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Sprint
Sprint
racing is sometimes considered to be the purest form of canoe
racing. The races are head to head races in buoyed lanes down
a straight line course over distances of 200m, 500m and 1000m.
There are also distance races over 6000m run as several laps
of a rectangular course. There are classes for men and ladies
in single, double, and four person kayaks. and for men in single,
double, and four person canoes. There are separate classes for
juniors and veterans.
In the UK there are sprint regattas held every month over the
summer at the National Watersports Centre near Nottingham. As
well as these there are also less formal regattas organised
by various clubs around the country. To run a sprint regatta
all you need is a lake or straight length of still river wide
enough for four or five boats to be about 5m apart.
The boats and equipment for sprint racing is virtually identical
to that used for marathon racing, so most people who compete
at marathons also race at sprint regattas. The training is also
similar, and until you reach international standard similar
training is done for both.
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