Growing support for Tweed River paddle club marathon

NEARLY 100 competitors turned out for the second running of the Tweed 30 Paddle Marathon, which combined prize money with one of the most scenic races on the calendar.

A total of 50 individual and double paddlers took to the Tweed River, while another 39 people were part of the team event.

The event was organised by the Currumbin Creek Paddlers Club, with competitors ranging in age from 14 to 79-years-old.

Tweed paddler John Wilkie was the overall winner in a single kayak, finishing in two hours, 11 minutes and 25 seconds.

Currumbin Creek Paddlers Club president Peter Hickey was pleased with the growing number of competitors, mix of craft and the spread of age groups participating.

“It was great to see paddlers from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast support this longer event on the paddle calendar,” he said.

“And it was pleasing to get support from the outrigger and prone paddling community to broaden and increase the number of craft competing.”

The first relay team across the line was a mixed age double crew from Currumbin’s Lake Orr facility, including juniors Kaiden Scott and Killian Quigley.

There was an international flavour with Tomas Cook and Guido Ghirardhi from Argentina joining Gold Coast veterans Tony Brown and Matt Rowland.

The other winners included Steve Coulter (single ski), Mark Murray and Amanda Kyneur (double ski), Jack Herden (single outrigger), Gavin Jordan and Deb McKean-Nunan (double outrigger), Rowan Liebmann (sea kayak), John Newcombe and John Rysn (double scull) and Mick Di Betta (prone).

All competitors finished within three hours and 15 minutes and enjoyed complimentary Subway sandwiches and flavoured milk after the race.

Hickey thanked the Murwillumbah Rowing Club for allowing them to use their facilities and Scott Sharples from Paddle Queensland.

There was also support from Marine Rescue NSW, which provided crew for water safety, while Twin Towns donated club vouchers.

The next race of the season on the Tweed River will be the Chinderah Chase on October 6, which is part of the Pacific Coast Marathon Series.

It offers paddlers the choice of five, 10 or 15km distances of a figure-of-eight course around two small islands in the river.