Foreword by
Shane Cronin
Story by
Iain MacLean
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Started back in 1959 as an inter-club event, the illustrious Liffey Descent marathon race now attracts paddlers from all corners of the globe and is a major event on the ICF racing calendar.
The 59th International Liffey Descent
In terms of challenge and difficulty as a descent race, the closest possible comparison that exists is the Exe Descent, sadly which no longer takes place but it lives on in British paddling folklore.
The race course consists of 10 weirs and one portage. It starts within the grounds of the world-famous K Club in Straffan, Co. Kildare and finishes 30+ kilometres later at the Garda Boat Club, Islandbridge, Dublin.
With an entry field capped at 100 competitors, approximately a third of entries are in the true racing classes and the remaining places are taken up with recreational paddlers. Many world-class athletes take part on an annual basis and its not uncommon to find yourself in the car park with current and ex-world champions all soaking up the atmosphere.
Many canoe clubs, both international and domestic, attend the event, returning year after year, adding to the fun and experience of the entire race weekend. Camping and camper parking is available free onsite with shower and changing facilities too. With easy access into Dublin via the ferry from Holyhead or Fishguard its certainly worth considering?
The race is in very auspicious company with other international world-class descent races, the Krunlov, Ardeche, Adige, Dusi and Berg, the unique challenge that the Liffey Descent race course offers is the attraction. The other attractions of course are the almost guaranteed water levels and the Irish welcome.
After the race, there is plenty of time and space to network and socialise when competitors, volunteers and their families congregate in the welcoming clubhouse. There is also the world famous after-race party at the race finish.
So what can you expect from the 2018 race?
So this year’s race takes place on the 15th September, which is strategically placed a week after the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Portugal. Early indications are good, given the close proximity of Dublin to Portugal and the reasonable transfer costs, that we will have a strong international entry, we already have many in!
The race is also the first in the 2018/2019 Canoe Marathon Classic Series, which is another attraction to international competitors. See more here: www.canoeicf.com/canoe-marathon-classic-series
Iain MacLean competed in his 50th Liffey Descent last year and we marked the significant achievement with a specially commissioned presentation from Dublin Crystal. We asked him to write a piece on what the Liffey Descent mean to him, we hope you enjoy it.
Shane Cronin
A Liffey Descent Note
Words by Iain MacLean
I fell in love with the Liffey Descent over 50 years ago when I first encountered the event as a young man. I had been regaled with stories from older paddlers of the excitement and dangers of the race. Taken with the length of the race relative to others of the time and an aura of magic and uncertainty, it was established in my mind and I just had to take part as I have done almost every year since. This attitude might seem naïve but bear in mind this was a time long before the internet, when car ownership was limited and every canoe in the country was known.
Since then I have rarely lived close to the river and have often travelled from afar to take part. This has helped to maintain the magic for me, as Straffan Weir has usually been the first rough water I encounter each year. I do not recommend this approach but it is one which I have been unable to avoid.
For many such a level of magic may no longer exist, but uncertainty continues, especially for those shooting Straffan Weir for the first time in the actual event. Such uncertainty remains a big attraction especially for younger participants in the event.
“To win.”
In contrast world-class paddlers avoid uncertainty in their quest to add their names to the roll of winners. The Spanish K2 winners in 2017 were interviewed after the event asked, “Why did you enter the race?” The reply was, “To win.”
A wonderful aspect of the event is that it caters for both these aspects, along with the wide range of differing ambitions held by competitors. These may be as simple as not falling out or finishing ahead of a colleague from the same club.
The event has changed with the passing years although the nature of the river remains unaltered. The equipment used has advanced from the soft-skinned kayaks of the very earliest days, through the era of fragile soft-topped fibreglass models to the Kevlar and plastic boats of today. Paddles have evolved from the symmetrical un-feathered type, through asymmetric blades, to today’s hollow shafted ‘wing paddles’ and paddlers are generally much fitter. This has resulted in less damage to boats and greatly improved times.
Lucky escape
However, real danger still exists as illustrated by the lucky escape, in 2015, of a UK pair who had the misfortune to have their boat wrapped around the bridge pier in Leixlip, trapping the rear paddler by his legs. The rapid response of the rescue team ensured that the paddler was successfully released.
A much larger number of paddlers now take part from within Ireland. Participation has been encouraged with the widening of classes from the original three classes of ‘doubles’, ‘singles’ and ‘ladies’ to the wide variety of classes today.
I would now like to recall my earliest experiences as being indicative of earlier times and attitudes. Having listened to the stories of senior paddlers, which lost nothing in the telling with the weirs and waves becoming ever higher and course longer, my partner and I began to realise we faced a significant challenge. The challenge was enhanced by the fact our boat was of K2 dimensions but of plywood construction.
To address these issues, together with other less experienced colleagues, we decided to paddle the course a week before the event, to see where weirs should be shot and portaged. Of course the river was dry, but this was no deterrent. In those days the race started in Celbridge, so we only had to paddle from there to the last weir at Islandbridge. Even so, this took more than four hours and all of us were tired and intimidated by the length of the race.
Piped to the river
The following week, the event started with boat inspection at Castletown House, after which the paddlers lined up behind Celbridge Pipe Band and were piped to the river. At the start line, each boat had been allotted a position along one of the river banks. When everyone was in position, the start gun was fired, and the race was underway. As we were just paddling the event, we were content to allow the faster boats make their way to the front of the field.
Celbridge Rapids was considered to be quite dangerous and was approached with caution. Fortunately we experienced no difficulty and were looking forward to a steady paddle across the Leixlip Lake to the dam. Everything was fine until we reached the start of the lake where St. Wolstan’s Weir made an appearance for the first time. The scene of carnage had to be seen to be believed as there were capsized boats, paddlers and paddles everywhere. The fastest paddlers had simply hit an unknown weir and didn’t know how to react. By the time we arrived, some degree of order was in place and we were directed down the fish shoot.
At that time, Sluice and Lucan were considered too dangerous to shoot and were portaged. On to Wrens Nest, where we were in time to see our senior colleagues, the tellers of many stories, removing their K2, which had been snapped clean in two.
Rescued puppy
At Palmerstown we made the elementary error of hitting the left hand stopper and swam. There was no rescue in those days. We made it to the end of the wall at the other side, emptied and were ready to go but my partner had rescued a puppy and had lost his paddles. I said, “Get rid of the dog and I will get paddles.”
Among the many stories I had been told was, “Go to the stopper and grab the first set of paddles you find.” This was duly accomplished, my partner collected and off we headed to Butt Bridge. Never have the Quays seemed as long and it was one tired pair that crawled off the steps in search of Tara St. baths. On the way up, there was a cry, “Those are my paddles!” and I said, “Give the man his paddles” and so ended my first experience with the Liffey.
Winning the event calls for a different mindset. World-class paddlers have trained continually for many years and are in top physical condition, having no concern for the distance. Such paddlers ensure their equipment is in perfect condition and know exactly where to shoot each weir. A major concern for them is when and where to maximise their efforts to place maximum pressure on fellow competitors.
Holding the line
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?
Nerves and tension
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. Nervous stories are exchanged and ‘good luck’ is wished.
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.
Crowds of spectators throng the main viewing points, Straffan Bridge, Celbridge, Lucan, Wrens Nest and Palmerstown. 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.
Tradition
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.
