In twenty years of canoeing I have done just about every kind of event, from the non-stop 200 km flat water classic of the Devizes-Westminster to the frenzy of World Championship Wild Water Racing. Surfing the net I stumbled upon a web site advertising 'The World's Greatest White Water Race' (http://www.avondescent.asn.au). I was immediately curious.

Perth, Australia was the venue - the Avon River the setting. Reading through the details it all seemed pretty straight forward. Some flat water, some Grade 2 and 3 rapids and some wooded sections. It all sounded very manageable. So I set off for Australia to do this epic. A bruised body and bruised ego followed - but I did finish.

My overall summary of this race is simple - it is the most complete test of marathon canoe racing in the world.

So what is it that makes this race so special?

Each obstacle on the course taken in isolation is not in itself a major problem. Grade 2/3 rapids, long flat sections, shallows and overgrown tree sections are all components of various popular descent races here in Europe, but it is the combination of ingredients in this brutal race that make it so special.

The 133 kilometres is long enough to require a Devizes-Westminster style approach to distance.

The stage format will be familiar to anyone who has raced in Denmark's Guedena Marathon.

A nice easy weir in the first 500 meters kicks the race off in a style similar to England's Exe Descent.

The first 30 kilometres of shallows are very much like Spain's Sella Descent.

The 15 kilometres of non-stop dense thickets of ti-trees are reminiscent of the 'Jungle' section of Ireland's Liffey Descent, although the Avon's trees make the Liffey's arboreal offerings seem like a well groomed privet hedge.

The 40 kilometre valley section builds gradually until the technical difficulty is comparable to Wales's River Tryweryn, site of two Wild Water World Championships. The Tryweryn may be perfectly manageable to most competent wild water boat paddlers, but when did you last see a Sprint K2 taking on Bala Mill Fall!

Finally the last 30 kilometres of flat tidal waters may well compare with the Thames Tideway in England's Devizes-Westminster but represents a long hard slog in a boat that has been thumping over rapids and shallows and is now covered in dents and scars.

So how did I get on?

I suppose I should have seen the warning signs in the little details.

Compulsory helmets in Sprint boats! Never heard of such a requirement before. Smashing my head on an overhanging bough while running a grade three rapid flat out in a K2 made me see the wisdom of this rule.

The fact that all the other K2s had enormous wild water racer style decks and strong rounded bows should have alerted us to what lay ahead. Striking a submerged boulder head on at full speed on a relatively easy rapid soon brought home the wisdom of local boat choice and our folly in racing a standard Sprint K2. After day one a podium finish looked possible. A crumpled bow with 60 kms to go took the speed out of our boat and saw us fade back to eighth place by the finish. We were given a prize for the best 'novice' crew which says something about the organisers' idea of the difficulty of this event.

So what did I learn?

A big, big boat with strong rounded bow is essential for the continuous rapids of The Valley. To be able to bounce over waves and glance off rocks becomes very important when your reflexes are dulled by hours of running rapids. An electric pump is the only practical solution to keeping the boat dry. The flat sections between rapids are too short to try to rely on conventional foot pumps. Tiller bar rudders are completely out, fast acting pedals are a must on sections when the K2 is paddled more like a slalom C2 with lots of steering inputs coming from the back man. This was the first time I ever used a cross-bow rudder stroke in a K2! This is not a race for sticking a flat water superstar in the back seat to power you to victory. You would probably loose him in the ti-trees!

Shorter river racing paddles are preferable to full size sprint paddles. While the advantage of a shorter paddle is obvious in the shallows and on the rapids, this race just goes on and on and any plans you might have to 'open it up' on the final flat section will be met with a head wind better suited to the smaller paddle anyway.

Food and drink support is very difficult to organise - the access points are few and far between. I carried all my supplies from the start which overall worked better as our rookie support crew found it very difficult to keep track of where we were.

Turning up in Perth one week before the race was cutting it fine. We did get enough time on the course in that week but were a bit tired going into the race. Ten days or even two weeks would have given a less hectic schedule.

The key to paddling a fast race is to learn the route through the ti-trees. A mistake on one of the rapids could cost seconds, a
mistake in the ti-trees could cost many, many minutes.

Finally, the Aussies were great. We were looked after really well. Nick Bruining and Gerry Post from the race committee made us very welcome and we had excellent technical help from top Avon Descenter, Keron Hepworth and from the Davenwood Canoes crew.

Was it worth it?

It is such a long way to go for a canoe race. Was it worth all the money and time? Like I said, this has to be the best overall test of marathon canoe racing in the world. This race has everything. No part of paddling ability is left untested. The 42 km of flat water now the standard for the Marathon World Championships seem a dull, tedious and narrow test in comparison. So yes, it was worth it.

Oh, and apparently kangaroos aren't dangerous - that's useful to know if you ever destroy your boat in the valley and have to run ten miles through the bush!