Coach Hannah coaches for us at Thamesmead
Coach and Athlete Michael is one of our lead coaches at Harlesden, he also races Marathon
Coach and Athlete Semir joined our coaching team at Thamesmead when we launched in 2025, he also races in Slalom
Coach and Athlete Giles is our lead coach at Thamesmead, and occasionally races, Giles has a very long association with water sports at Southmere and it is great to have so much experience and knowledge onboard from the beginning of this project.
Teacher, Coach, Athlete Aaron has been ranked in Division 2 for Slalom Men’s K1, although not raced slalom for a couple of years. He is one of our teachers and coaches.
Athlete and Staff Caitlin joined our sessions at Thamesmead in 2025 with other members of our family.
Athlete and Coach Peter has recently joined our coaching team, he is an experienced marathon paddler racing in Division 3 and has recently completed the Devizes to West Minster Canoe Race.
Coach and Athlete Neal is our lead Wild Water Racing Coach, although he also coaches Marathon and Sprint. Like most of our coaches, Neal has a background in competitive canoeing and does still race.
Athlete and Slalom Coach at Harefield Rick leads our Slalom Team based at Harefield, he is a very experienced paddler and still competes.
Bank Side Support Helps run our sessions at Osterley Park
Bank side Support Helping to run our Osterley Park sessions.
Bankside Support Jason is one of our team leaders at Osterley on the bank, although he does paddle occasionally get on the water.
Bankside Support Danni manages and provides Bankside support at our Osterley Park sessions. She can also paddle a bit, as it appears, so can her mum.
Winter Slaloms, get ready for 2026 The annual Stone Mini Slaloms take place on the Sundays of January 25th, February 8th, and February 22nd, including a slalom cross event on January 25th.
Shark Activities for Families Half Term Holidays are coming and The Sharks are planning activities for all ages, across our sites.
Saturday 28th February 2026 – 11am, check in from 10am. The next Cedric Avery Mini-Marathon takes place on Saturday February 28th at Troy Lake, Harefield. Control open from 10am, racing starts at 11am.
Where are you going in February, why not join us for some paddling fun at events?
Next Race 7th March The Legendary Barrow Wild Water Race series next race on Saturday 7th March 2026.
Saturday March 7th The final race of the Legendary Barrow Wild Water Races takes place on Saturday 7th March, let’s have a fantastic Shark Presence. Ideal for all standards from beginners to the experienced. It is a 3k race, which you can do in any boat
Saturday 14th March 2026 The Sharks are pleased to announce an amazing project, working in partnership with Paddle UK’s Wild Water Racing Committee, The Sharks are launching the Lee Valley Legacy Project, on Saturday 14th March 2026, and this is just the beginning.
Monthly Mini-Marathons The next race takes place on Saturday 31st January 2026. The last Saturday of each month. Full details are here, with Risk Assessment here.
Time to step up and start getting more active, as we head towards Spring
Our annual Sprint challenge in Harlesden. We have introduced a new challenge at our base in Harlesden, NW10, a monthly Sprint race on the canal with distances of 200m, 500m and 1,000m. Next race is Wednesday April 15th 2026.
Our annual challenge in Southall We have set up a series of Sprint evenings in Southall, running in the Summer moths to give everyone the chance to see how they are progressing, to have some fun and enjoy racing. Great for spectators too.
The Final of the 2025 Series Summer paddling at Harlesden draws in and we hosted our final Sprint races of the season, including a race with and for Harlesden Primary School youngsters attending the after school club.
A new event with a difference A small group of Shark Paddlers tried out an event with a difference, it was more about time on the water and learning new skills, in preparation for competition, although there were some non-ranking races to help.
The Charity Race of the year The second Great Harlesden Charity Canoe Race took part on Wednesday 24th September, raising money for local charities, the Brent Food Bank and Queens Park Rangers Community Trust. Both these charities support local people.
Preparing for Marathon The Sharks have introduced the Harlesden GS Series, the races are 3.5k long and are aimed at preparing youngsters for the Geoff Sanders Races at ranking marathons. However, we also run races for seniors.
We are looking for staff The Sharks are looking for people to teach and coach canoeing at all of our sites. We maybe able to help you get the relevant qualifications, whilst you work for us. Get in touch email: canoeing@thesharks.org.uk, or call: 07951 770241.
Apply for Your Slalom Bib From today Sunday January 18th, you can apply for your slalom bin if you are in Division 3 or above.
Get Involved and Help us Grow The Sharks are committed to helping to grow Slalom Canoeing and playing our part in this great community. We are joining the Slalom Starts Programme, which aims to bring more people into the discipline.
What Can we Achieve in 2026? Each yer we set some targets related to the Year number, so what can we don in 2026. If you have any ideas to add to this list, please get in touch by email: canoeing@thesharks.org.uk or call/text 07951 770241.