Happy paddlers take on Clutha Classic

Wave 2 of the 50km Clutha Classic 50km Kayak Race heads off across Bremner Bay, Lake Wānaka last Sunday. PHOTOS: MARJORIE COOK

Multisporters preparing for next month’s Coast to Coast got a chance to test their paddling form last Sunday during the 50km Clutha Classic kayak race, while other athletes just enjoyed a big day out on the Clutha River.

There were 80 paddlers in the 50km distance and two in the 39km "sprint" distance.

Southern Lakes Multisport Club event organiser Richard Shields said it was a "stunning day" with lots of happy paddlers.

Simon Beardmore of Queenstown, competitor 6, starts with wave 10 in the Clutha Classic 50km kayak race. Beardmore won the vet male (39-49) section in 3 hours 01 mins 02 seconds and was fifth overall.

The overall 50km female and male winners were Wānaka’s Simone Maier, a five-time Coast to Coast Longest Day champion, and Wānaka’s Hamish Elliott, who won the Longest Day last year for the first time.

Maier appeared calm and confident on the start line of Wave 9, as the competitors chatted, laughed and wished each other well before a drama-free start to their race from Bremner Bay, across Lake Wānaka and down the Clutha River to Bendigo Reach.

Elliott also appeared the calmest competitor on the start of the slightly more amped Wave 10, which was due to start about an hour after the first wave of paddlers.

Janet Willis, left, of Southland, and Brent Pihama, of Wānaka, dig in at the start of the 2025 Clutha Classic 50km kayak race last Sunday.

Wave 10 featured the top seeded male paddlers — three in the open category (18-35 years), one in the veteran age group (36-49) and three in the classic group (50+).

About a minute before Wave 10 was due to start, Queenstown paddler Steve Norton announced his boat was taking on water.

Norton’s competitors agreed to wait until he had sorted himself out, but couldn’t resist teasing him.

"This is a classic event ... Let’s keep it gentlemanly," a competitor said.