23/08/2025
Thames 200 Ultra Day 1:
RELAY LEADERS - It's a dead heat between Richmond and Chelmsford for the relay win, they've been just seconds apart at each changeover. European Marathon Champion James Russell led Chelmsford's first two legs, completing 64 km in 4 hours 51 minutes. He raced Junior European marathon champs Will Short / Alex Worgan off the start, and as fast as the young guys are, they couldn't shake him. For section 2, George Durden stepped in for Richmond and managed to keep the race tight. The river level is even lower than last year, but the first two crews are 8 minutes up on last year's fastest crew at the halfway point.
RELAY 3/4 - The race for 3rd amongst relay teams is just as close, where Bradford have been back and forth with Team No Buoys Allowed. But the all-women all-star team is swapping from K2s to K1s for the final sections of the race, so it's too early to say who will win between them.
CANOE RELAY - Team Green Machine are leading the canoe relay -- these paddlers are coming off a big win at the Yukon River Quest, and paddling C1s and C2s was an advantage over their competitors C4 Barbarians who might be able to pick up speed as the race goes on and portages are less frequent.
NON-STOP SOLO - Tom Diaper and Isaac Blackman have been sharing leads and looking strong, it looks like they'll stick together through the night and maybe start ramping things up in the morning to try to avoid a sprint finish. Harry Gilbert is further back, but still determined to get the finish he missed out on last year. Chris Davison is comfortably leading the SUPs, looking exactly like the pro he is, all the way down to some clever kit adjustments to make the steep portages easier.
NON-STOP DOUBLES - Russell Meyer / Christopher Marett led off the start, but Mike Rees-Clark / Karina Rees-Clark have been steadily closing the gap... Mike is the defending champion and a top ultra paddler, but his wife Karina is new to paddling since only a few months! But she's been training hard and learning from one of the best, so spirits should be high for the couple who could be serious contenders for the win.
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Live again Sunday morning!!
