Athletics

SHOULD you be driving in Kintyre over the weekend, look out for some of the strangest open vehicles ever seen on a British road: 20-feet long, less than 18 inches high, and each carrying two passengers.

The machines in question are more at home on water - they are Calypso 2 kayaks, competing in the Derakane Scottish Islands Peaks Race, which gets underway from Oban at noon tomorrow.

Long regarded as one of Britain's most arduous sport challenges, this year's event has a new dimension, with four former Olympians paddling round a route otherwise being tackled by 62 yachts. The smallest yacht is Aperitif V, a Hunter 707 skippered by Oban's David Robertson, while the largest are two 72-feet Robert Clark youth crews, from among seven in that category.

The course: 160 sea miles, plus 60 of running involving 11,500 feet of ascent, and finishing in Troon, is usually completed inside two days by the leaders. Last year's winning skipper, Ian Lofthagen, has not entered his yacht, but is crewing on a similar boat, F27 Eezie Ozie, from Rye.

Teams of five - three yachtsmen and two hill-runners, at least two of whom must climb Ben More (Mull), Paps of Jura, and Goatfell (Arran) - was the normally accepted complement until organiser Curly Mills agreed to a one-off request from kayakers.

Sail versus paddle sounds an unequal struggle, but the canoeists may depart from the specified route, though they will still climb every mountain.

They will avoid canoeing the full distance by putting runners ashore at other than the yachties' designated points (Salen, Craighouse, and Lamlash) which will, however, mean much longer distances being covered by the runners. The long paddle from Craighouse, on Jura, round the Mull of Kintyre and northwards to Lamlash, will be short-cutted by transporting the kayaks, weighing a fifth of a ton fully loaded, six miles overland, from Kennacraig on West Loch Tarbet, to the Clyde.

They have special portage trolleys, wheeled rigs on which they will haul the kayaks to the highest point on the road to Claonaig, roughly 430 feet. ''With any luck we will be able to jump on board the canoes, and freewheel down,'' says Patrick Winterton.

Calgary cross-country skier Winterton, from Stirling, will be joined by soldier Mike Dixon, from Aviemore, who competed in his fifth Winter Olympics in Nagano this year, plus fellow biathlete Mark Gee, a double Olympian, and downhiller Mark Blyth, a Glasgow surgeon.

They hope to raise money for the sportsmen's spinal charity, Back Up, but are still trying to find #500 for the necessary safety boat.