New Tweed 30 race joins paddle marathon championships

THE INAUGURAL Tweed 30 Marathon paddle event hits the scenic Tweed River on Sunday, July 31.

The race starts at the Murwillumbah Rowing Club and finishes at the Jack Evans Boat Harbour at the mouth of the Tweed River.

The event is the longest of the Pacific Coast Marathon Championships at 30 km, and participants can also form teams to compete in 10-11 km stages.

Event manager and treasurer for the event host Currumbin Creek Paddle Club Grant Epple said that it had been in planning for some time.

“The Tweed River is an underutilised waterway for paddlers, and we do hold annual figure eight race events at Chinderah each October,” he said.

“We hope to develop the Tweed 30 as an annual signature endurance event for more experienced paddlers.”

For serious paddlers, the race will provide a challenging lead-up to endurance paddling events, the Vaikobi 14 Beaches Ocean Race and Paddle Australia Canoe Ocean Racing Championships on August 3.

On a run-out tide, the downstream paddle will travel past some of the Tweed’s most stunning river scenery and the areas picturesque riverside towns.

For spectators cheering on, a coffee van is available at the Murwillumbah starting point, and complimentary food and drinks will be offered at the Tweed Heads finish.

Organisers hope that the race becomes a permanent fixture of the marathon series.

The course is unique in offering elite paddlers an opportunity for a longer paddle as well as allowing the less experienced athletes to form a relay team with changeovers at Tumbulgum and Chinderah.

Stage one runs from the Murwillumbah Rowing Club to Tumbulgum, stage two is from Tumbulgum to Chinderah, and the final, third leg is from Chinderah to Jack Evans Boat Harbour.

Check-in for single, double, and relay entrants will be from 7 am to 8 am.

The SUP race starts at 8.30 am with the mass start at 9 am. Prize money of $200 is on offer for first-place male, female, and double-boat contestants.