It’s pretty much spring, which means the racing season is almost upon us, brilliant! But don’t get all excited yet, there’s still plenty of time for the long ‘end of winter’ training sessions. What better way of getting the miles in than racing The Waterside Series…? ‘There is no better way!’ I hear you shouting, and maybe your right. Particularly if your goals this year involve marathon racing, or even 1000m sprint. For the people racing the 125mile Devises to Westminster the series is an essential part of their preparation, not only for the physical training but to learn the Kennet and Avon Canal and the millions of portages that go with it.

So what is the Waterside Series? It may seem a silly question, most paddlers in the UK will know the answer and it might sound something like this… ‘It’s those weird, shallow, muddy, cold, long, portage ridden time trial things in the arse end of nowhere.’ To be fair this is fairly accurate description of these four races. But having raced the first two (A & B) so far this year, I have discovered they can also be described as… incredibly painful, frustrating, dangerous, gritty, slipper-under-foot and positioned just the other side of ‘the arse end of nowhere’.  But even after going through all that, it’s immensely satisfying to cross the line, just to get it over with. With some cuts on your knees and hands you feel ‘a bit harder’ now that’s over, and the frustration is easily forgotten over a hot chocolate. The mud, grit and pain, well that’s all part of it, that must be what keeps them coming back for more each year, because it ain’t the competitors refreshments, and that’s a fact.


The other good reason is the records. Everyone knows the race is a time trial, and therefore the records become the main goal for some racers. I raced in K2 with Ivan Lawler for both A and B, our goal on both was to get the records, and that we did, but boy did we have to work for it! Waterside A is Great Bedwin to Newbury 13,5 miles & 21 portages. Around 92 minutes of hard paddling and harder portaging, made more difficult by all the crews you catch up in the last 30mins! Waterside B is Newbury to Aldermaston and back, 18 miles & 19 portages. Needless to say, you get pretty good at portages after just these two races.


There are still two races left; C & D (there is a pattern emerging) Waterside C is on Sunday 27th March racing from Pewsey to Newbury, 23 miles & 35 portages. Waterside D is on Sunday 10th April racing from Devises to Newbury, 34 miles & 35 portages. If these races are anything like the last two, we are all in for a right gritty muddy treat! To be fair, what else are you going to do on your quite Sunday? Get out and race. It’s the only way to get good at racing (funny that).


Details on Waterside entries, results and races are HERE and the Thameside Series is basically the same but… well… on the Thames so details for that HERE. Picture by Paddle pics

Peace!

2 Responses to “Waterside Series A & B”