A C-1 actually refers to a one-person, high-kneel racing canoe. Racing canoeing is a popular sport in Europe and in scattered countries throughout the world. Flat-water, high-kneel racing canoeing is a sport in the Summer Olympics. Marathon canoeing is an international sport as well. Athletes can also compete in two-person and four-person canoes, referred to as C-2s and C-4s.
High-Kneel Canoes
The high-kneel racing canoe has an extremely narrow hull and weighs just 12 kg for sprint canoeists, and 8 kg for marathon canoeists. The canoe is equipped with a foot board and knee block for the canoeist to rest on while paddling. The high-kneel racing canoe is highly unstable; it may take months just to learn to stay upright. Wider, heavier training canoes are available for beginners.
Canoe Stroke
A racing canoeist sits in the high-kneel position, resting his back leg on the knee block and his front foot on the hull. Canoeists paddle on just one side and turn by "J-stroking," a turning of the paddle away from the canoe at the end of the stroke. Canoeists must be strong and coordinated to propel the canoe forward with maximum power, while also maintaining their balance.
Racing
Flat-water racing canoeists compete at distances of 200 m, 500 m and 1,000 m on a straight-lined, buoyed course. Sprint racing courses have nine lanes. Canoeists also compete in marathon events. International marathon canoe races are 20 km for men and 15 km for women, according to the International Canoe Federation.
Major Competitions
The premier competition for sprint canoeists is the Olympic Games. In between Olympic years, canoeists compete in international competitions, such as the World Championships and the Pan American Games. Youth canoeists compete in the Junior World Championships every two years. Marathon canoeists compete in the World Marathon Championships, which are held every year. Marathon canoeing is not yet an Olympic sport.
Recreational C-1s
Recreational C-1s are much wider than racing C-1s and are equipped with seats. The hull of the recreational C-1 is much flatter, and recreational canoeists don't usually need to worry about falling in. Recreational canoeists paddle on both sides of the canoe and don't perform the J-stoke needed to turn a racing C-1. While the sole purpose of high-kneel racing canoeing is to train, recreational C-1s are used mostly for touring.
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