With just days to go before the 2024 Salford Charity Dragon Boat Challenge on Saturday 11th of May at Salford Quays, teams are already getting very excited.

Due to the local football match (Man Utd. vs Arsenal) that's also on the 11th, the event's start time will be 10:30.  This is to ensure that competitors leaving after the event's end do not add to the numbers already using the Metro to go to the Man Utd match. 

Fifteen teams will be competing over three qualifying heats for the opportunity to go through to the next round.  Over the three qualifying heats, we will take each team's single fastest time, with all teams then sorted in fastest time order.  The top nine teams will then go through as competitors in one of the three 3-boat Peer Group races. 

During the qualifying heats, it is pot luck who you race against and how good the other two teams are.  In a 3-boat Peer Group race, you will race against teams with a very similar 'single fastest time' to yours.  The three 3-boat Peer Group races are for:

Teams ranked 9th, 8th & 7th (Peer Group race 1).

Teams ranked 6th, 5th & 4th (Peer Group race 2).

The Grand Final, involving teams ranked 1st, 2nd & 3rd.  It will be the winner of the Grand Final that will be declared: Dragon Boat Champions of Salford 2024. 

To date Charity Dragon Boat Festivals' events have helped raise over £530,000 for charity and has organised some of the largest dragon boat racing events in the UK. 

Schedule:  The day will start with team registration, where all competitors will first need to complete their Crew Declaration.  Once the event starts, we will then call up each team for their team photo shoot and safety brief.  Races will then be run until all the qualifying heats have been completed, before the top nine teams will all go through to one of three Peer Group races (the last one being the Grand Final).  After the Grand Final there will be an award ceremony followed by event end. 

Timings:

09:30 - Team Registration to open.  (If the weather is dry, the Registration desk will be outside near Event Control.  If it is wet, Team Registration will be upstairs in the Watersports Centre

10:25  Team Registration to close

10:30 - Event start, with team photo shoot followed by a safety brief, with the teams called up in race order.

11:00 - Start of qualifying heats (Heat 1)

12:35 - Start of Heat 2

13:50 - Start of Heat 3

14:50 - Last race in the qualifying heats, followed by event sort.

15:15 - Peer Group Race 1

15:30 - Peer Group Race 2

15:45 - Grand Final

15:55 - Award Ceremony, followed by Event End.

Getting to the event: It is recommended that due to Man United playing Arsenal at home on Saturday 11th May 2024, public transport is used when coming event. 

Busses:  follow routes for the Lowry Outlet Mall.

Trams:  Please visit the Transport for Greater Manchester website to plan your visit to the Salford Quays stop.

Cars (not recommended due to the Man Utd. home game):  Should you wish to use your own vehicle, please use the nearby Lowery car park (chargeable).

The day is designed so that teams from either their company or their community organisation could enter and raise funds for their nominated registered charity. Equally, registered charities could promote the event to their supporters and get teams entering to raise funds for them.

Dragon Boat racing is all about a team of up to 17 people (sixteen paddlers and a drummer), racing down a 200 meter course as fast as possible.  It sounds simple!  The reality is that it requires both team work and timing for a good time to happen.  Clashing your paddles with another team member or getting out of time could affect the whole team's time, which is where the team drummer coms in.  Sitting on a seat at the front of the dragon boat, their job is to beat the big drum in time with the front pair to help the rest of the team to stay in time. 

This exciting opportunity to compete in what is widely regarded as a world's oldest sport (dragon boating started in China over 2,500 years ago) is what is helping to make this event so popular.  Suitable for both novice and experienced teams alike, NO previous experience is necessary as all training and instruction is given on the day.