Qualify
for the
longest Race
In the World
Welcome to the Enduro kayak world championship!
In order to compete on the Samaná and take part in the mass start Marathon, paddlers must qualify.
The qualifiers will be held on a tributary of the Samaná, The Cocorna river, which offers a dynamic, class 4/4+ road side section, 8 kilometers long.
The format is simple: time trial, individual racing. It’s a matter of how fast you can make it to the end.
Based on river levels and number of participants, the organization will determine how many people can race on the Samaná.
Last year's competition featured over
30 competitors from 4 continents,
and this year we expect to see at least
60 competitors for
the qualifier on the Rio Calderas,
before whittling that number down to some
40 elite paddlers
for the mighty Samana.
PROGRAM
Sunday 23th of March
Opening Festivities
Training must be done previously during the week and week-end.
All competitor are invited to the opening ceremony in Cocorna! Starting at 6 PM, after the community stoke float on the Calderas River.
Enjoy a fun evening with local artists and DJ’s.
Monday 24th of March
Welcome to the Samana !
All competitor must meet by 9 AM at the put-in, and get ready to race.
After the safety team is in place, competitor will race individually, while being cheered from the road by the public!
Expect about 20 minutes of racing, and the fastest time will win.
Award ceremony will take place at the finish line.
Why qualifier race?
Because of the extreme nature of the Marathon, this preliminary stage is necessary to insure the fitness of competitors.
With 40 km of pristine Class IV whitewater, winding through untouched jungle and granite canyons, the marathon is an eye-catching competition that is sure to tempt elite international paddlers.
In addition to the long race, the top 20 will undertake the final challenge of an individual time trial on the last gorge’s three iconic rapids, and the man and women winners be crowned the first Enduro world champions.
In order to qualify for the World Championships, you must sign up for the qualifiers or apply to the wild card program that allows the most accomplished paddlers to access the world championships without racing the qualifiers.
FAQ
Fly to Medellin International Airport, the Samana watershed is just 1 hour east on the Medellin / Bogota Highway, near the town of Cocorna. Contact the organization for transportation details.
You can also fly into Bogota and take a bus or a private ride to the location. Expect a 7-9 hour journey.
The VIP packages then include all transports, but the light packages do not. Racers are responsible for their transports, besides the shuttle for the Samana scouting run on the 26 th and the return shuttle from Puerto Garza to Cocorna, on Sunday 30 th, at the end of the event
The Qualifier race and the first week-end of the event is held near the town of Cocorna.
The World Championship race course on the Samaná starts near the town of San Luis, and finish in Puerto Garza. San Luis has many hotels, and Puerto Garza offers a great camping place for free, or cheap rural housing.
VIP packages include lodging, but the light packages doesn’t! You can look online and find a place that suits your budget.
Hell yes, March is the rainy season and there are many many rivers to paddle in addition to the ones paddled during the event! You can contact us for a list of lodging options and resources on logistics
Boats are scarce in Colombia, so we encourage all paddlers to fly in with their own, and perhaps even consider selling it afterwards or donating it to a local kayak club. However, there are a few spare boats available for rent, for prices ranging from 15 to 30 USD/day. First come, first served
– The community stoke floats starts on Saturday 22 of March. – We recommend paddler to come prior in order to train on the qualifier race course, and join the communitity for the rafting Saturday and Sunday.
– Competitors meeting in Cocorna on Sunday 23 at 6 PM is mandatory.
You need to use the same boat you will use on the qualifiers on the Samana Marathon. If you can qualify for the Marathon with a specific boat, you must race it in the Marathon. Boats must be in good shape, with grab handles and stepout pillars, as well as a bulkhead. AWP regulations apply!
Qualifiers
Inscription
For paddlers who just want to do the Qualifiers
If you want to come for the whole event, please sign up on the world championship page
* Shuttle and inscription for the race on the cocorna only, 24 Th of March
* Bib + Care package
* Opening ceremony in Cocorna 23 Th of March
If you do qualify and want to race in the Marathon, you can always pay the additional fees and race wit the world’s elite paddlers!
125,000 COP
Wednesday 13th of March
wild card
The wild card system allows experienced paddlers to skip the qualifiers and get voted in the World Championships by peers.
This formula is designed to facilitate the participation of International paddlers whom may not have 2 weeks to spend in Colombia and just want to race the world championships.
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