Over 700 hardy paddlers will take to the waters of the Liffey on Saturday (12.30pm) for the annual Liffey Descent – a month later than usual.
Water levels at Blessington lakes reached a record low this summer, forcing a postponement of the annual classic known as the Grand National of canoe racing.
Last weekend’s deluges meant sighs of relief all round when levels at Blessington, the reservoir that serves the Dublin area, rose by half a metre.
It means good conditions for the hundreds of thrill seekers who have come from all over the UK and further afield for this great race.
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Race of the day should be the men’s K2 class, traditionally the fastest. Leading the entry are home-grown heroes Peter Egan and Neil Fleming, who teamed up earlier this summer and went on to win the British Marathon Championship title.
They will take on among others, Brett Irvine and Julian Callebaut, a pair of South Africans who paddle for the London-based Richmond Canoe Club and are Liffey “regulars”.
Leading the men’s K1 entry is many-times champion Gary Mawer of the Salmon Leap club; the women’s race is wide open with previous winner Liz Shouldice finishing off her master’s degree.
Up front, the elite paddlers are expected to finish in under two hours, while further down the field, the leisure paddlers will take up to twice as long – and may even stop for a refreshment break along the way.
After the start above the fearsome Straffan weir, all face 17-miles of thundering waters and ten boat-crunching weirs (a renovated Palmerstown could end a lot of dreams this year). There is also a swirling rapids, the infamous stretch of undergrowth called “The Jungle” and the portage at Leixlip lake, where paddlers have to lift their boats and carry them.
All good clean fun – and a brilliant free show for spectators along the route!
PS: If you want a place at Straffan bridge, get there early!
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