When is the liffey descent

A major concern for them is when and where to maximise their efforts to place maximum pressure on fellow competitors. Top paddlers choose carefully where to join the line at the start. Their most serious competitors will be watched and the behaviour of the starter noted.

A game is then played between the paddlers and the starter. This is a game normally won by the paddlers who start the race as soon as they sense the starter can no longer hold the line. It is then flat out to Straffan Weir as getting to the weir first is vital as only the shoot beside the steps is considered by top paddlers. Arriving first provides an opportunity for a clean shoot and the possibility of a break from the field immediately below the weir, though in an evenly matched field such a break is unlikely as a long way remains to the finish.

Top paddlers tend to stay close together keeping an eye on each other and watching for possible mistakes or other opportunities presented by the opposition.

Weirs and the portage provide natural points to attempt to make a winning move but if the boats remain close together until the finish, it becomes a game of cat and mouse. Is it more advantageous to be in front or to sit slightly behind on the wash and doing less work? Either way, the moment to strike for the line is vital, timing the effort is everything and you only have to hit the front at the line to win. The greatest feeling of success falls to the first K2 who arrive to see no other boat on the bank at the finish.

Watching others arrive and seeing the bank gradually fill up with other boats is a unique feeling, which very few get to experience. Whilst competing provides the ultimate challenge, excitement starts to build with the collection of numbers the evening before the event. Excitement heightens the following morning as competitors arrive at the car park in Straffan. The nervous energy is palpable as everyone gets changed and puts the last minute touches to the boats and other equipment to make sure boat inspection is passed.

Many use the opportunity to have a last look at Straffan Weir, how high is the flood? Will I get down safely? The tension continues to build as paddlers move up to the start.

Traffic on the river is busy with boats bumping and it can be difficult to find a secure anchor point above the start lines. The minutes tick slowly by until the K2s are called to the line and the race starts.

As soon as the race is underway, tension disappears and is replaced either by concerns of winning, if you are a leading paddler, or of surviving safely to the finish. A surprising number watch from many other points down the length of the course. Generally, spectators are keen to encourage the paddlers, although undoubtedly some enjoy watching the misfortunes of those who swim.

What competitors fail to appreciate, is the scale of the organisation required for the event particularly on the day itself. The organisation includes stewards, starters and finishers together with the huge rescue team that ensures no serious harm befalls any competitor. The sense of occasion for the event is provided by the commentator at Straffan and later in the event.

What is the magic of the event? It is partly tradition as the event has stood the test of time for almost 60 years with undiminished enthusiasm of the competitors notwithstanding development of many newer sports. It is partly the setting of the event starting as it does in the still largely rural Kildare and arriving in the increasingly urbanised Dublin City. It is partly the contrasting challenge of each weir changing with the volume of water realised by the ESB every year.

It is partly because the event is recognised as a World Classic event alongside those held each year in Spain, Denmark and South Africa. It is partly because the event provides a stern test for elite and also for not so elite paddlers. Finally it is because it is an annual opportunity for all paddlers to come together to enjoy their sport and to reminisce. Boland, Andrew Banks, Malcolm Donnellan, Paul Smith, Aisling Vincent, Richard Honan, Susan Stratford, Daniel Howard, Finnian Gurhy Ciara Kelly Fiona Watkins Van Lonkhuyzen Butler Howell Harris Hearns Full results can be found here — Primal Tracking Liffey Descent Everyone involved in the race plays a part in its success, as with every year it is a huge team effort.

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