Guy Dresser | Royal Canoe Club - Top canoeists have voiced anger at the introduction of new rules governing canoe and kayak marathons.

The rules were brought in following several well-publicised incidents, including pushing, shoving and other behaviour deemed ‘unsportsmanlike’, at big events last year.

ICF marathon racing committee chairman Jorn Cronberg circulated the new document containing details of the rules changes recently. You can see the document here.

The original note about rule changes (and the introduction of time penalties, boxes to sit out the penalty time, and so on) attracted little attention because it was widely seen as tackling situations that were widely frowned on by athletes last year.

Now, however, it is clear that the rules go much wider.  In fact, the rules cover a variety of instances which in the past would have been seen as acceptable race tactics – such as  paddlers legitimately working together to drop weaker members of a group, by squeezing people off washes, making others drop back on turns (by cutting in fine). It seems a number of these tactics have been outlawed and Jorn Cronberg’s document even includes diagrams of such situations.

One particular tactic, squeezing rivals off the wash, is a common feature of marathons where paddlers may work to keep weaker rivals off v-washes.

According to two-time world champion Ben Brown, this particular new rule – covering the squeezing out of a paddler in a group situation – is “insane”.

He described the diagram (pictured, above) as follows on Facebook: “This new rule for international marathon racing is going to ruin the whole tactical wash hanging side of racing. How are they going to decide if changes and manoeuvres are ‘happening by agreement’. This is insane. Next thing we’ll be racing 30km time trials. I say this is unacceptable and I will be extremely disappointed if this isn’t over turned in the team leaders meeting at the European Championships this weekend.

Oscar Chalupsky, multiple Molokai winner and a legend in his native South Africa, agreed, adding: “Do these people actually paddle marathon races????? I read the rules and think it must be an April fools joke!!! Are you serious???”

Top Dutch paddler – and Waterland marathon organiser – Edwin De Nijs declared: “Updating rules is ok to keep the sport going forward. Making changes that take out the basic elements are not! And that is what’s going on at this moment.”

Irish canoeist Neil Fleming suggested the ICF was at fault for insisting on a multi-lapped course design that includes numerous portages, thereby increasing the scope for incidents.

In a Facebook post he declared: “The ICF are primarily at fault for that, since they insist on 7 lap races and placing the last portage within 1.5km of the finish. The overwhelming majority of collisions occur at turns and portages. Easiest way to fix that? Reduce the number of turns and portages.”

(Australian canoeist Cameron McMullan published a blog article decrying the ‘dying craft of marathon racing’ and urges a return to sanity – it’s a great post and well worth a read).

Independent observers might suggest that competitive portaging has always been a feature of marathon racing and unsportsmanlike behaviour has always been penalised. Now, however, it – and various previously acceptable racing tactics –  looks like it’s all been outlawed with transgressors facing stiff punishments.

Ivan Lawler, multiple marathon world champion, has set up a Facebook page for people to voice their concerns.

The ICF secretary-general Simon Toulson said rule changes were discussed by the ICF Athletes’ Committee and there was a marathon representative there – Filipe Pereira from Portugal.

“He is a good guy I would be surprised [if] he is suggesting radical changes.”

Pereira, however, it seems agreed with the proposals.

Writing in Lawler’s new Facebook group, he indicated that without any input from other athletes he was bound to accept what was presented: “As Chair of ICF Athletes’ Committe (sic) and Member representing the Marathon Athletes, we have created a FB so we can discuss some ideas before we go into Marathon Committe Meetings. Please make your suggestions there. If you do our target is to make competitions more interesting for the Athletes, but if you don’t then we have to follow what is presented, until we are able to change them again. At the moment we have opened suggestions for the Classic Races, in order to make them more appealing to Athletes. But any suggestions for Marathon are always welcome and will for sure be discussed in the right places. Count on it.”

It’s not apparent where this Facebook page that Pereira refers to can be found – we’ll let you know when we find it. Meanwhile, the debate on Lawler’s Facebook group rages on. It will be interesting to see how the new rule changes work out.

UPDATE - ICF explains marathon rules issue