The Full Monty

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A Full Monty and Some

Rob Howard / 05.04.2007

The Full Monty was back for a second time on the weekend spanning the end of March and the beginning of April, and the Spring weather could hardly have been more perfect.

The course and format were the same as last year, with 60km of kayaking on the meandering river Severn, up to 100km of riding either side of the Welsh border, and a 50km overnight trek, most of it along Offa’s Dyke footpath.

For the first time in a UK adventure race there was a ‘bring your own boat’ option. Malibu sit-on-tops were available for those who didn’t do so, or could not find the support crew having your own boat required, but even so a third of the competitors arrived with their own boats.

Some were teams preparing for the World Championships, others had their own kayaks, there was one Canadian canoe … and one pair brought their own Malibu SOT! Some were borrowed from canoe clubs at a modest cost, and the idea that it is too difficult or costly for racers to supply their own boats in the UK was dismissed. “It cost £40 to join a club and they let us borrow the boat.� Said Gary Vallance.

So, after a quick briefing from Phil Humphreys, it was a mixed assortment of boats that gathered under Frankwell footbridge in central Shrewsbury, ready for the start. The faster kayaks were out in front within a short distance, led by Eddie Winthorpe and Chris McSweeny in their K2, and heading for the short portage around Shrewsbury weir. Then they settled down for the long paddle downstream to Transition one at Cressage.

There were 7 teams of 4 with support, and 7 without, but only 4 had their own boats. All but one were mixed teams, and the majority are entered in the World Championships in 7 weeks time. There were a dozen supported pairs and 10 unsupported, with one female pair in each.See All Event Posts