This is going to be an interesting one. We’re seeing some last minute changes in the top crews, and Waterside C will be the last of the series where the racers planning to do DW will go all-out (if they’re being sensible).

Billy Butler & Jon O’Grady will be out for the win again (three for three?), but they’ll face challenges from Anoushka Freeman & Tom Sharpe as well as (sources say) from the newly formed crew of Tom Simmons & Andy Birkett. Tom Simmons teamed up well with Mike Lambert for Watersides A and B, but after a shoulder injury, Lambert has had to pull out of Waterside C. Andy Birkett is an excellent paddler and his pairing with Tom Simmons could put them in contention for the win.

Birkett came in 3rd place for K2 senior men’s at Waterside B with Dan Palmer this year, and has several podium finishes in K1 and K2 at the Watersides over the last couple of years as does Tom Simmons. Depending on the conditions, we may see these top crews finishing around the 3 hour mark or even faster — in 2019, Tom Sharpe and Keith Moule finished in 02:47:49, just a few minutes over the race record.

#230	Anoushka Freeman and Tom Sharpe
#3	Billy Butler & Jon O’Grady
#1	Tom Simmons & Andy Birkett (to be confirmed)

On the women’s canoeing side, Stefanie Mullins & Anna Maria Fischer are flying back from the beautiful beaches of the Canary Islands just in time to face 23 miles of cold water and 35 muddy slogs (sometimes called ‘portages’). They’ve been racing a brand new canoe designed as a hybrid between the ICF canoes typically seen in the UK and the C2 “pro boats” more commonly used in the US. More on this soon…

In the race for the the C2 win, Mike Thornton and Shirine Voller will be coming in strong as usual, competing with Sam Bowen and Steve Hughes. Sam and Steve won Waterside A by just a minute and forty-two seconds, and Mike and Shirine won Waterside B by a minute and thirteen seconds. So these two crews have been pretty close – either one could take the win at Waterside C. That said, Mike and Shirine have almost too many Watersides between them to count, and they’re especially strong on portaging and tactical racing. I won’t be making any official bets, but this should be a fun face-off to watch.

The fun expected at Waterside C could be overshadowed by the recent statement from DW directors. Not only could rising floodwaters from non-stop rain put crew safety in jeopardy, but low entries have the race directors questioning the event’s financial viability. The best thing racers can do right now is get their entries in:

We need the commitment of paddlers now.
If you have trained for the race and are going to enter, don’t wait for Waterside D, enter today. There is no financial risk to you. You don’t have to pay until the closing date – as part of the entry process you will get an email asking for payment after receipt and subsequent acceptance of your entry. If we require more information from you before we can accept your entry, you will be contacted.
You can even change Class if your circumstances change – right up to the Wednesday before the race.

Statement from the Directors, 28 February 2024

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