Devizes to Westminster 2012
125 Miles – 77 Portages – 1 Race.
The Proposition
There I was stood in a homemade Zorro outfit talking to Parker, Lady Penelope’s Butler, in her kitchen next to a pirate! (just to clarify I was at a fancy dress party).
“How do you fancy doing the DW next year” said Parker (Geoff) and that was it.
I’m not sure why I said yes. Was it the challenge, was it the fact this well respected Coach who had taken me from a poor 1 day 1 Star to a relatively competent 2 Star was asking me or was it to prove my commitment to paddle sport? I don’t know but yes was my answer.
The next few months I spent researching the race and trying to find out what it was all about. I was told horror stories and tales of massive achievement but all this just seemed to spur me along.
The Training
Our training started in September with some easy laps of the reservoir and slowly progressed. Every Wednesday night we paddled from Muchelney Abbey to the sluice gates the other side of Langport and back (about 9 miles) and weekends we paddled along the Exeter Canal and The Bridgewater and Taunton Canal. It was here I had my first experience of not very friendly Swans. These beautiful creatures have a dark and evil side that seems to only come out when innocent DW trainees want to pass. We quickly learnt tactics to avoid these vicious territorial creatures (run away). We were now paddling for long periods of time and needed help from our amazing support crews. They also needed to gain experience in what we wanted and when we wanted it not to mention how to find us. In December we progressed on to paddling parts of the actual course we would be racing on. The training continued light or dark, warm or icy, dry or persistent rain and even strong winds and snow. We had some good trips with lots of laughs and we had some hellish trips with illness and grumpiness but they were all good training. We learnt lots about our eating and drinking needs that should have been invaluable at the time of the race. Geoff and Wendy’s training schedule, for me never having done anything like this before, was relentless with something planned for us almost every day. Looking back I now know that this is a necessity if you intend on finishing the race.
We had decided to do all four of the Waterside Series lead up races and after almost
six months of training I was ready for something to make it all feel worthwhile.
Waterside A was my short term target and I was massively disappointed when it was
cancelled due to the Canal being frozen. It was going to be another two weeks before
Waterside B. That time passed really quickly and before I knew it we were in Newbery
Car Park checking in and collecting our first race number. I was nervous I’m not
sure quite why but I was very nervous. Geoff just took it all in his stride as this
was not new for him. Our amazingly fantastic support crew was there with us having
everything we could ever need but most of all encouragement. The race went well and
gave me my first experience of paddling with other racers, manic portages and most
importantly the short, sharp, relieving horn blow of the finish line. With not long
to go the training stepped up a notch in terms of distance. We were now paddling
anywhere between 20 and 80 miles per weekend training session. All too soon lead
up races were over and with only two weeks to the main event we relaxed a little
as that’s what your meant to do before a big race. I relaxed on the Wye-
The Race
April 6th 2012 Good Friday and the day before the race.
I stood at home looking at the massive pile of bags waiting to be loaded in the car. I had at least one bag full of food and clothes for each of the three support crews, overnight bags for myself, Nicky and George, sleeping bags, coats and food for Nicky and George for their long night. I had that feeling that I was missing something so for the hundredth time I went through all my paddling gear, the emergency gear and support items to find just like before it was all there.
After a quick chat to Geoff and Wendy we set off for Devizes. On arrival we drove straight to the Canal Centre car park where the four day race had began earlier and our race would begin the next day. We expected the car park to be a hive of activity and were a little disappointed to find the car park empty and no sign of the pending race except for a few barriers put up and the addition to the car park of a few portaloos. In fact there was no evidence of the race at all throughout Devizes.
We met up with Geoff and Wendy at the hotel and went in search of a pleasant restaurant where we could “carb up” ready for the race the next day.
April 7th 2012 Race Day.
I didn’t sleep too well probably a mixture of nerves and excitement. We got up at 4.30am giving us time to have a reasonable breakfast and final check of kit before we headed off to the car park for an early boat check. We were almost second in line for marshaling and after we had registered, received our race number and ID bracelet we displayed all of our emergency kit ready for the marshals to check. We had everything and there were no problems so we took the Jenson to the launch area.
We muscled our way through to being 3rd on the water and made our way to the start line. We were told to line up with another open canoe and wait. The next ten minutes were filled with nervous banter and laughing with the other competitors and the small crowd that had accumulated around the start line. Most of our support crew was there Nicky, Wendy, George, Claire, Lesley, Athol and Claire with some of them wearing their bright pink hats.
“30 seconds” shouted the Start Marshall. This was it no going back now. The next time I would be out of the boat for longer than 10 minutes would be 125 miles away at Westminster, hopefully.
“10 seconds, 5 seconds, 3, 2, 1 and the whistle blew. We were away and managed to barge our way into first place under the start bridge. The 2012 Devizes to Westminster Race had started and we were in first place!
We kept in first place for a couple of miles until some of the faster K2’s passed us. Our first official stop was Pewsey and as promised our support crew was there ready and waiting with food, drink and anything else we might need. The stop seemed very short but as the day went by they seemed to just get shorter.
The supporters and other support crews were great cheering us on every paddle stroke of the way.
Before reaching Newbury we had our fist problem of the day with Geoff saying he had a bad stomach. Words of sympathy from Athol “Chin up, keep paddling” didn’t do much to help but we paddled on and after a short two minute stop in Newbery he said he was feeling a bit better. Then it was my turn. I had chosen to use a liquid replacement for solid food as in training I had suffered quite badly with stomach problems. The food substitute I was taking wasn’t quite enough calories for the longer stretches between stops and I had started to feel dizzy. However Nicky was at the next portage and after running back to the car I had a chocolate bar thrown at me before we had paddled on too far.
The day past by quite well and now is a bit of a blur. We had no major problems with the demon swans and all the portages went well. It was big relief to paddle out of the canal and onto the River Thames. At least now there would be fewer portages and a tiny bit of flow to help us along. We had a ten minute stop at Dreadnaught Reach giving Geoff time to eat something warm and a chance for us both to change our clothes that we had already been in for twelve hours. The ten minutes flew passed and Athol was soon ushering us back into the boat.
By the time we reached Henley upon Thames it was getting dark and Hambledon Lock was the first one we dealt with in the dark. I was starting to feel tired and the days’ paddling behind us was starting to take a toll. The night carried on and we kept paddling.
Our support crew was telling us we needed to pick up our pace a little as the deadline for Teddington lock was looming ever nearer. Between the hours of two and four were the hardest, my body was slowing down and muscles were beginning to ache. “Keep going guys” and “paddle, paddle, paddle” is all I can remember our crew saying to us. Every portage there was people waiting and they all had words of encouragement for us.
Half an hour to Teddington Lock cut off and still a way to go. The lead up to Teddington seemed to go on forever. Geoff kept calling out the time and at 7.30 we thought we had had missed the time slot. Ten minutes later we could see the lock in the distance and George was stood on the bank shouting “you’ve got ten minutes paddle, paddle, paddle”. We put in a last minute effort to get there reenergized with the thought we could still make it. With a few minutes left we made the lock. The crew was telling us to pull in but there was no way we were stopping until we were through.
To this point all of our efforts and encouragements for the last 24hrs were for us to reach Teddington on time and we had done it. In our minds we had accomplished our goal, we were done, we had finished. The next twenty minutes were spent coming to terms with the fact we still had seventeen miles to go! That’s at least three hours more paddling! Hurting, aching, tired, and exhausted without hardly saying a word to each other we both came to the realization, having only just made the tidal window, there was no big tidal tsunami that was going to pick us up and carry us to the finish line! Nobody was going to come and get us! We would just have to, as we had been told all day and night, keep paddling.
The miles went by and when we got to eleven miles away from the finish I started calling out the quarter miles as we passed them. We started to paddle through areas Geoff recognized and as we got closer I started to see things I had seen from the land. With the London Eye just visible through the buildings the finish was in sight. With renewed enthusiasm our pace picked up and we were both getting excited. The end of this race was within our grasp. Around the last bend and under the last few bridges and we were greeted by race marshals in a motor boat giving directions where to go for the finish line. We could see people on Westminster Bridge waving and cheering us on. I looked for a row of pink caps but couldn’t see any then on the side I could see our support crew waving and cheering.
We passed under Westminster Bridge and the finish line 27hrs 58mins and 45 seconds after leaving Devizes.
We were met at the base of the steps by a group of marshals who steadied the boat and helped us out. We climbed the steps and at the top we were presented with our medals. Then we were allowed through to be greeted by our very proud Crew. Exhausted, aching, excited, relieved and proud are just some of the emotions we were all feeling.
A shower, a drink and something to eat later and all still at Westminster Geoff and I were feeling slightly more human again.
The race was an amazing experience from the training right through to the finish line. I have learnt so much about myself and what I can do when I put my mind to it. I have had the opportunity to get to know Geoff and Wendy two people that I truly respect and will always be grateful to for giving me the opportunity to do this with them. It was their training program and consistent support throughout that kept me going. Thank you.
I am massively grateful to our support team, Nicky, Wendy, George, Claire, Ad, Lesley, Athol and Claire who were fantastic. Without them it would not be possible for us to race. It was their support and words of encouragement that got us to the finish line. They all did their jobs perfectly looking after our welfare, health and morale. They worked so hard throughout the whole event all of them opting to go right through the night nonstop just like us. Thank you guys.
Thank you to Sutton Bingham Canoe Club for allowing us to use their boat and equipment for all the training and the race. Also thank you to all of the club members and friends who offered me advise and words of encouragement in the lead up to and during the race. Thank you.
Finally to Nicky, George, Ellie, Ethan and Leah, my family, who have had to put up with me not being there for nine months and talking about nothing else but the race for nine months. It is you guys that make it all worthwhile. Your love and support has been amazing and without you guys I couldn’t have done it. Thank you. Xx