When Stewart Nicol hits the water next month he will join a select club. The Footscray Canoe Club paddler is taking on the YMCA Massive Murray Paddle for the 30th time.
Mr Nicol, 59, has missed only a handful of the five-day challenges since first taking on the 404-kilometre event in 1980 as part of an air force team.
“We used to put in three or four boats and compete against the army and navy,” he said.
Mr Nicol will be joined in a TK2 touring kayak by fellow Footscray Canoe Club member Adele Walker, who is competing for the fifth time. The pair train on the Maribyrnong River three times a week in readiness.
“I like the long distance; I’m not as fast as some on the shorter distances but do well over the longer length,” Mr Nicol said. “You need to do your build-up.
“The first day is hard for people who don’t do long distances … After the third day, people start picking up and getting better – you learn to push through the soreness.”
Mr Nicol sees the event as a chance to challenge himself, but it’s the people he meets on the Murray who keep bringing him back. “There are some real characters on the river.”
The Massive Murray Paddle, to be held on November 24-28, is also a fundraiser supporting community building projects in rural Victoria.
More details are at www.massivemurraypaddle.org.au
