Breast cancer survivors say they knew it all along but now overseas research is backing their claims that dragonboat racing is not only fun but beneficial.
And that's all good news as South Island teams who took to the water on Saturday ahead of the national championships later this month.
They have already won the biggest race of their lives - beating breast cancer.
In the 1990s there was concern exercise like dragonboating could be harmful for cancer patients but the Canadian research now shows it actually improves the lymphatic system and quality of life both physically and emotionally.
But not everyone survives and 600 women a year die from breast cancer. The participants in Saturday's racing took time out to remember those who didn't make it.
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