Masters and Apprentices ‘oarsome’ 24-hour effort

By Josh Huntly

Dec 15, 2022

Just keep paddling: James Graham, pictured here during the Massive Murray Paddle, canoed for 24 hours alongside Tony Bond last weekend. Photo: Steve Huntley. Photo by steve Huntley.

With a teammate ruled out just one day before the Burley Griffin Canoe Club 24-hour challenge, Echuca canoe team Masters and Apprentices had a big job on its hands.

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But the crew of James Graham and Tony Bond were up for the challenge, and after 54 laps of the nearly 4km circuit, crossed the line in 23 hours, 37 minutes and 19 seconds.

The duo alternated shifts during the ultra-marathon canoe event in Canberra from December 10 to 11, covering a staggering 199.8km before the final bell sounded.

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Bond and Graham’s achievement was made more impressive by the fact that crew-mate Rod Clark was ruled out through illness shortly before the event, meaning they were reduced to two participants for the entire race.

A relieved Bond said he was quite happy to jump out of the water after a gruelling push, but was proud of what he and Graham had achieved, amassing nearly 200km covered during the event.

Masters and Apprentices has been a consistent feature at endurance canoe events, and back in 2021 the team of Martyn Currey, Clark, Graham, and Bond placed second in the Massive Murray Paddle relay event.

By Josh Huntly