Around 1,200 crews on a variety of paddled craft took off from Võru's Lake Tamula to navigate the fast-flowing Võhandu River on Saturday, setting their course for Võõpsu Harbor, located 100 kilometers downstream near where the river empties out into Lake Lämmijärv.

"Theoretically you can ride anything that floats and is human-powered, up to and including homemade boats," said Hillar Irves, chief organizer of the Võhandu Marathon. "They've even come with rafts built from drainage pipes – you're not gonna get very far with that, but they've come to the starting line."

The majority of participants are still competing with more traditional kayaks and canoes, Irves noted, but added that there were a lot of rafts in this year's race as well – more than 100 at the starting line.

At four different points along the route, competitors had to portage – i.e. get out and carry their craft. More than 40 kilometers in, in the village of Leevi, marathoners weren't yet complaining of fatigue.

"It's great so far!" said Mait, sitting at the front of a two-seater kayak. "My wife hasn't even complained much from behind me."

"We haven't filed for divorce yet, no," Annika quipped.

The couple confirmed that, despite the chilly temperatures, they weren't cold.

"The weather's nice, the company's nice and there are huge crowds and everything's great," Mait said. "There's I think a record number of participants, that's so great."

Support crew members played a crucial role as well, helping competitors portage their craft and getting them into dry clothes when needed.

"I went in the water once, briefly," admitted Sander, another competitor. "There was a bit of a pileup at the beginning, toward Võru, but otherwise things have gone relatively smoothly, of course. So it goes that you row, and then you rest for a bit, and then you row again, and soon enough you can already see the finish line."

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