course, allowing the use of hotel and B&B accommodation. The 1000 Mile Club was introduced in 2011, an honour recognising the achievements of those who had completed the race eight times. Classes There are five classes of event, each with its own set of rules. Senior Doubles: This is a non-stop race, timed continuously from the moment they start, until either they reach Westminster, or they admit defeat (which accounts for one third of the entries, rising to half in 1998). Junior Doubles: Two crew members, completing the course in four stages with overnight stops. Junior/Veteran: Two crew members, one who must be a junior, and one who must be over 35, completing the course in four stages with overnight stops. This class was introduced in 1989 to encourage parents to canoe with their children, but most crews which have entered are not related. Senior Singles: One person kayaks or canoes, over the same four stages. Endeavour: A doubles class held over four stages which is non-competitive. The stages in the Stages race are as follows: Stage 1: Devizes Wharf to Northcroft Leisure Centre, Newbury (34.4 miles) Stage 2: Northcroft Leisure Centre, Newbury to Marlow (35.6 miles) Stage 3: Marlow to Thames Young Mariners, Teddington (37.5 miles) Stage 4: Thames Young Mariners, Teddington to Westminster Bridge (17.5 miles) Cancellations and abandoned races In 2000 heavy rainfall had brought the River Thames up to flood levels with fast flowing water. A number of crews found the conditions on the Thames challenging, especially during the darkness of night-time for the non-stop crews. After an incident at Old Windsor wier the race committee took the decision to abandon the race. As some teams had already reached Teddington (and were waiting to access the tidal stretch) when the decision was made, they decided (against the race organisers instructions) to remove their race numbers and carry on unofficially to Westminster. In 2001, along with a large number of events in the UK, the race could not take place due to a nationwide outbreak of Foot-and-mouth disease restricting unnecessary access to the countryside (and thus large parts of the course). In 2016 Storm Katie brought storm force winds to London on Easter Monday meant that a decision was made to cancel the last day of the staged race and the results were based on the times taken to reach Thames Young Mariners. Finishers medals were awarded