The Murray River, 327km and how I plan to conquer it for charity

This is how the Kayak marathon came about. Having camped along the Murray River for over 18 years, paddling in the annual ‘Murray Marathon’ was always something I wanted to do. The race was held between Christmas and New Years Eve and would pass our campsite each year. Unbeknown to me, the race dates have actually changed which would have allowed very little planning and training, so now I have planned my very own Kayak Marathon.

My goal is to cover 327km of the Murray River over four days, starting in Yarrawonga on the 27th of December and ending in Torrumbarry on the 30th of December, to raise $3000 for Child's Play Queensland. The Murray River is Australia’s longest river and runs predominantly along the Victoria and New South Wales border. Day 1 and 2 will be the longest, covering 93 and 94 kilometres, respectively.

One of the first things I’ve learnt on my journey, is that kayaking is much harder than what I thought. Being a novice paddler, my first instinct (other than trying not to fall out) was to push the boat forward using my arms, not only did I find this tough, but I soon realised that there was no way I could paddle for four days like that. Consequently, I’ve been researching and learning the most efficient paddling techniques, as well as getting my hands on the best kayak for the job.

With only 10 weeks till kick off, I sure have a lot of work to do. Knowing why I am doing it is the best motivation I need.

The guys at Rosco Canoes and Kayaks have put me in the RaiderX sea kayak for this weekend.  I will be heading out from Norman Creek tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes!

To Donate, please click on the link below.

https://give.everydayhero.com/au/blane-s-kayak-marathon