With just four weeks to go before the start of the 35th annual Red Cross-Herald Sun Murray Marathon, Olympic rower Jane Robinson and Marathon mainstay, father Bill, are urging paddlers of all ages and levels of ability to register now for the world's longest annual canoeing adventure.

'The Murray Marathon was a life changing experience for me,' says 33-year-old Jane, a multiple World Championship medallist, dual-Olympian and Australia's most successful female rower.

'I had never been a particularly sporty person at school, but after following the event as land crew for Dad and some friends I decided to give it a go myself, much to the amusement of family and friends.  But I was determined.  By the end of it I was addicted to sport and four years later was representing Australia at the Atlanta Olympics.'

Starting in Yarrawonga on December 27 and finishing five days later in Swan Hill on New Year's Eve, an estimated 1,000 paddlers and 3,000 officials, land-crew, media and supporters will experience the 404km challenge in 2003.

This year it is hoped the Marathon will raise $200,000 for the Australian Red Cross, with funds raised supporting local Red Cross activities including the emergency first aid, registration and catering services provided during Australia's bushfire season.

Few people know the Red Cross-Herald Sun Murray Marathon better than Bill Robinson, or 'Big Bill' as he is known in Marathon circles.  Big Bill is an imposing sight in and out of his homemade sea kayak, "The Booyak', standing 6ft 6-inches in size 15 shoes.

Currently preparing for his 14th straight Marathon, Bill is a strong supporter of the event, always encouraging people of all ages and abilities to get out there and take the challenge.

'Neither Jane nor I were anywhere close to Olympic level when we first took part,' says 59yo Bill.  'In fact, I'm still not!  It's the camaraderie and personal challenge that brings me back year after year. 

'I believe anyone can do the Marathon, because in the end it's all about a reasonable level of fitness, suitable preparation and careful planning,' says Bill.

For the first time in his Marathon history Bill will be competing in a double sea kayak, pairing up with the Marathon's oldest competitor, 82yo Queenslander Ted Jackson.

Speaking from her training base at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra where she is preparing for her third straight Olympic selections, Victorian-born Jane Robinson cites her four full-distance Marathon's as laying strong foundations for her rowing career.

'I believe the mental and physical challenge of competing in the Red Cross-Herald Sun Murray Marathon has played a major role in my world rowing success,' says Jane.

'Once you cross that finish line on the fifth day, you feel totally wrecked, yet at the same time superhuman for having made it.  This achievement has given me confidence to always push myself hard in training and competition.'

Jane has represented Australia in the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics as well as nine straight World Championships.  In August Jane won gold as part of the winning Australian Women's Quad Sculls team at the World Championships held in Milan, Italy.

Jane has almost 20 international competition medals to her name, with only a prestigious Olympic medal eluding her thus far.

'I would never have dreamed that 10 years after my first Marathon I would be preparing to represent Australia in my third consecutive Olympics,' says Jane.

Whether you are a serious athlete with dreams of joining the Australian Olympic team like Jane or a social paddler happy to have some fun with friends like Bill, you too can go the distance to make the difference and help raise funds for Australian Red Cross.

Keen to compete but don't have a team or land crew?  Email findateam@vic.redcross.org.au.  For event entry details or further information call (03) 8327 7706 or visit www.redcross.org.au.

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TOP TIPS FROM BILL ROBINSON

Currently preparing for his 14th consecutive Marathon, veteran paddler Bill Robinson has the following tips to help budding paddlers prepare and plan for an event such as the Red Cross-Herald Sun Murray Marathon.

'The first year I did the Marathon, I did it all wrong,' admits Bill.  'Firstly, my boat was too small.  It was like running a marathon in shoes three sizes too small.'

'Added to this, my food and fluid intake wasn't planned well enough to maintain my energy levels and my clothing didn't protect me very well from the sun or the natural wear and tear associated with sitting in a boat for several hours a day.

'Despite these problems, I loved the event and had an absolute ball.  This made me all the more determined to come back the following year and do it right.

'I spent part of the following year building a bigger and more comfortable boat. I learned the power of the right diet and looked at ways of improving my whole body fitness.  Come 1991 I flew through in total comfort, finishing with a medal.  I haven't looked back since!'

1. Ensure you do some form of aerobic exercise every day.  I run for 20mins every morning and that is enough to keep my fitness levels consistent.
2. Warm-up and cool-down carefully, stretching and loosening your muscle fibres.  This increases flexibility, allows you to identify injuries and problem areas early and removes waste materials built up in competition by slowly moving blood through your muscles.
3. Build your upper body strength.  I do stretches and exercises each night before bed, including push-ups to build arm and chest muscles.  Some people have weight sessions tailored for them at their local gym.
4. For endurance, you just can't beat time in your boat.  Commence gentle training early and lead up to more intensive work just before the event. I regularly paddle in two-hour sessions, twice a week.  During December I will increase to three times a week over longer periods of 3-4 hours
5. Organise test runs for both yourself and your land crew on smaller events such as the Echuca or Barwon Minis.  This year I have also made up my own event and will be paddling 50km from Mt Eliza to Princes Bridge with friends during early December.
6. Carefully develop and test your diet leading up to the Marathon.  Easily digestible and highly nutritional foods such as fruit juice, cereal, pasta and bread are recommended.
7. Hydration is key.  Drink small amounts often and keep at least four litres of fluid on board with you at all times. Remember, if the weather is really hot you will drink up to one litre per hour.  It's better to have too much with you than not enough.  I find plain water is better than sports drinks, however test both and find what is best for you.
8. Make sure your seat is comfortable and well padded, ensuring you avoid pain and chafing on your bottom.  This is not as funny as it sounds and can be a devastating condition during the Marathon.  A mixture of foam and sheepskin is recommended.
9. Sun protection, including hats, sunglasses and sunscreen are absolutely essential. 
10. Test types of clothing before the Marathon and find the most suitable for you.  Loose, lightweight and full-length cotton clothing is recommended.  Many paddlers wear these inside out to avoid chafing, which can be caused by seams.

TOP TIPS FROM JANE ROBINSON

Olympian Jane Robinson has completed the Marathon twice in a TKI, once in a TK2 relay, three times as a land crew and twice in a single scull.  She is the only paddler known to have competed in the Marathon both forwards and backwards, in a kayak and a scull.

This year Jane is busy preparing for the Australian rowing team Olympic selections, so will not be competing the Marathon alongside her Dad.  Instead she has offered a few bits of advice that she hopes will help paddlers make their Marathon experience as fulfilling as her own.

'The Marathon is a lot more fun when you are properly prepared to cover the distance,' says Jane.

'I remember a man who paddled Day One wearing new pyjama pants, which provide cheap, lightweight sun protection and are a common outfit for marathoners.  Because he had not worn the pants before he was not to know that they would result in a severe case of groin rub that required Red Cross assistance!'

'The same sort situation can arise when paddlers decide to buy a new paddle for the race then find after a few hours their wrists are in agony.  My best advice to aspiring marathoners is get set up during training, then enjoy the race.  Crossing that finish line in Swan Hill after completing the distance will be memorable and that's a promise!'

1. Make sure your boat is comfortably set up for you and that you have tested the set up with a few long paddles. TIP: have a jar of Vaseline handy to grease up any bits of your body that are getting chafed.  Try to eliminate the cause of chafe.
2. Make sure you always have enough food and drink to last your session.  Hydration is critical. TIP: Try weighing yourself before and after a long training session. Every kilo that you are lighter means you need to replace a litre of fluid.  Dehydration will make it harder to recover from a long paddle and 'back up' for another...and another...
3. Experiment with sports drinks and food options that will suit you. I like jelly snakes, water, weak sports drink, cold potatoes and bananas. Then in the evenings I have a good pasta or rice meal to stock up the carbos.
4. If you get blisters when training, be sure to treat them quickly to reduce the chance of infection.  The best prevention for blisters is plenty of training.
5. Always keep your drinking system clean and washed out with a mild bleach after each session. Contamination can result in tummy upsets such as giardia.
6. Get yourself a pair of good sunglasses and a hat. Make sure you have adequate supplies of a good long lasting sun block that suits your skin.
7. Make sure your land crew is well informed with what to expect and what you will need each day.  Land crewing is a full time job that can make the difference between finishing or failing. The crew should also be able to have plenty of fun. Being well prepared with things such as camp chairs, eskies and shade will enhance the job of land crewing.
8. Ensure your support vehicle is in good nick to go the distance each day and to handle the often bumpy and dusty roads. Also make sure your kayak carrying system is secure.  There's nothing worse than losing your spare kayak off the roof of your vehicle!

ATHLETE PROFILE - JANE ROBINSON

Name: Jane Robinson
D.O.B: 12/12/69
Sport: Rowing
Place of Residence: Hughes, Canberra
Coach: Lyall McCarthy

Achievements:
* Gold medal, World Rowing Championships 2003, Women's Quad Sculls
* Gold medal, Rowing World Cup 2003, Women's Quad Sculls
* Silver medal, World Rowing Championships 2002, Women's Eight
* Gold medal, World Rowing Championships 2001, Women's Four and Eight
* Fifth, Sydney Olympic Games 2000, Women's Eight
* Bronze medal, World Rowing Championships 1998, Women's Quad Sculls
* Silver medal, Red Cross Murray Marathon 1994, TK1
* Bronze medal, Red Cross Murray Marathon 1993, TK1
* AIS Scholarship holder

The Australian Women's Quad Sculls team, consisting of Robinson, Amber Bradley (WA), Dana Faletic (TAS) and Kerry Hore (TAS) is the first Australian women's quad scull to win gold at any World Championships or Olympic Games.  The previous best was a bronze at the 1998 World Championships, a team in which Robinson was also a member.

Following the upcoming trials, the Australian Women's Quad team are expected to enter the Athens Olympics as favourites to take out a medal, a feat that has thus far eluded Robinson.

General Training Week:
Robinson and teammates are currently training fulltime at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, as they enter the final three months of competition trails before the Australian Rowing Team is announced at the end of February.  The Olympic team will be announced in June 2004.

The following is an overview of the current schedule Robinson is undertaking.  As opposed to Marathon training, the following will help Robinson create an endurance base suitable for the quad, four and eight events, which take just over six minutes each.

* Monday: two-hour row, weight session
* Tuesday: two-hour row, cross-training session including cycling, running and indoor rowing machines
* Wednesday: two-hour row, cross-training session
* Thursday: weight session, cross-training session
* Friday: two-hour row, cross-training session
* Saturday: two-hour row, cross-training session
* Sunday: day off

This 25hour program is supplemented by range of recovery activities, including stretching, yoga, physio and massage, with sessions studying replays of past races to improve technique.

FAST FACTS

* The Red Cross-Herald Sun Murray Marathon is the longest annual internationally accredited flat water canoeing Marathon in the world
* The Red Cross-Herald Sun Murray Marathon annually attracts up to 1,000 paddlers and 3,000 support crew from Australia and across the globe
* The Red Cross-Herald Sun Murray Marathon covers 404km of Murray River, starting in Yarrawonga on 27 December and finishing five days later on 31 December in Swan Hill:
- DAY ONE: Yarrawonga to Tocumwal, 92km
- DAY TWO: Tocumwal to Picnic Point, 96km
- DAY THREE: Picnic Point to Echuca, 78km
- DAY FOUR: Echuca to Torrumbarry, 62km
- DAY FIVE: Murrabit to Swan Hill, 76km
* Temperature range, anywhere between 20 - 42 degrees
* Australian Red Cross hope to raise over $200,000 to support the provision of vital community programs such as the Emergency Catering, First Aid and Registration services provided during the bushfires that devastated parts of Victoria and New South Wales at the beginning of the 2003

Most interesting facts from 2002...
* Albury hero Tony Zerbst took out the Margaret Baker Trophy for overall handicap winner, smashing the record in the Veteran 50 class by over six hours!  Zerbst averaged 5,400 strokes per day, meaning his paddle entered the water a total of 131,004 times to complete the Marathon.
* In the prestigious and competitive Herald Sun K1 International Cup, winning team Leaver Landscapes put in a phenomenal effort, beating the course record set in 1993 by a staggering 13 minutes and blitzing their traditional rivals by over 15 minutes
* Camberwell Grammar celebrated its first victory in the Schools Relay in 10 years of competition
* Tocumwal local and Marathon legend Bill Dunn (62) completed his 30th Marathon, only two years after a serious accident nearly ended his life

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Red Cross Murray Marathon
BACKGROUNDER

It began back in the fabled 'Summer of '69'.  Ten friends came together in seven canoes to battle 250miles of the mighty Murray River in order to raise $250 for Australian Red Cross.

Founded by South Australian-born paddler Mark Thornthwaite, the Marathon began as a Red Cross Trendsetters competition.  Taking to the waters with mates and supported from land by family and friends, Thornthwaite and his crew took five days to tame the Mighty Murray, reaching Swan Hill tired yet jubilant on New Years Eve.

From these humble beginnings, the Red Cross Murray Marathon has become one of Australia's oldest and most respected sporting traditions. Over the years the event has captured the imagination and interest of thousands of people from Australia and the globe.

From the elite to the first time and social paddler, the world's longest annual flat-water adventure leaves an ever-lasting imprint on the memory of all who participate. 

Each year, on 27 December, an eager group of paddlers and land crew set out from Yarrawonga to travel the 404km course through some of Victoria's harshest yet most beautiful countryside, before celebrating New Years Eve five days later in Swan Hill.

This year, the Marathon reaches a special milestone as it celebrates 35 years on the Murray.  This alone is expected to draw out hundreds of past and new competitors, eager to take on
the challenge and re-live the memories. 

Fundraising for the Australian Red Cross has always been an integral part of the Marathon as participants raise vital funds to support local Australian Red Cross emergency services and community programs.  It is hoped almost $200,000 can be raised in 2003.

For entry details or further information call the Australian Red Cross, Victoria on (03) 8327 7706 or visit www.redcross.org.au.

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