On the first Saturday of November, we made a quick “flying” visit to south central France to check out the annual Ardeche Marathon. With average entries around the 1500 mark, and craft holding up to 9 paddlers(!), we were keen to check out one of the largest marathon races in Europe.
After booking all the flights, car hire, accomodation, canoe rental and negotiating the race entry details on the race website, we arrived at our local accomodation in good time, planning to collect our race packs the following morning. BIG MISTAKE!
We arrived river-side in good time on Saturday morning expecting a flurry of organisers waiting to greet us and usher us to the starting line. Not so. Once we figured there were not one but TWO starting lines with TWO different starting times and little official organisation, we resigned to have a leisurely river trip instead of a race.
Starting after the 10am start but before the 11am one, we cruised out under Pont D’Arc to get ahead of the pack and get a feel of the water. Water levels were about average for this time of year but not particularly high so we knew there would be work to be done in the flatter stretches between the rapids.
Our first indication that the main pack of the race were approaching was the TV chopper whirring crazily overhead. The racing K2s were obviously the first ones to over-take us, followed by the K1s and Wildwaters racers.
Overall, the leisure rather than race option proved good as it gave us a moving spectators view of the race itself and we could take our time thru the rapids. Overall not a hugely technical race and with the fly-drive-rent option, not one that will break the bank for a quick weekend away in early November.
And now the most important bit, the after race dinner!
Frog’s Legs, Snails and Baked Alaska
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