It is the longest paddling marathon in the world....404km over 5 days. It has been running for about 42 years.

It finishes on New Years Eve every year, so what a way to see in the New year. The race starts in NSW and finishes in Victoria

There is an OC6 relay this year and I have been winding up the Aussies. A relay consists of 4 crews. Each crew would do about a 20km leg, but on the first 3 days, one crew must paddle twice.

You can go iron and do the whole race if you want. You can paddle any craft so OC1, OC2 or OC6...sea kayak, K1, Tk1, Surf ski, Canadian Canoe etc. you name it...there is a category. You can join a relay team or do it all on your own.

It is down river so it is all flat water with a current. Most OC1 that do the whole course, ....do it in under 40 hours so that current must be a bit of a runner.
They have about 1200 craft a year so it is also one of the biggest regatta in the world. I think there will be a lot more craft this year.

One Aussie guy, Rod Clark, senior Master, is going to do the whole race rudderless. Are there any Kiwis that are mad enough to race him? Rod has 7 Murrays under his belt so he is no easy beat.
I want to do it iron but I will leave the rudder on for my first Murray encounter... and I just want to finish!

Willy Morris is the OC1 record holder, and he is well into his 50's. I think he does the 404km in around 28 hours.

The cost per paddler is $400 but that is in sponsorship. So the more people that sponsor you the less you have to pay.
Sponsorship is tax deductible here... but seeing as it is the YMCA it may apply in NZ...don't really know?

Accommodation is camp grounds along the course.

Camp grounds and facilities are FREE to paddlers and support crews.

so for $400 bucks you get 5 days of racing and accommodation then you get to party into the new yeah!
If you get 20 people to sponsor you for 20 bucks then it is at no cost.. beside arifares eeek :-)

It would be really great if you could get some Kiwi talent over... otherwise it is 1 nervous kiwi verses 1200 gun Aussies.
So..if you could put the shout out to all paddlers...let it be OC1, OC2 OC6, relay or iron and in all adult age groups male , female, mixed.

Kind regards

Daniel La'ulu