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Marathon

Long distance endurance and strategy

While in Flatwater Racing events, paddlers race on a straight course, Marathon Racing involves paddling sleek racing craft over long distances, on either the flatwater of lakes, and dams, or the flowing water of a river. Traditional Marathon Racing competitions, like ICF World Cup and World Championships, involve a fixed flatwater course with regular portages, where the paddler must carry the canoe or kayak. Each race lasts approximately 3 hours.

Many popular marathons are raced down sections of river, where the paddler must negociate the currents, rapids or weirs, or else portage around these obstacles. Some of these events attract over 2000 athletes each year and are often run inseveral stages over several days.

DOCUMENTS can be found here.

ECA Competitions

2026 PADDLE EUROPE MARATHON ...
June 21. - 28. 2026, Pitesti, ROU
January 1. 2027, Mirandela, POR
All competitions

NEWS

Europe shines at Canoe Marathon World Cup in China during another busy international canoeing ...
Europe shines at Canoe Marathon World Cup in China during another busy international canoeing ...
The 2026 ICF Canoe Marathon World Cup in Bazhong, China delivered an intense weekend of racing across both short race and classic marathon formats, with European paddlers once again playing a major role at the top of the international field. Read more
ECA Introduces Groundbreaking Innovations in Canoe Marathon looking ahead to Canoe Sprint
ECA Introduces Groundbreaking Innovations in Canoe Marathon looking ahead to Canoe Sprint

The 2025 ECA Canoe Marathon European Championships has concluded with great success in Ponte de Lima, Portugal — and with that, a new chapter in the presentation of canoeing to the world.

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Portuguese and Hungarian Triumph at the Conclusion of the Canoe Marathon European Championships
Portuguese and Hungarian Triumph at the Conclusion of the Canoe Marathon European Championships

The organisers of the 2025 ECA Canoe Marathon European Championships in Ponte de Lima could hardly have hoped for a better end to the competition, as Fernando Pimenta and Jose Ramalho claimed victory in the elite men's kayak double, while Rui Lacerda and Ricardo Coelho took the title in the men's canoe double. The remaining two titles of the day went to Hungary.

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