SPONSORSHIP

PRO ATHLETES

LEANNE BROWN

FLATWATER CANOEIST

Leanne Brown is 21 years old and a full-time Flatwater Canoeist from Barking, Essex. She enjoyed all sorts of sport at school and competed in all the various sports teams, both at Manor Junior school and then Barking Abbey Secondary school. Swimming was initially her big interest and she swam for Dagenham swimming club, reaching County level at a very young age. After a couple of years' serious dedication to swimming, while still wanting to be near the water, she decided to try being on it, rather than in it!

Starting with Sailing, she quickly moved on to Canoeing and it all began from there. Leanne has been canoeing since she was 8 and like all high-achieving and aspiring athletes, her life revolves around her sport. She has competed at an International standard with the Great Britain Team since she was 12. Her training schedule includes Paddling on the river, Weights, Swimming and Running 12-14 times a week.

Leanne has won numerous National titles in both Sprint and Marathon Canoeing over the years. Her highest achievements were in 2005 when she competed at the European Championship Sprints in Bulgaria - this was a high level of achievement for her age, a tender 17 years. She also competed at the World Championship Sprints in Hungary where she was ranked 23rd fastest Junior Sprint racer in the World and 11th fastest in Europe.

Leanne is also involved with the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust www.dkhlegacytrust.org, a charitable resource where young athletes are nurtured to enable them to rise to the challenge of competing at top level in Sport. This opportunity allowed Leanne to attend two events in October and February where she had the opportunity to learn from world class sports performers about what it takes to reach the top in sport, benefitting from the skills and experience they have gained as Olympic, Paralympics, World and Commonwealth Medallists.

We'll leave the final word to Leanne: 'I would love to compete in front of my home country in the London 2012 Olympics and at present I am concentrating on my training and competitions with a view to qualifying for the Great Britain Sprint Kayaking Squad - I am top Great Britain U23 at Marathon and currently the fastest-ranked female in Essex and within the top-10 Sprint U23 females in Great Britain. Besides my athletic career I also recently graduated from London Southbank University where I received an Honours Degree in Sport and Exercise Science.'

Welcome to Sport Beans, Leanne!
http://www.leannebrown.webs.com/

October Update:

Leanne takes a fine win in the Weybridge K2, with partner Aaron Jordan!

Today I raced at Elmbridge Canoe Club in Weybridge, Surrey. It was a 2011 London South East Hasler race. It was the first Hasler race of the season in the region. I raced K2 in Division 3 with Aaron Jordan. The race was 12 miles long with 3 portages and we were amongst a very strong field. Wey Kayak Club had 4 strong boats out and Tonbridge had a very competitive boat. Aaron and I finished 1st in a very hotly contested sprint to the line, although we had led pretty much throughout the whole race. Our finishing time was 1.38.03.

Next weekend I will be racing in one of the most important races of the year, the 2010 Hasler Finals in Worcester.

Good luck for a similar result in the Hasler Finals in Worcester, Leanne!

September Update:

Leanne has now finished her sprinting for this season - she raced at Nottingham last weekend and came 2nd in the K1 200m (1st U23) and 3rd in the 1000m K1 (2nd U23). Now she starts her winter training with lots of base work and lower intensity marathon races.

Nottingham 4th-5th Sept.:

WB K1 200m 2nd (1st U23)

WB K1 1000m 3rd (2nd U23)

August Update #2 - August 8th.

Leanne: Today I raced the Medway Marathon Race which consisted of 17 miles and 9 portages. I did K2 with Aaron Jordan in class A and we won the mixed event. We finished 2nd overall in class A which was a good result. We also beat the mixed K2 course record that had stood for 13 years making the new record nearly a minute quicker in a time of 2.10.21.

Leanne, you are the master of understatement as ever. You have certainly hit a rich vein of form!

August Update: LEANNE IS DOUBLE NATIONAL CHAMPION!

On Saturday 31st/Sunday 1st August, Leanne raced at Chester for the National Marathon Championships - and marathon they certainly were!

Saturday was the U23 Ladies event which was 16 miles and Leanne came an excellent 3rd place in 2:23:47.

On the Sunday morning she raced in the K2 Senior/U23 ladies race which was again 16 miles. Her partner was Claire Moran (Worcester) and they took 2:18:34 for an amazing 1st place, making them Ladies K2 U23 National Champions! Lets just look at those times and distances again, that's SIXTEEN MILES in just over 2.25 hours, truly a marathon performance, and only a day after a similar effort! To put it further into context, they beat the 2nd placed pair by a staggering 13 minutes!

And just one hour after the Ladies race she did the mixed K2 with Aaron Jordan and came 1st again, this time over a 8 mile course making her Mixed K2 National Champion!

It seems that Leanne is one of those athletes who is super-motivated when she is participating with another athlete as part of a team. That in itself is very special but it also often means that even more amazing solo efforts are possible by being able to tap into the psyche and bring it out. In any case, we wonder just what Leanne might be capable of in the lead up to the 2012 London Olympics!

Leanne, many congratulations to you on being double National Champion, we are very proud of you here at Sport Beans - and we'd like to think we played some small part in that. Well done!

July Update: Leanne's special delivery!

Leanne: "A couple of weeks ago I received a large quantity of the new Sport Beans. Obviously I was very excited to receive these as they have expanded their variety of flavours and some of the ingredients have been enhanced. The bag is now easy to open and resealable and the flavours are now even more intensely fruity with real fruit juice. They're a great way for me to replenish my lost vitamins, carbohydrates and electrolytes quickly during and after my training and events. Once again I am very grateful to be sponsored by Sport Beans!"

June Update:

Leanne travelled up to Nottingham again over the weekend 5th and 6th June and got some very fine results as a reward!

2nd WB K1 500m

2nd WB K2 500m (3rd Overall)

2nd WB K1 200m (3rd Overall)

2nd WB K2 200m (3rd Overall)

1st WB K4 500m

4th WB K1 1000m (6th Overall)

2nd WB K1 200m

1st WA/WB K1 5000m

Those are some very consistent results in K1, K2 and K4, at whatever distance!

May Update

Leanne attended the May Nottingham Regatta over the 8th and 9th May:

1st in WB K1 500m

1st in WB K1 200m

1st in WB K4 500m

3rd in WB K1 200m - Some great results Leanne!

Over the weekend of the 15th and 16th May Leanne ventured across the Channel and paddled in France at the Boulogne Regatta. The purpose of this trip was to practice her K4 Team, which she is hoping will be selected for the U23 European Champs later on this year. The trip proved fruitful!

2nd in K1 500m

2nd in K4 500m

5th in K2 500m - This was against some stiff foreign competition. Leanne also came 4th in the 200m knockout race.

Sunday 23rd: Leanne raced at the Norwich K1 Assessment Race, a 16-mile event!

3rd Overall (2nd U23) in the Senior Ladies event.

What I find amazing is the sheer breadth of events that canoeists do, in terms of distance - from sprints to 16 miles. We asked Leanne what shape her training itinerary took: My average week is train in the morning (paddle, gym, run) and then train in the evening (paddle, gym, run) everyday. I have coaching assistance at my two different canoe clubs Royal Canoe Club and Bishops Stortford Canoe Club. What with racing at the weekends and fitting her studies in during weekdays, Leanne has her work cut out!

Here's the latest update from Leanne:

28th March:

Yesterday Leanne raced the first Hasler Race in the Eastern Region at Cambridge Cane Club. She raced in division 4 over an 8-mile course and won her event! Leanne was happy with her performance and the weather was fine for a change. Leanne tells us the river was pretty bumpy due to the amount of punts on the river - I guess that's one of the perils of racing on the river in a University town such as Cambridge!

11th April:

Leanne raced at Nottingham and it was with the added importance of being a Crew Boat Selection Race. Results as follows:

500m Womens 'B' 4th U23
200m Womens 'B' 3rd U23
1000m Womens 'A/B' 3rd Overall and 1st Womens 'B'
5000m 1st Womens 'B' 2nd Overall

The outcome of this solid performance is that Leanne is now being included in the U23 Crew Boats which will possibly lead to her going to the U23 European Championships later this year - Well done Leanne!

Update for January & February:

Leanne has been very busy over the last month - although the weather across the UK has been universally pretty appalling, it seems that so long as the river doesn't actually freeze up, the racing continues! Leanne has a 100% record so far in 2010, very impressive!! Here's her update:

Sunday 14th Feb. - Thameside 1

Today I raced Thameside 1 which was held from Aldermaston to Caversham which is approx 12 miles with 13 portages. I did K2 with Aaron Jordan in the mixed K2 category. We won in a time of 1.34.06. The time was also the 3rd fastest recorded on the day. Full results can be seen here: http://www.reading-canoe.org.uk/

Sunday 7th Feb. - Waterside A.

Today I raced from Great Bedwyn to Newbury, 13.5 miles with 21 portages. It was very cold and throughout most of the race there was a slight head wind. I raced in the Senior Ladies category and won in a time of 2.08.45. Other than being pushed in and bruising my legs, shoulder and feet the race went well. Results: http://www.watersides.fsnet.co.uk/documents/currenta.pdf

Sunday 24th Jan. - Chelmsford EWS Race.

Today I raced at Chelmsford for the 4th Essex Winter Series Race. Like all the other races the course was about 5 miles. I came 1st in the senior ladies category in a time of 45.27. Full results can be found here: http://www.essexcanoeassoc.webs.com/resultsews/ews0910/clm10.pdf

I have also now won the Essex Winter Series Trophy for being the fastest female in Essex. The series scores can be seen here: http://www.essexcanoeassoc.webs.com/resultsews/ews0910/series2010paddlers.pdf

Sunday 17th Jan. - Frank Luzmore 2010.

Today was the Frank Luzmore race which was scheduled to be a 13 mile race from Elmbridge Canoe Club to Richmond Canoe Club. The water was on red boards so the race ended up being a circuit at Richmond. Me and Mags Dilai

(Runcorn) raced in the senior ladies K2 race combined with the Junior ladies K2. We finished 1st position in 38.40. The river conditions were extremely bad making half of the race very difficult - overall the race went well. The full results can be seen here: http://www.essexcanoeassoc.webs.com/resultsews/ews0910/series2010paddlers.pdf

	SPONSORSHIP PRO ATHLETES LEANNE BROWN FLATWATER CANOEIST Leanne Brown is 21 years old and a full-time Flatwater Canoeist from Barking, Essex. She enjoyed all sorts of sport at school and competed in all the various sports teams, both at Manor Junior school and then Barking Abbey Secondary school. Swimming was initially her big interest and she swam for Dagenham swimming club, reaching County level at a very young age. After a couple of years' serious dedication to swimming, while still wanting to be near the water, she decided to try being on it, rather than in it! Starting with Sailing, she quickly moved on to Canoeing and it all began from there. Leanne has been canoeing since she was 8 and like all high-achieving and aspiring athletes, her life revolves around her sport. She has competed at an International standard with the Great Britain Team since she was 12. Her training schedule includes Paddling on the river, Weights, Swimming and Running 12-14 times a week. Leanne has won numerous National titles in both Sprint and Marathon Canoeing over the years. Her highest achievements were in 2005 when she competed at the European Championship Sprints in Bulgaria - this was a high level of achievement for her age, a tender 17 years. She also competed at the World Championship Sprints in Hungary where she was ranked 23rd fastest Junior Sprint racer in the World and 11th fastest in Europe. Leanne is also involved with the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust www.dkhlegacytrust.org, a charitable resource where young athletes are nurtured to enable them to rise to the challenge of competing at top level in Sport. This opportunity allowed Leanne to attend two events in October and February where she had the opportunity to learn from world class sports performers about what it takes to reach the top in sport, benefitting from the skills and experience they have gained as Olympic, Paralympics, World and Commonwealth Medallists. We'll leave the final word to Leanne: 'I would love to compete in front of my home country in the London 2012 Olympics and at present I am concentrating on my training and competitions with a view to qualifying for the Great Britain Sprint Kayaking Squad - I am top Great Britain U23 at Marathon and currently the fastest-ranked female in Essex and within the top-10 Sprint U23 females in Great Britain. Besides my athletic career I also recently graduated from London Southbank University where I received an Honours Degree in Sport and Exercise Science.' Welcome to Sport Beans, Leanne! http://www.leannebrown.webs.com/ October Update: Leanne takes a fine win in the Weybridge K2, with partner Aaron Jordan! Today I raced at Elmbridge Canoe Club in Weybridge, Surrey. It was a 2011 London South East Hasler race. It was the first Hasler race of the season in the region. I raced K2 in Division 3 with Aaron Jordan. The race was 12 miles long with 3 portages and we were amongst a very strong field. Wey Kayak Club had 4 strong boats out and Tonbridge had a very competitive boat. Aaron and I finished 1st in a very hotly contested sprint to the line, although we had led pretty much throughout the whole race. Our finishing time was 1.38.03. Next weekend I will be racing in one of the most important races of the year, the 2010 Hasler Finals in Worcester. Good luck for a similar result in the Hasler Finals in Worcester, Leanne! September Update: Leanne has now finished her sprinting for this season - she raced at Nottingham last weekend and came 2nd in the K1 200m (1st U23) and 3rd in the 1000m K1 (2nd U23). Now she starts her winter training with lots of base work and lower intensity marathon races. Nottingham 4th-5th Sept.: WB K1 200m 2nd (1st U23) WB K1 1000m 3rd (2nd U23) August Update #2 - August 8th. Leanne: Today I raced the Medway Marathon Race which consisted of 17 miles and 9 portages. I did K2 with Aaron Jordan in class A and we won the mixed event. We finished 2nd overall in class A which was a good result. We also beat the mixed K2 course record that had stood for 13 years making the new record nearly a minute quicker in a time of 2.10.21. Leanne, you are the master of understatement as ever. You have certainly hit a rich vein of form! August Update: LEANNE IS DOUBLE NATIONAL CHAMPION! On Saturday 31st/Sunday 1st August, Leanne raced at Chester for the National Marathon Championships - and marathon they certainly were! Saturday was the U23 Ladies event which was 16 miles and Leanne came an excellent 3rd place in 2:23:47. On the Sunday morning she raced in the K2 Senior/U23 ladies race which was again 16 miles. Her partner was Claire Moran (Worcester) and they took 2:18:34 for an amazing 1st place, making them Ladies K2 U23 National Champions! Lets just look at those times and distances again, that's SIXTEEN MILES in just over 2.25 hours, truly a marathon performance, and only a day after a similar effort! To put it further into context, they beat the 2nd placed pair by a staggering 13 minutes! And just one hour after the Ladies race she did the mixed K2 with Aaron Jordan and came 1st again, this time over a 8 mile course making her Mixed K2 National Champion! It seems that Leanne is one of those athletes who is super-motivated when she is participating with another athlete as part of a team. That in itself is very special but it also often means that even more amazing solo efforts are possible by being able to tap into the psyche and bring it out. In any case, we wonder just what Leanne might be capable of in the lead up to the 2012 London Olympics! Leanne, many congratulations to you on being double National Champion, we are very proud of you here at Sport Beans - and we'd like to think we played some small part in that. Well done! July Update: Leanne's special delivery! Leanne: "A couple of weeks ago I received a large quantity of the new Sport Beans. Obviously I was very excited to receive these as they have expanded their variety of flavours and some of the ingredients have been enhanced. The bag is now easy to open and resealable and the flavours are now even more intensely fruity with real fruit juice. They're a great way for me to replenish my lost vitamins, carbohydrates and electrolytes quickly during and after my training and events. Once again I am very grateful to be sponsored by Sport Beans!" June Update: Leanne travelled up to Nottingham again over the weekend 5th and 6th June and got some very fine results as a reward! 2nd WB K1 500m 2nd WB K2 500m (3rd Overall) 2nd WB K1 200m (3rd Overall) 2nd WB K2 200m (3rd Overall) 1st WB K4 500m 4th WB K1 1000m (6th Overall) 2nd WB K1 200m 1st WA/WB K1 5000m Those are some very consistent results in K1, K2 and K4, at whatever distance! May Update Leanne attended the May Nottingham Regatta over the 8th and 9th May: 1st in WB K1 500m 1st in WB K1 200m 1st in WB K4 500m 3rd in WB K1 200m - Some great results Leanne! Over the weekend of the 15th and 16th May Leanne ventured across the Channel and paddled in France at the Boulogne Regatta. The purpose of this trip was to practice her K4 Team, which she is hoping will be selected for the U23 European Champs later on this year. The trip proved fruitful! 2nd in K1 500m 2nd in K4 500m 5th in K2 500m - This was against some stiff foreign competition. Leanne also came 4th in the 200m knockout race. Sunday 23rd: Leanne raced at the Norwich K1 Assessment Race, a 16-mile event! 3rd Overall (2nd U23) in the Senior Ladies event. What I find amazing is the sheer breadth of events that canoeists do, in terms of distance - from sprints to 16 miles. We asked Leanne what shape her training itinerary took: My average week is train in the morning (paddle, gym, run) and then train in the evening (paddle, gym, run) everyday. I have coaching assistance at my two different canoe clubs Royal Canoe Club and Bishops Stortford Canoe Club. What with racing at the weekends and fitting her studies in during weekdays, Leanne has her work cut out! Here's the latest update from Leanne: 28th March: Yesterday Leanne raced the first Hasler Race in the Eastern Region at Cambridge Cane Club. She raced in division 4 over an 8-mile course and won her event! Leanne was happy with her performance and the weather was fine for a change. Leanne tells us the river was pretty bumpy due to the amount of punts on the river - I guess that's one of the perils of racing on the river in a University town such as Cambridge! 11th April: Leanne raced at Nottingham and it was with the added importance of being a Crew Boat Selection Race. Results as follows: 500m Womens 'B' 4th U23 200m Womens 'B' 3rd U23 1000m Womens 'A/B' 3rd Overall and 1st Womens 'B' 5000m 1st Womens 'B' 2nd Overall The outcome of this solid performance is that Leanne is now being included in the U23 Crew Boats which will possibly lead to her going to the U23 European Championships later this year - Well done Leanne! Update for January & February: Leanne has been very busy over the last month - although the weather across the UK has been universally pretty appalling, it seems that so long as the river doesn't actually freeze up, the racing continues! Leanne has a 100% record so far in 2010, very impressive!! Here's her update: Sunday 14th Feb. - Thameside 1 Today I raced Thameside 1 which was held from Aldermaston to Caversham which is approx 12 miles with 13 portages. I did K2 with Aaron Jordan in the mixed K2 category. We won in a time of 1.34.06. The time was also the 3rd fastest recorded on the day. Full results can be seen here: http://www.reading-canoe.org.uk/ Sunday 7th Feb. - Waterside A. Today I raced from Great Bedwyn to Newbury, 13.5 miles with 21 portages. It was very cold and throughout most of the race there was a slight head wind. I raced in the Senior Ladies category and won in a time of 2.08.45. Other than being pushed in and bruising my legs, shoulder and feet the race went well. Results: http://www.watersides.fsnet.co.uk/documents/currenta.pdf Sunday 24th Jan. - Chelmsford EWS Race. Today I raced at Chelmsford for the 4th Essex Winter Series Race. Like all the other races the course was about 5 miles. I came 1st in the senior ladies category in a time of 45.27. Full results can be found here: http://www.essexcanoeassoc.webs.com/resultsews/ews0910/clm10.pdf I have also now won the Essex Winter Series Trophy for being the fastest female in Essex. The series scores can be seen here: http://www.essexcanoeassoc.webs.com/resultsews/ews0910/series2010paddlers.pdf Sunday 17th Jan. - Frank Luzmore 2010. Today was the Frank Luzmore race which was scheduled to be a 13 mile race from Elmbridge Canoe Club to Richmond Canoe Club. The water was on red boards so the race ended up being a circuit at Richmond. Me and Mags Dilai (Runcorn) raced in the senior ladies K2 race combined with the Junior ladies K2. We finished 1st position in 38.40. The river conditions were extremely bad making half of the race very difficult - overall the race went well. The full results can be seen here: http://www.essexcanoeassoc.webs.com/resultsews/ews0910/series2010paddlers.pdf