Marathon Racing Committee
Summary of our Strategic Plan for 2017-21
Background
This plan exists because of the broader aim of British Canoeing to provide a clearer direction for the sport as a whole. But it is also a great opportunity for Marathon to clarify where it is going and ensure our future success.
The MRC is in a unique position among the discipline committees of British Canoeing, in that 50% of our income comes directly from our racing clubs and members through levies on race entries; and the remainder through a central grant. This means we have a very clear requirement to represent the interests of clubs and racing members first.
Marathon is in good health. In 2016 there were over 12,000 race entries and over 70 regional or national events held. 115 clubs took part in “Class A” races. Of these, 57 clubs organised a race and 35 qualified a team through to the Hasler Final. 61 clubs fielded more than 10 racing members over the season.
In the last four years, Great Britain teams have won sixteen medals at European, and seven at World Marathon Championships (the latter may be improved upon this year). This has been achieved despite the absence of many of our best racers, who have been discouraged from pursuing success in marathon in order to focus exclusively on sprint.
Where will Marathon Racing be in four years?
Marathon Racing participation numbers in the UK will have continued to grow. We will have established a discipline-specific coaching network, that ensures the right skills are available to all clubs and paddlers to achieve whatever their aims may be in the sport.
We will have supported the ambitions of more talented and committed marathon racers to reach the level of representing Great Britain internationally, and win more major championship medals.
Finally, the MRC will have administered the discipline to the satisfaction of both marathon racing participants and the British Canoeing Board.
Marathon’s strategic objectives for 2017-21
- Continue to deliver successful national and regional marathon competition
Carry on the success of the Hasler Series and Final, and National Championships, considering how we can make the major events manageable without diluting the level of competition.
Improve the resources available to race organisers, including best practice race packs and access to the BC membership database in an enhanced race management software package.
Evolve the competition structure for under 12s to improve progression from the single-design Lightning and Hody K2 classes.
2. Develop a network of club-based, qualified marathon race coaches which meet the needs of all participants from beginners to elite athletes.
Continue to lead development of the new marathon-specific coaching qualifications, helping clubs where possible to become course providers and to qualify as many volunteers as possible.
Establish a network of club racing coaches in each region, to spread coaching expertise,coordinate athlete development and inter-club opportunities, and optimise the resource offered by the TD/PD, so that young talent is able to remain club-based and enjoy the full range of our sport.
3. Support athlete development with a clear pathway to international success
Building on the talent pathway within clubs and regions, we will continue to provide athlete development opportunities, including the national training group and development internationals, for those building towards future international selection.
Recognising the pressures on our young athletes, particularly in the exam season, we will work closely with sprint stakeholders to minimise clashes and pressures in the calendar.
Finally, we will aim for as full a programme of international commitments as our limited budgets can permit, deciding each season on the appropriate budget and level of athlete contribution required to deliver it.
4. Use new technology to strengthen communications within and about the sport
The MRC’s website, shared with the SRC, may be well used but we must recognize the opportunities in better delivery of content and services to the racing community. Race details, race entry, more engaging content like GPS data or video, are all areas where we could enhance the performance of the site for everyone from established racers to public enquirers.
The racing community is full of talent and knowledge in this area. We will work with British Canoeing’s new digital strategy on how best to pursue opportunities like this to better promote the discipline, but not be held back by it.
5. Maintain existing independent revenue streams and seek new ones.
Half of the MRC’s annual income is raised via the levy, on the understanding that it is used for the development of marathon. The MRC will consult with marathon racing clubs at the ACM on whether to raise this levy to £2.50 per seat. This level of income would allow the MRC to operate a break-even budget from 2017 to 2021, assuming no change in the annual central grant received via BC.
The MRC will continue to work with major championship organisers in particular, to seek local sponsors for the flagship events. However, these races are run at the organising club’s risk and the direct benefit would come to them. This will help ensure the future of major championships.
6. Improve connections to bodies and events doing marathon racing outside the MRC’s remit
The MRC will work with the DW Committee to develop more “challenge” racing,both to encourage potential DW competitors to gain more endurance racing experience before undertaking the full race, and to support the “classic” races in our existing calendar. We will also work with their National Schools Championship to learn from this initiative.
We will seek ways to encourage local race series organisers, such as the various winter series and Hare & Hounds, to be supported by the MRC and participate in the levy scheme.
MRC, July 2017
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