What is Canoe racing?
'''Canoe racing''' is a [[water sport]]. The sport normally takes place on water that is moving very slowly or not moving at all. The goal of the sport is to move the [[canoe]] a given [[distance]] in the shortest time. This sport is an [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] event. At one time, [[wood]]en boats were used for racing. Over time, people started using boats made of [[carbon fiber]]s. These boats are lighter and tougher than wooden boats. ==Classes== There are two main types of races. These are [[canoe]] (C1, C2, C4) and [[kayak]] (K1, K2, K4). The number tells how many people are on the [[boat]]. In a kayak, a person sits. In a canoe, a person kneels on one [[knee]]. A kayak has a [[rudder]]. It is used to [[steer]] the boat. A canoeist (person who uses a canoe) uses the [[paddle]] to move the boat. This is done by moving the paddle from the [[Bow (ship)|bow]] to the [[stern]] (front to back). After each race, the boats are looked at to make certain they are [[law|legal]]. If a boat does not have enough [[weight]], the racer is disqualified and cannot win the race. ==Races== Races are divided into several groups based on how long they are. ===Short distance=== In short distance races, the races are either 200&nbsp;m, 500&nbsp;m or 1000&nbsp;m long. The path of the race is laid out using [[buoy]]s. Each person has a separate path to follow from the starting line to the finish. On longer races, there may be a point where the paths cross each other to let the person turn their boat. ===Long distance and marathon=== Long distance races are 5000&nbsp;m long. [[Marathon]] races are at least 15&nbsp;km. Men's marathon has a minimum length of 20&nbsp;km. Women's marathon has a minimum of 15&nbsp;km. Most major races are 30&nbsp;km or longer. There is no maximum distance for marathon races. There is a marathon race that is about 1000&nbsp;km long on in the [[Yukon]]. The longer races are usually broken up into several parts and may be raced over several days. In long distance and marathon races, all racers start at th