Competition in distance canoeing has a long history, with famous national races including the Sella Descent in Spain 

which was first held in 1929 and the Devizes to Westminster race in England that began in 1948. It was not until the 1960s that international competitions began to develop, and in 1975 the first steps were taken to have 

Canoe marathon would traditionally have seen competitors race from one point to another across possible combinations of river, lake, estuary and sea while having to navigate around any obstacles, having to carry the boat at times if necessary. This format has developed to encourage a more spectator-friendly approach to the discipline with courses created to be covered in laps with a number of portages (artificial or real).canoe marathon recognised by the International Canoe Federation (ICF). It would be a further nine years until the ICF congress in Sofia, Bulgaria, approved a separate committee for canoe marathon including the introduction of a world championships.

Canoe Marathon National Team (2018)

Find out more about Canoe Marathon on the ICF website (link)

ICF Marathon Rules (PDF)

2018 ACA National Team Selection Criteria (PDF)

2018 ACA National Championships Registration (Link)

2019 Marathon National Championships Bid Document (PDF)