Hawkesbury Classic Race Day

Arriving at Windsor

On the morning of the race, registration started at 9am and scrutineering for my class was between 10am and 12pm. I arrived with my land crew (Joanne, Guy, Jo and Ross) at 11am, just late enough to make me feel a little tense. There were already hundreds of craft of all shapes and sizes scattered all over the park.

I left my land crew to take the kayak off the roof racks while I ran off to find out where I had to register. Luckily that process was quite simple and took very little time. Next, we gathered all of the compulsory equipment with my kayak

Scrutineering

and headed for the end of the scrutineering line. After a wait of about half an hour we carried my kayak into the scrutineering tent for inspection. To my relief, just a brief look confirmed that I hadn’t forgotten anything crucial and I was provided my boat number 112.

Having completed registration and scrutineering without a glitch we soon found that we then had hours before the start of my race at 4:45pm. We found a shady spot to wait out the afternoon and had some bacon and egg pie that Ross had cook us for lunch. After lunch I walked around to check out the competition, which was many and varied, ranging from simple sit on top single kayaks like my own up to sleek looking  4 man race machines that were as light as a feather and narrow as a board.

Windsor to Wisemans Ferry

On the starting line...I think??

At 4:30pm my class (MRec 1, open) was called to line up at the gates and pass through one more check before entering the water. Once on the water, it quickly became apparent that no one in my class was listening very carefully to the pre race briefing when they had explained the starting procedure. As we all looked at each other somewhat dumfounded and wondering where exactly the starting line was, a slightly agitated man started yelling instructions at us from the bank of the river and before too long, due to good luck more than good management, we were on our way.

It was hard not to get caught up in the excitement and I found myself paddling harder than would usually be recommended for someone wanting to actually complete the whole 111 kilometres!  It had been a hot day and although it was now late afternoon beads of sweat still ran down my forehead into my eyes as I paddled. Remembering a quote I had seen on someone’s T-shirt earlier that day “It’s not a race, it’s an adventure”, I backed off a little and watched the leading boat slowly inch away as we now drew closer to the first main check point.

Topping up my drink

At the 1st main check point (Cattai) my land crew simply topped up my drink and I continued onto the next one, settling into a much easier and more efficient rhythm. By the time I reached the next main check point (Sackville) I had made up some time (based on the ETA’s I had calculated before the race) and was still feeling good. The sun had gone down and it had started to cool off; so while my land crew topped up my drink I donned a beanie, changed into a long sleeve thermal top and pulled my long thermal pants on over my paddling shorts. I quickly scoffed down a muesli bar, had a quick pee behind a conveniently nearby shed and had a brief stretch before setting off again on the longest leg of the trip towards Wisemans Ferry.

At many minor check points along the river, very patient race officials waited to record my boat number (112) that I yelled out as I paddled by. Only four of these minor check points existed between Sackville and Wisemans Ferry but they seemed to be space life times apart! On the last stretch to Wisemans Ferry I started to doubt for the first time if my body would be able to endure the full distance. The back of my shoulders burned and my neck felt very stiff. Muscles in my lower back, that I never knew existed, had began to cramp up a little and a twinge in my right shoulder warned me “your pushing the limit buddy”. At this stage I had paddle further than I ever had during my training (roughly 60Kms) and I knew that I wast literally pushing the limit.

It’s well known that up to a third of competitors pull out of the race at Wisemans Ferry and at the time I could understand why. However thanks to my outstanding landcrew who had gone to the trouble to arrange a hot shower for me and provide a fresh change of clothes, a hot soup and a much needed back rub, I was able to force my aching body back into the kayak for the next long, slow leg of the race against an incoming tide.

Wisemans Ferry  to Brooklyn

About five kilometres out of Wisemans I was passed be someone paddling a TK1. I quickly pulled in behind to take advantage of the slip stream effect generated by the faster kayak and found that after a few kilometres of doggedly sticking with the faster craft, I was able to maintain the same brisk consistent rhythm and I pulled up alongside. After introducing our selves, Leah mentioned that in a couple kilometres there was another pit stop maned by some volunteers that provide hot tea, coffee and scones to weary paddlers who wished to stop there. Well, a couple of kilometres turned into a couple more and the twinge in my shoulder from earlier on had turned into an ache. I couldn’t keep going at that pace and as I stopped paddling to rest my aching shoulder I watching Leah disappear into the darkness. After a brief stop I managed to talk myself into picking up the paddle and keep going. I rounded the next bend and right before me was the pit stop Leah had promised me, with a large glowing camp fire on the beach and about a dozen other paddler enjoying hot drinks and warming themselves by the fire. The timing could not have been better.

Leah and I teamed up again as we left the pit stop and soon resumed the same brisk kilometre eating rhythm. Over the next couple of hours we passed large numbers exhausted paddlers as we relentlessly continued our pace and I chose to ignore my right shoulder that was now screaming at me to stop. At this point there was only one main check point left (Spencer) where I had organised to meet my landcrew. It was not far ahead and beyond that, there were only 12.5 kilometres to the finish. Leah explained that most paddlers don’t stop there, with the finish being so close and the check point being about half a kilometre off course. But I had already arranged it with my crew so I said goodbye as I veered off toward Spencer.

Spencer at about 4:30am

I arrived at Spencer at about 4:30 in the morning were once again my landcrew tended to all my needs and gave me the encouragement needed to press on to the finish.

The last 12.5 kilometres were painful. With my shoulder hating me for every stroke and multiple other body parts planning a mutiny I was unbelievably grateful to turn the last bend and see the Mooney Mooney Bridge illuminating the finish line. For a while it felt like it wasn’t getting any closer but then I could make out the tiny figures of hundreds of people cheering me on and at the very front was my beautiful wife and the rest of my land crew and family. Despite my outraged and exhausted body I experienced a surge of energy and paddled strongly to the finish line and landed heavily on the boat ramp. Feeling a little dazed, I staggered to my feet and took a moment to reflect on the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic, “a fun paddle for a serious cause”. I considered how hard it had been for me to complete the 111 kilometre paddling marathon and then compared that to how hard it might be to deal with a diagnosis of leukaemia. In that moment of perspective I decided that the paddle had not been so hard after all and I would be back to do it all again next year.

A big thank you to all the people who make this awesome event possible every year. Anyone involved in this event in any way, be it organisers, volunteers, paddlers, crew or supporters, you should all be immensely proud of your selves and I am extremely grateful.

Hawkesbury Classic Farmiliarisation Paddle

A Kayaking Milestone (Well 50 of them actually)

Hi there supporters,

I’ve got something exciting to share with you.  As you know, since early this year I have been training for the Hawkesbury Classic. This has included paddling distances of 10, 20 or 30 kilometres as regularly as I’ve had the chance. My fitness and endurance has been slowly building up to the point where to day I completed a 50 kilometres paddle. I completed this paddle in 6.5 hours including a half hour lunch break.

While the 20 not head winds for the last 10 kilometres  made for a very challenging paddle, I still felt good by end and I knew I had more left in me. It feels great having completed such a big paddle and it has given me the confidence to trust that I have the endurance to finish the Hawkesbury Classic.

With not long to the event now, I will only have the opportunity for just a few more training paddles, one of which will be a familiarization paddle on the Hawkesbury River, starting from the actually starting point of the race. I’m looking forward to that, as it will be done in the evening to give us a feeling of what it is like paddling in the dark on the night of the Classic. I plan to treat it as a dress rehearsal, carrying all the gear that I will need for the actual race. Stay tuned in and I’ll let you know how I go.

Till next time,

Lance Jenkins.

A Paddler’s Paradise

Hi everyone,

I have some great news, firstly I want to congratulate you all for helping Kayak For Cause raise over $1000 so far, that’s a great effort and I thank you all for your help and support in achieving that. Secondly I have recently moved to the south coast of NSW (near Bega)and it is literally a paddler’s paradise here on the coast. I have now got endless places to go paddling and they are all so beautiful. I’ve been for a paddles up the coast between Tathra and Bermagui and I’ve been for a kayak on the Bega River and there are many other rivers, lakes, inlets, harbours and bays to go paddling in. All this will be a great help in the last couple months of preparation leading up to the big day of the Hawkesbury Classic.

Here’s a quick vid to show you what I’m talking about.

“You Have Cancer” A Paddlers’ Story

Hi there, this touching story was provided by the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic Association and I just wanted to share it with you.

I competed in the 2008 Hawkesbury Canoe Classic
111km overnight race/paddle down the Hawkesbury
River. This is an annual mecca for kayak and canoe
enthusiasts plus anyone else looking to test their
abilities on the water or who just has that needed
dash of insanity. It is also a key fund raising event for
the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation that
supports patients and families dealing with
leukaemia, and other diseases treatable by bone
marrow transplants, as well as funding medical
research.
Using some of the 15 minutes of fame that Andy
Warhol has promised us all, the organisers allowed
my family and me to draw the raffle, one part of the
event’s fundraising. I was given this honour because
six years ago I underwent a bone marrow transplant
at St. Vincent’s Public Hospital for leukaemia and
now enjoy each day of good health given to me by
the medical team and those who help fund them.
What I wanted to tell each of the 500+ paddlers is
that not only were they taking part in one of
Australia’s great endurance sporting events but they
were also helping to give hope to the many in
Australia that have to deal with this type of cancer.
Other than cancer I also suffer from embarrassment
and didn’t say a word hence this note.
Hope can be a powerful thing.
In 2001 I heard 3 words that should never be put
together “you have cancer”. I had finally settled
down in Sydney after spending most of my twenties
bouncing around Africa doing things that should have
seen me dead many times over. Married the girl of
my dreams and was enjoying raising my 10 month
old daughter.
Not fair! This is the response of many who hear these
three words including me. I consider myself a
reasonable person and try to do right by others. But I
began to wish someone else had this cancer, not me.
Let someone else fight this – someone who didn’t
have a young family, who hadn’t decided to live the
safe life, who didn’t care. Cancer is a dangerous thing
on many levels and can defeat you mentally as well
as physically.
Fortunately I have a very supportive and close family,
a great medical team at St. Vincent’s Public Hospital
and the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation
backing me. Cancer has brought me to my physical
and proverbial knees many times but I have been
lucky, some say I have made it.
I have and will always fight to hold onto my health. I
have realised what I have to lose, it isn’t anything
that can be brought or sold.
It is wanting to grow old with my wife, wanting to
get angry with my daughter about her future
boyfriends, wanting to walk her down the aisle when
God finally produces the perfect man, having a beer
or three with my son, the list goes on. Since my
transplant I have trained for and competed in my first
Ironman then three more after that, two with my wife.
I had always wanted to compete in “The Classic” but
the timing always clashed with my triathlon training.
Post transplant I do fatigue easily. I struggle with
people sneezing on the other side of the country
causing me to come down with a cold. I have had
numerous rounds with pneumonia, shingles, hernia
and other weird bugs. I am also a coward and scared
of missing out on anything, so I will do most things
to stay around!
One thing cancer does give that I wouldn’t change is
raw emotion. Many people don’t understand this and
confuse it with the canned stuff delivered on TV.
Strip everything away and you learn to truly feel. My
family, friends, Ironman Triathlon and now The
Classic has given me this, without the need for
radiation and chemo! At 3:30am on Sunday I was
roughly 85km into the race, it was dark, I was wet
and cold and my body was screaming out to stop. I
was experiencing dizzy spells and began to worry
about tipping my kayak.
I then began to blubber like an idiot. I’m not a good
enough writer to put my thoughts into words. I was
thinking about everyone who had not won their
battles with cancer and those that would one day have
to face it. I was thinking of my wonderful wife,
daughter and son.
I find testing myself physically and mentally gives
me some sort of childish assurance that I am strong. I
have experience looking down at my crying infant
daughter and not having the strength to pick her up.
Never again. Others find this strength from their own
sources, it is important that we all find this to
succeed. One common thing that I know in my heart
is that it is a million times harder to do this without
hope.
The organisers and participants in the Hawkesbury
Canoe Classic help give this hope. The people at the
Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation and the
medical teams they help support give hope.
There will always be hope while people like this are
there. That is our true wealth.
Thank you.
Darren Williams, paddler 2008
(Source: Hawkesbury Canoe Classic Association)

About the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic

The Hawkesbury Canoe Classic is a fun paddle with a serious purpose. Each year around 600 paddlers travel 111 km overnight in the moonlight, down the Hawkesbury River from Windsor to Brooklyn, to raise money for charity.

Over the years the race has build into a great community event, with paddlers, their landcrew and hundreds of volunteers converging on the banks of the Hawkesbury at Windsor on the day of the race to enjoy the camaraderie and spirit the race has built.

The race has an excellent safety record, with the long-term health of paddlers over-riding any other considerations.

The first paddlers leave Brooklyn at 4:00pm on Saturday and pass 18 safety checkpoints during the night. The fastest craft arrive at Brooklyn in less than 10 hours, but the average time is closer to 15 hours.

The Classic has been run since 1977 and is made possible by volunteers who put in hundreds of hours of time throughout the year, landowners who allow us the use of their land for the weekend and the paddlers and their support crews.

The Classic has raised more than $3 million for medical research, with our major charity being the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation.

(taken from http://www.canoeclassic.asn.au/about/)

Lance Jenkins

Kayaking Techniques

Coaching From One Of The Worlds Best Paddlers.

Hi there,

I thought I would share this video with you all. It’s a great little video created by Guy Leech & Tom Woodriff that I have used to improve my paddling technique. It’s really well presented and has lots of good tips for anyone starting out in kayaking or just wanting to improve their paddling skills. Enjoy.

Kayak For Cause Goes Live On Facebook

Facebook is one of, or possibly, the fastest growing site on the web. In fact, I heard just the other day that social networking now generates more online traffic than PORN!!! So I figured if that’s the case, than Kayak For Cause needs to get a piece of that action…not that action… the social networking action. So I have now set up a “Facebook Cause” for Kayak For Cause and we have started recruiting supporters already. If you want to join the cause on Facebook or if you just want to check it out have a look at: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/337543/79186608?m=6987e7df

Thanks for you support,

Lance Jenkins

Indoor Training Program For Kayaking

Working Out In The Great Indoors…

Hi guys,

Well after braving the cold for weeks, common sense has kicked in and I have found a great gym where I can continue my training, by working out in the comfort of “The Great Indoors”.

The local YMCA have the perfect place where for only $60 a month I can use all their facilities, including:
Gym
Personal Coach
Fitness Classes
Swimming Pool
Spa
Sauna

The first thing I did after joining was to book an appointment with a personal coach. It was great, we sat down and she asked if I had any specific goals. Apart from just wanting to look “ripped!!”  obviously I mentioned that I was in training for the Hawkesbury Classic and my main focus was to continue working the main muscle groups used while paddling.

As a paddler, I wanted a workout that concentrates on my abdominal muscles, my entire torso and my shoulders, but with a 111kms to paddle my primary concern was on my endurance. For this I wanted to focus on aerobic exercise (like cycling and the rowing machine) that would give me a good cardio workout.

We worked together to design a workout program that was tailored specifically to achieving the best results for my kayaking.

I’ve been going to the gym now for a couple of weeks and already I have notice improvement in both my strength and endurance. I haven’t been for an actual kayak in that time though and I look forward seeing a couple of warmer days as spring draws nearer and I get the chance to get back on the water.

Thanks you for all your support and keep in touch.

Regards

Lance Jenkins.

Donation Link Now Available

Supporting Medical Research Into The Treatment Of Leukaemia

Hi everyone,

I have, just this week, discovered that the Hawkesbury Classic 2009 website is now up and running. This means that I have printed off and signed my competitor forms and I am now officially registered to compete in the race. This also means that there is now a link available where you can go and sponsor me for the event.

Signing The Forms

I have included a link in the right hand side column of this website where you see the green and white image of a kayaker. For those of you wishing to sponsor me you can click this link which takes you to a page where it will ask you to “Search Entrant” at this point simply enter my name (Lance Jenkins) in the search field and click the submit button. Then select my name from the search results that appear below. You can choose to view my profile and then follow the “Sponsor Me” link to make a donation via credit card. If you do not have a credit card and would like to sponsor me via another method, please feel free to contact me via email at lance@educationforwealth.com

Thanks you so much for all of you generous help and support, I really do appreciate it and on behalf of the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation and all the leukemia patients that have benefited from the foundations research, thank you for your kind donation.

Kind Regards

Lance Jenkins