from Nelson with his sights on the cup.
He picked a better line than Manson approximately 1km from Deer Print Cove, taking the lead. He managed to hold on and extend slightly from Woodstock to the finish in 3hr 38min 19 sec -1min 25sec ahead of Manson, 25,with Goodall, 31, claiming third in 3:41:27.
In the women’s category, Christchurch’s Kate Cambie, who took out the fastest kayak leg in this year’s Coast to Coast, Nelson’s Elina Ussher and Fiona Dowling (first and third respectively in this year’s Coast to Coast Longest Day), all had their eyes on this year’s title.
The leading women had a great start and despite start line nerves and an early swim, Cambie could see Ussher ahead of her in the gorge and dug deep to catch up.
Her local river knowledge led to a faster line on and the chance to pass Ussher on the Flock Hill straight just before Broken River. Ussher allowed her no chance to rest and maintained pressure right until the finish line.
Cambie, 36, won in 4hr 2min 10 sec with Ussher, 40, second in 4hr 4min 2sec and Dowling, 29, third in 4hr 5min 14sec.
Novice paddlers made up 30 per cent of all entrants.
This category has proved to be hugely popular as a way for new paddlers to cut their teeth on this stretch of water ahead of the Coast to Coast.
Winning novice paddler Sam Eames, 26, finishing a creditable 15th overall in a time of 4hr 3min 29sec with Ruben Connolly second in the category.
Women’s Novice winner Hannah Johnston, 28, had a comfortable 8min lead over runner-up Rebecca Wilson to finish in 4hr 20min 35sec.