Class winners were:
Class 9 (Senior K2) - James Walkinton & Will Stroud (CLM)
Class 8 (K1 Open) - Matt Johnson (CLM)
Class 7 (Vet M K1) - Mike Martin (LZB)
Class 6 (u18 M K1) - David Gurney (CLM)
Class 5 (u16 M K1) -  Sebastian Tideswell (CAM)
Class 4 (16+ K1) - Caroline Banson (NOR)
Class 3 (u16 K2) - Joseph Galliers & Ollie Power (LBZ)
Class 2 (u16 F K1)  - Amelia Thompson (CLM)
Class 1 (TC2) - Andy Porter & Blaize Green (CLM)
Class Blue (u14 M K1) - Ali Kabeer (IND)
Class Red (u14 F K1) - Sienna Payne (CLM)
Class GP - Deborah Wilkes (CLM)
Class Yellow (u12 K1) - Cassian Payne (CLM)

Lydia Oxtoby, Leighton Buzzard's wildwater star, presented the medals.

The overall club result on the day could not have been closer. Hosts Leighton Buzzard CC finished only one race point shy of Chelmsford's winning total. Most significantly, by finishing ahead of Bishops Stortford CC Leighton Buzzard are now in a good position to take overall second place for the series.

The full race results, including series positions to date, are on the Winter Series results page. There are also a few photos of the race on Flickr, and Chris Sze's video from his boat Go-Pro is on You-Tube.

The Leighton Buzzard race certainly put the "Winter" into Winter Series, with snow falling from before the start of booking in. This eventually gave way to icy rain whilst most people were out on the water - conditions which persisted for the rest of the day. Despite the weather, 107 competitors checked in, and though there were a few retirements, most were able to complete the course.

The home club put up a good team, for most of whom it was their first experience of the Winter Series. Such a good team in fact that they were the overall winners - the first time since 2009 that a team has managed to beat Chelmsford in a WS race!

Buzzard paddlers also took individual medals in six classes: three golds, two silvers and a bronze.

One distinctive feature that sets the Winter Series marathons apart from the Hasler series is the accumulation of points from race to race, with end-of-series awards and perpetual trophies presented at the final race of the each series. It is even possible to win a class without ever winning a race because the scoring system rewards persistence.  The cumulated class points for each paddler to date can be seen on the WS Results page  together with the results from the Leighton Buzzard race.