HAWKESBURY Canoe Classic organisers have called for more people to sign up for the October race.
About 60 people have signed up at this stage, however, that number is a lot lower than is normally the case.
The race will be run for the 49th consecutive year over the evening of October 25 and into the morning of October 26.
Hawkesbury Canoe Classic race committee member Wendy McLean said she was a bit puzzled as to why not as many people had signed up so far.
‘‘We normally have quite a lot more who have signed up by this stage,’’ she said.
‘‘We’ve got 58 people signed up so far and we’re looking for more people.
‘‘Anyone can enter the event. They need to be able to swim and be reasonably fit.
‘‘A lot of finishing the race goes on your mindset and determination to finish.’’
Ms McLean said a typical race had anywhere from 300 to 400 canoes of varying sizes on the water.
‘‘We like to get six people per craft if we can because we’re limited in the number of craft we can have on the river,’’ she said.
Ms McLean said the classic was challenging but anyone, with a little bit of practice, could finish it.
‘‘One year I did it and I had only been in my boat [to practise] twice,’’ she said.
‘‘When I was 46 I did all my training in a swimming pool with gloves on doing the paddling action.’’
Ms McLean said after covering the costs of running the event, any extra money was donated to the Arrow Bone Marrow Foundation at St Vincent’s Hospital.
Entry to the event costs $111 and entrants are expected to raise $200 in sponsorship money.
