2015 ICF World Championships Slalom
 
1
2
3
K1M
CZ J. PRSKAVEC
PL M. POLACZYK
US M. SMOLEN
K1W
CZ K. KUDEJOVA
DE R. FUNK
DE M. PFEIFER
C1M
GB D. FLORENCE
SI B. SAVSEK
GB R. WESTLEY
C1W
AU J. FOX
CZ K. HOSKOVA
ES N. VILARRUBLA
C2
DE ANTON/BENZIEN
FR PICCO/BISO
FR KLAUSS/PECHE

Marathon

Great Britain’s Sam Rippington - Going Where No Woman Has Gone Before

canoe kayak c1 canoeing paddlesports samantha sam ripping ton great britain westminster devises sportscene marathon

Gabi Yankelevich | Sportscene - How does it feel to be the first, the best, the only? To achieve something, when it has been nearly tangible for years, while pouring out all strength, just trying to beat out the rolling seconds of clock? Sweating while the blade rips through the water and the bow laps the surface of each rolling wave.

Kneeling on one knee and paddling on only one side with a single-blade paddle for one hundred and twenty five miles over four days, from Devizes to Westminster in a C1 (single person) canoe, Samantha Rippington earned her spot in sports history as the first woman to complete this epic international race in a high kneel Olympic-class canoe and just the third canoeist overall to achieve the feat. 

Sam did the race to race money for two of her favorite charities and to bring awareness to our amazing heritage Olympic canoe discipline.

canoe kayak c1 canoeing paddlesports samantha sam ripping ton great britain westminster devises sportscene marathonReturning to complete the marathon for a third time (her previous efforts were in a kayak), Rippington decisively concluded that instead of a kayak, she would race in a C1 high kneel canoe because “No women had done it before and to be honest I train in my C1, so why not?” Her preparation for the grueling race included tackling the elements of earth and water. She was consistent in running and paddling for long distances on the same water that the race was on. She prepared her boat for the cruisers that would be on the water at the same time by canoeing with added wave deflectors and buoyancy bags, allowing her to continue paddling when the boat would be flooded. As well, Rippington continually refers to her support system, consisting of her mom and training partners, as crucial parts in her preparation for the race. Her C2 partners, Emily Hewitt and Lisa Suttle, agreed to ride alongside her during the four days to provide moral support and sustenance. Her mother and partners gave her both moral and “practical support during the training paddles and races leading up to the DW.”

Still, Rippington had worries before the race, like whether her back would hold up during four days of paddling and how she would handle paddling on the tideway. Following up, she describes the most difficult parts of the race were the tideway and the section two miles before the endpoint on Sunday in Teddington. Samantha paints a scene by describing the tideway section as “being quite flat with exception for one part where three boats came past at once creating very big waves.” When this occurred she ran alongside the race for over ten minutes. With the encouraging words of one of her C2 training partners, Lisa, she got back into the water. She further illustrates that “when I saw kayaks capsizing around me, I told myself to focus on my own paddling and believe in myself that I have the knowledge of fast water to get to the end,” asserting her motivation and work ethic.

When asked about how she coped with the difficult section before Teddington, she honestly responded, “not very well!” though Rippington was able to muster up strength to complete the mileage for the day. She portrays that in the few miles before Teddington, several cruisers went past, forcing her to stop paddling for two minutes. In this time her core body temperature started to drop very quickly, causing her to start panicking and hyperventilating. Lisa put five layers of clothing on her, and as Samantha jogged alongside of the river to warm up, she encouraged her back into the water to finish more quickly than if she would have run the rest of the way.

canoe kayak c1 canoeing paddlesports samantha sam ripping ton great britain westminster devises sportscene marathonRippington recalls the conditions of the race, stating that “the water was mostly flat” with sections being “choppy whenever the Thames went through a town.” Painting a picture of the difficult race, she explained how the tideway was fast flowing water, so “you had to be able to judge when to move your boat to avoid the bridge stanchions.” Still, she managed to overcome the battling water and headwind to complete the necessary daily mileage. Friday, the first day of the race, Sam paddled thirty-four miles in 6:28:54, placing her in the twenty-second position for senior singles. On Saturday, Sam completed thirty-six miles to yield an overall time of 13:42:14. Crushing the highest mileage of thirty-eight miles on Sunday, Sam rounded out the weekend with a time of 21:06:50. Finishing on to victory, Sam paddled the last seventeen miles of the race on Monday to earn the amazing time of 24:10:00 and score a spot in women’s sports history.

Sam Rippington comes across as a very humble and respectable woman; she even accredited much of her success to the amazing people standing by her and encouraging her. Emphasizing that the highlight of the race was that she received so much help from her friends, family, and colleagues, Rippington enthusiastically describes the amazing people who cheered for her. She expresses that “Every day I had different people come and shout at me along the river; a group of my friends even made a big banner and followed me along the river for two hours.” No doubt, this crowd, plus a few more,  will continue to boost her in her next challenge, in which she will be in her high kneeling C1 at the Sella Descent Marathon in Spain.

A Closer Look at Sam:  Outside from training hours a week, she puts her efforts into coaching and mentoring canoeists and kayakers of all ages. As well, Rippington is a dedicated teacher at the Brigidine School in Kings Road, Windsor. She teaches Physical Education and Science, as she inspires her students with her words of encouragement. 

canoe kayak c1 canoeing paddlesports samantha sam ripping ton great britain westminster devises sportscene marathon

Samantha Rippington training with her mother on the riverbank.

More info about the Devises to Westminster Canoe Race www.dwrace.org.uk/racehistory.html Overall Class results: www.dwrace.org.uk/results/2014/Results/OverallClassResults.html#Senior

Sam’s charities: CLIC Sargent and Born Free.
 www.justgiving.com/Samantha-Rippington

The 20 kilometer Sella Descent, a legendary race with a beautiful history, will take place August 9-10, 2014, on the Sella River, which runs from the village of Arriondas to the finish line in Ribadesella, Spain.  www.sportscene.tv/flatwater/marathon/news/the-sella-descent-a-legendary-race-with-a-beautiful-history

Meet the Author: Gabi Yankelevich. WomenCAN International Representative and a biochemistry/pre-medicine student at Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA. A member of the cross country, indoor, and outdoor track and field teams, she is interested in highlighting women's accomplishments and additions to sport's history.