Seven paddlers from Marathon Paddling Academy (MPA) made the trip to Victoria to take on the demanding Murray River Triple Crown Challenge: Brett Greenwood, Dmytro Medvedyev, Chris Dickman, Mick Casey, Pim van Gestel, Steve Shelley, and Cassandra O’Connor. The iconic event spans three races across the weekend—a 64 km ultra-marathon, a long-course marathon (including team relay options), and a short-course marathon—testing both endurance and versatility.
MPA delivered an outstanding performance across all distances. Brett Greenwood dominated the weekend, taking victory in both the ultra-marathon and the long-course marathon. Steve and Cassy combined forces in the ultra-marathon relay to secure an impressive third place. Dmytro backed up consistently with fourth-place finishes in both the short- and long-course marathon races. In the triple ski, Mick, Pim, and Chris worked their way to a bronze medal in the short-course marathon and a strong sixth-place finish in the long-course race.
Unfortunately, an unforeseen change of circumstances meant Chris was unable to contest the long-distance race. Stepping up at short notice, Mick and Pim took on the ultra-marathon in single skis. Mick’s race came to an abrupt end after striking a submerged log around the 12 km mark, while Pim pushed on to paddle two of the three legs—making it the longest paddle event of his career. Dmytro was also unable to start the ultra-marathon, but despite these setbacks, the team’s overall results remained a strong reflection of MPA’s strength.
To cap off an exceptional weekend, Brett claimed overall Triple Crown gold for the second year in a row. The big question now: could a third consecutive Triple Crown title be on the cards next year?
