For the second time, the United States Canoe and Kayak Association National Marathon Championship is taking place in Northfield.
The championship event first took place in Northfield in 2016 and after its success, it returns this year and will begin in Northfield on Thursday.
The championship takes place from Thursday through Sunday, with the youth races beginning on Thursday before the remainder of the age group categories run Friday through Sunday.
“We’re really glad they had interest in coming back here,” race co-director Peter Heed said. “It’s a big event and it’s quite a big deal. The people who were here in 2016 loved it so much and that’s one of the reasons we are hosting it again.”
How did the championship make it to Northfield? It involves a bidding process which began years ago. Once Northfield won the bid, the planning began, which took years to prepare for Thursday.
It marks the fourth time the championship races have taken place in New England, with Heed noting that the New England ones have tended to be the biggest and most attended.
“It’s taken a major organizational effort by a huge group that have worked the last two years to get ready for this,” Heed said. “We’ve worked with the town of Northfield which has been very welcoming. We coordinate with local emergency personnel, police, fire, Massachusetts environment people. It’s a huge effort.”
There are two courses for different races: a long course that is 13-plus miles and a short course that is 8-plus miles.
Both courses begin in the Connecticut River at the Northfield Mountain Recreation Center. For the long course, competitors head down the Connecticut, pass under the French King Bridge and turn back upriver at the Mineral Road Bridge.
Competitors then head past the start area, up and past Kidd Island, do a turn back downriver at the Connecticut River Bridge before heading back to the Northfield Mountain Recreation Center for the finish.
The short course sees competitors head down past the French King before making the turn upriver at the Mineral Road Bridge. Racers then head to Kidd Island, do a turn back downriver there and head to the finish line at Northfield Mountain Recreation Center.
“It’s long distance canoe and kayak racing,” Heed said. “It’s not like the Olympics where you have sprint lanes and they race for 500, 1,000 meters. This is more like North American canoe and kayak racing which is long distance. There’s not a set distance for these races like a marathon but it’s usually anything approaching 10-12 miles. It depends on the river.”
Heed says there are already a couple hundred athletes signed up to compete, with more than expected on race days. There is no qualifying process to race, though there will still be top tier racers, including former Olympic athletes competing, according to Heed.
“It’s a small sport,” Heed said. “We’re encouraging anyone to show up that can.”
The race involves a different kind of canoe and kayak than the ones most are accustomed to using on the water.
The canoes on the Connecticut this week will be made out of carbon fiber and kevlar and weigh between 20-35 pounds and are mostly over 18 feet long with sliding seats. The kayaks are longer and more slender. Many of these types of canoes and kayaks are purchased at Stellar Kayaks in Northfield.
“It’s not the canoeing you learn in Boy Scouts,” Heed said. “They don’t look like a canoe, they look more like a rowing shell. You want them as light as possible to go faster.”
Spectators are welcome to attend the races, which begin at 9 a.m. and typically run until the early afternoon.
“It’s a big thing for the local area to have this race back,” Heed said. “It’s not like a 5K where people come in for the day, run and leave. People are here for four, five days. They stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, see the area and enjoy the local businesses. It’s a good economic shot in the arm for the area.”