WORCESTER Canoe Club is to stage the National Canoe and Kayak Marathon Racing Championships.

These will be held on the River Severn over the weekend of July 26-27, with 1,000 paddlers plus many more spectators expected over the two days of racing.

Racing starts at 9.30am on both days and ends at 4.30pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday, followed by the presentation of medals on each day.

The races will vary from U10 and U12 Lightning 2km races to Senior Assessment races for athletes going for selection for Great Britain teams at the World Championships in September. Some foreign teams are expected in the senior classes.

Also there are age group championships for juniors and senior up to O55 for veterans.

Racing for the shortest courses for U10/U12 will start at Sabrina bridge and be a simple loop of 2km. Other courses will be 6.9km, 13.0km, 19.1km and 26.0km according to class.

Starts are all from Sabrina bridge going upstream, and finishes are in front of the club going downstream.

Racing for singles and doubles is in racing kayaks and canoes - very unstable boats designed for speed and demanding great skill. The canoes are even more difficult to paddle as the paddler has to kneel up in his boat.

Longer courses include a portage where the paddlers have to leave the water and carry their boat along a 130m course in front of the Rowing Club before returning to the water - always an exciting part of the race.

Worcester Canoe Club, Fladbury Canoe Club and Hereford Canoe Club will all be represented.

Worcester have George Parker, Claire Moran, Laura Moran and Ben Holmes, who have all paddled at junior international level but Fladbury's James Train, the top junior C1 paddler, will be on sprint duty in Japan at the junior sprint world championships.

Hereford have Jenny Spencer, junior world champion from a few years ago and now a top five senior paddler, and brother Allen Spencer, one of the new top juniors.

The event also includes a community Bell Boat Regatta on the Saturday from 6-9pm.

Local clubs, offices, or families are invited to enter a team of eight paddlers to paddle the very stable Bell Boats over 200m races, all equipment provided by the organisers.

No previous experience is required but the event is great fun and a challenge for all competitors.

For details on how to enter, telephone Graham Campbell on 07768-512934 or visit the club website at www.worcestercanoeclub.org.uk

Also on the Saturday at 5pm, a memorial will be unveiled to long-time Worcester Canoe Club member Alan Edwards, who died last year.

He was instrumental in the building of the current club, and paddled for Great Britain in two Olympic Games.