Liverpool’s iconic waterfront is set to become the centre of the UK’s paddlesport scene this month as the British National Paddling Championships arrive in the city.
The prestigious event, held by GBSUP, will welcome hundreds of competitors from across the country to Liverpool’s historic docklands, where athletes will battle it out across a series of distance, technical and sprint races for national honours.
Based around the Liverpool Watersports Centre and the city’s famous docks, the championships will showcase some of the country’s best stand-up paddleboard racers on 6-7 June.
On Saturday the site will open at 8:00 am for comeptitiors whilst on Sunday it will open at 7:45 am.
The event will also be offering opportunities for junior, leisure and grassroots paddlers to get involved and you will have the chance to spot them on our Explore Liverpool live cam.
Three Race Formats Across Liverpool’s Historic Docks
One of the headline events will be the Distance Race, which will take place on a flat-water course through Liverpool’s iconic docks.
The route will start at Race HQ at the Liverpool Watersports Centre before competitors complete clockwise laps through the dock system, finishing at the northern end of the course in Salthouse Dock.
High Performance paddlers, including 14-foot hard board and inflatable SUP competitors, Challenge class entrants and Under-18 juniors, will tackle a demanding 10km course.
Under-15 juniors and leisure adult competitors will race over 5km, while children aged under 12 can take part in a 2km fun race.
The championships will also feature a Technical Race designed to test paddlers’ skill and agility.
The course will include a mix of left and right turns and multiple laps, with the provisional route running alongside the Liverpool Watersports Centre at Queens Dock.
An alternative course location may be used in Salthouse Dock.
In the technical discipline, high-performance paddlers will compete over approximately 4km, while Under-15 juniors and leisure adults will race over 2km. The Kids Fun Race will cover approximately 1km.
National Titles on the Line in Sprint Showdowns
The action-packed Sprint competition will take place in Salthouse Dock and the northern section of the dock system.
Featuring a straight-line course between designated finish markers, the event promises some of the most exciting racing of the weekend.
Sprint racing will follow a heat-to-final format, with between eight and ten paddlers in each heat.
The first four athletes across the finish line will progress, while competitors will have two opportunities to qualify for the quarter-finals, semi-finals or finals depending on fleet sizes.
High Performance competitors will race over 150 metres, while Under-15 paddlers will contest 100-metre sprints.
Leisure adults and under-12 participants will compete over 75 metres.
With national championship titles at stake and Liverpool’s stunning waterfront providing a spectacular backdrop, the British National Paddling Championships are expected to attract competitors and visitors from across the UK.
So make sure you get a good spot to watch!
