Canoe Marathon Races
In the sport of Canoe Marathon, athletes paddle a kayak or canoe over a long distance, often with out-of-water sections in which they may carry their canoe.
Canoe marathon traditionally involved competitors racing from one point to another across rivers, lakes and ocean waters, while also having to navigate around any obstacles and even carry the boat if necessary.
Marathon canoeing events require you to carry the canoe in sections out of the waterThe standard distances are up to 30 km, though many races are significantly longer. In 2019 new sprint disciplines over 3.60 km for both kayak and canoe were added. Racers are generally divided into different classes, e.g. K1, K2, K4, C1, C2, C3, C6.
To make the sport more spectator-friendly, courses have been created to be covered in laps with some portages (artificial or real obstacles).
The ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships is a canoe marathon World Championships held every two years in 1988, becoming an annual event since 1998. Marathon canoeing is also a sport at the World Games, and was once part of the Olympics.
Marathon Canoeing at the World Games
Marathon canoeing was first introduced into the 2022 Birmingham World Games. Then, in 2025 Chengdu World Games, it was added to the list of disciplines in Canoe Sport alongside Dragon Boat and Canoe Polo. Here are the medalists who won gold at the end of this event:
| Event | Medal | Name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's K1 Long Distance | Gold | PEDERSEN Mads Brandt | Denmark |
| Women's K1 Long Distance | Gold | ANDERSSON Melina | Sweden |
| Men's K1 Short Distance | Gold | PEDERSEN Mads Brandt | Denmark |
| Women's K1 Short Distance | Gold | ANDERSSON Melina | Sweden |
Similar Sports
- Canoeing — paddle sport in which the rider kneels or sits facing forward in a canoe.
- Ice Canoeing — a team sport in which a five-member crew completes a course, in which riders have to push their canoe on the frozen parts of the river as well as row in the water.
- Open Water Swimming — competitive swimming races conducted over various distances (10km at the Olympics) held in rivers, lakes and oceans.
Related Pages
- Canoe Marathon Races at the Olympics
- About Paddling Sports
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports — a list of every sport from around the world.
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