1. Flatwater Racing for Spike Adrenaline
Flatwater racing represents the fastest human-powered boat racing events in the world. Racers use low profile and often hi-tech canoes or kayaks to slash their way through the water in a straight lane on relatively flat water. While the nature of the race may seem simple, the variety of boats--ranging from one to four paddlers--and the technical and physical challenges of paddling for extended times at full speed, make flatwater racing a serious challenge to even the most seasoned watersports athletes.
2. Get Yourself a Boat
Flatwater racing kayaks and canoes are not the clunky, plastic jobs that you see on family river or lake outings. Rather, manufacturers optimize the sleek design of the kayaks and canoes to reduce weight and drag, allowing the racer to pull more efficiency out of each stroke of the paddle. Club design flatwater boats (in effect, boats that are good for practicing at the club, and not racing) are made from a glass fiber shell that's filled with light foam and coated with an epoxy resins. Racing models, while only a pound or two lighter than the club versions, require sophisticated build technologies like a carbon Kevlar shell that provides strength and an incredibly light weight.
3. Go for the Gold
While not quite as flashy and familiar as track and field or basketball, flatwater racing is indeed an Olympic sport. The sport became an official medal sport at the Olympics in 1936 with races that extended up to 10,000 meters. Today, both flatwater kayaking and canoeing are Olympic sports but the races are much shorter, with 200, 500 and 1000-meter races. The relative popularity of the sport in Europe, versus other regions, is well reflected by the fact that European flatwater racers reap 90 percent of flatwater medals.
4. Anatomy of a Flatwater Racing Boat
Part of the interest in flatwater racing derives from the equipment, which is more important and sophisticated than the equipment of most other Olympic sports. The most important piece of gear is the boat, which has a cockpit where the racer sits or kneels (if it's a canoe boat), a deck or flat section of the boat, a rudder to steer the boat and a hull, or main frame of the boat. Kayakers use double bladed paddles while the canoe racers dig in with a single blade paddle that they switch from side to side on alternating strokes. The kayaks, on account of their low profile on the water, also use a spray skirt to keep water from going where it shouldn't.
5. Pump It Up
Flatwater racers require a tremendous amount of strength to pull themselves at high speeds through the water. More than just strength, however, the racers need to be able to perform at an optimal level for extended amounts of time. Of course, the best way to get in shape for flatwater racing is to race. However, off the water, a workout programs that uses intervals to hit all the muscles from the lower back to the neck will take your racing ability to the next level. One important thing to pay attention to is getting full range of motion on every exercise you perform.
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