A piece of kayak

By Glen Atwell
THREE Cranbourne students were part of a winning Murray Marathon kayaking team in the two-person open school relay class last month.
Arthur Alger, 18, and Eric Alger, 17, both from Cranbourne South, and David Ceddia, 14, from Pearcedale, were part of the seven-person Woodleigh Water Ratz team from Woodleigh School in Baxter.
The Murray Marathon is one of the longest canoe races in the world, encompassing 404 kilometres of the Murray River from Yarrawonga to Swan Hill.
The four-day race, held between 27 December and 31 December, was the culmination of many months of hard work and training by the Woodleigh Water Ratz, who beat a number of more fancied rivals.
With seven kayakers ranging in age from 13 to 18, the Water Ratz beat off teams from Camberwell Grammar and Trinity Grammar, which consisted entirely of senior boys.
Woodleigh won every day of racing and finished the event in the time of 28 hours, 23 minutes and one second, 16 minutes ahead of second-placed Camberwell.
Chris Alger, father of Arthur and Eric, said the team finished in near-record time.
“The overall time appears to be the second fastest ever for a school relay team,” he said.
“This was exceptional considering how slow the water was, due to the drought.”
The team trains twice weekly throughout the year, at Patterson Lakes, with only harsh weather keeping them off the water.
Training then ramps up to a minimum of three on-water sessions a week as the Murray Marathon draws near.
But Mr Alger said all the hard work was well worth it.
“It was five days of heat, dust, flies and very early mornings,” he said. “But the way the kids support each other, the amount of effort they put in and the maturity they gain from it make it very rewarding.
“All the paddlers paddled on every day of the event and all of them put in more than you could ever expect,” Mr Alger said.
In another bonus for the team, Arthur and Eric Alger, along with team mate Nick Byrne, were selected in the Australian Junior Marathon Kayaking Team to compete at two overseas events after success at national level this year.
The 770 paddlers that competed in this year’s Murray Marathon raised more than $300,000 for the Australian Red Cross.