Click on any picture to see a larger image

The Nationals Team L-R Gerry Maloney, Danny Maloney, Peter Walsh MP, Bill Sykes MP, Paul Weller MP, Damian Drum MP and Luke Drum at the start of the Murray River Marathon		Rearing to go (start of the final stage, 1st day) - promoting the cause on the paddle
Cruising (more or less) down the river - Bill Sykes & Gerry Maloney		Bill Sykes & Peter Walsh share a light hearted moment in their training run in the week prior to the Murray River Marathon.
Peter Walsh & Gerry Maloney pleased with their efforts.		The Nationals team enjoy a laugh at Echuca after a hard day paddling L-R Luke & Damian Drum, Bill Sykes, Peter Walsh, Paul Weller, Danny Maloney
Danny Maloney & Damian Drum - a moment on the water (as opposed to in)		Not a good start to a training run at Echuca in early December for Nationals Members Bill Sykes & Paul Weller

Nationals race in Murray River Marathon

Last Update: Friday, January 4, 2008. 11:50am AEDT

By Jemina Wilson

One of the more noteworthy teams competing in the Red Cross Murray River Marathon this year was a group of four Victorian National party MPs.

Among them was Damian Drum, the Member for North Western Province. Mr Drum says his fellow National MPs all enjoyed the race.

"Peter Walsh from Swan Hill was the head coach Paul Weller from Echuca was also the local member there - Paul actually paddled into Echuca and out of Echuca. Billy Sykes was a part of the team from Benalla. We just had a great time and I really want to thank the organisers because they do a really great job..."

The race attracted more than 700 participants, and Mr Drum says there were some other unusual teams competing alongside the Nationals.

"We met some really great people. There were some teams there from 'The Blues' and 'The Brothers.' So it's the cops and the Aboriginal communities around Victoria getting together and having their own teams. And there were so many schools out there that were doing it. There are so many people that you don't realise are really into their kayaking, and they have this passion to do the marathon because it's a special event."

Mr Drum says he was surprised by how gruelling the 404-kilometre race was, but the Nationals were able to beat the Country Women's Association team which was "a bit of an achievement."

"I certainly should have done a lot more training than I did. It was a combination of that I didn't have the time and I didn't realise how hard it was going to be to master the art of kayaking. It certainly makes you appreciate the skill of expert kayakers. The people who do the full distance are very talented people, and they have an awful amount of will to actually drive themselves in that heat to go the full distance of the Murray from Yarrawonga to Swan Hill."

The marathon is organised by the Australian Red Cross, with funds raised going towards community programs and emergency services such as patient transport, emergency first aid, registration and catering.

Mr Drum says there was a great sense of camaraderie amongst the participants, and everyone was happy to be supporting such a worthy cause.

"Everyone is up there to raise money for the Red Cross, and to increase the profile of the Red Cross. Everyone is up there to have a good time and to make sure that everyone gets through the event in a healthy fashion. So when I kept falling in it was amazing the good will of the other competitors. They were all saying, 'Are you OK? Are you alright?' You know, they wouldn't go past me even though they were all racing each other. They wouldn't go past unless they made sure you were OK and then they would set about competing as hard as they could."

Mr Drum says he's still recovering from the event.

"I pulled up OK, the back is still a little bit sore. I've got bruises in places that I shouldn't have and I've lost a little bit of weight, which is a good thing. But it's a pretty tough marathon, even though we we're doing the team's relay event."

But Mr Drum thinks he'll be better prepared if he takes part in the event next year.

"Someone said to me it's a bit like having babies. You vow you were never going to do this again, but you forget about the pain and you do it again the following year."