The Challenge

My first thoughts that I wanted to enter the race developed during the Summer months of 2009. Two friends of mine, Andy Goodwin and Nick Praill, had attempted and failed to complete the race in 2009 in a C2 (this is a Canadian Canoe). Nick and Andy retired after 20 hours 24 minutes and 20 seconds during which time they had completed the canal section of just over 52 miles and reached Reading – so they were just less than half way through the race with 73 miles left to paddle. They have reminded me repeatedly that although only 52 miles in, they had actually done 55 of the 77 portages.A portage is when you have to get out of the boat and then carry it around some form of obstruction – either a lock or a low bridge. In their own way Nick and Andy were unique in their approach to the DW having done virtually no training.

I remember discussing my thoughts about doing the race with my friend Tim Davis who was part of the support crew for Nick and Andy.

“I’m thinking of doing the DW” I said to him

“Yes I thought it might be a good idea at one stage” he replied “that was until I saw the state of Nick and Andy as they arrived in Newbury after 14 hours of paddling - I’ve never seen people that knackered. It’s a stupid idea!!”

In contrast to my two old friends, the race records show that in the 2009 DW, Owen Peak and Daniel Seaford from Reading Canoe Club won the race in a time of 17 hours 16 minutes and 51 seconds exactly. These guys have raced kayaks at a very high level and I had been told that they trained 6 days a week, twice a day for the event.

The slowest crew of the 134 to complete the race took nearly 51 hours to complete it.

The 48 crews who retired from the race included entrants from the Royal Marines, various other military regiments including 29 Commando Regiment RA along with members of several Canoe Clubs including Richmond, Basingstoke and Maidenhead.

The race is clearly a serious challenge, but what daunted me more than anything else at this stage, was seeing some of the names of those that couldn’t finish. Some of these men were trained soldiers, fit hardened men who have passed through highly demanding physical and mental challenges to become members some of our most elite armed forces. These men were my heroes, and they didn’t complete the race.

What was I thinking? I couldn’t really explain why at all, but I wanted to give it a try. What was it that compelled me into this adventure? I’m not really sure, but I just seemed drawn to it as if it was beyond my control. The same had happened throughout my life – when something seemed impossible or if something frightened me I just wanted to overcome the fear, take on the challenge and do it. And these tendencies got worse if someone told me I wouldn’t be able to do something.

My heart was set on doing the race.