An interview with Tim and Laura, two club members who are hoping to do the Devizes-Westminster Canoe Race next year.

What is the DW?

Laura: The Devizes to Westminster canoe race is held over the Easter weekend every year, and runs—as the name would suggest—from Devizes in Wiltshire, down the Kennet and Avon canal to Reading, and then down the river Thames to Westminster.

It’s 125 miles long, with  77 ‘portages’ where you take your boat out of the water and run with it. The record for the race, which runs overnight on the Easter Weekend (April 19-20), non-stop, is 15 hours and 19 minutes, but most crews come in somewhere between 20 and 30 hours. Although Tim and I have an idea of an ‘ideal time’ in our heads we are purely aiming for the successful completion in one piece!

It has been labelled as the kayakers ‘ultra-marathon’ – there have been a few famous celebrities who have previously attempted the race; Steve Backshall and Helen Glover completed it in a time of 24hours and Steve Redgrave attempted the race in 2012 but pulled out halfway through due to tiredness. This really puts the challenge into context for me.

Do you think you’re well suited to the challenge?

Tim: Personally, not at all. I would never be anyone’s first choice as a boat partner for the DW.  One of the reasons I got into sea kayaking was the opportunity it affords to spend long periods of time in blissful solitude, so the idea of spending an extended period of time in a tandem boat is a bit terrifying. In addition to this, race boats are super-tippy and I am 17 stone’s worth of epic mal-coordination. Every moment our boat remains upright is as a minor miracle.

But, as a team, we have a secret weapon—Laura—who somehow manages to compensate for my lack of social skills whilst simultaneously having the kind of rabid determination and focus rarely seen outside prohibited breeds of attack dog.

Why are you doing the DW?

Laura: I think there are a few reasons, really. Firstly it’s a great opportunity to raise funds for charity. We’ve set an ambitious target of £5,000 spread across a few different charities which really need the cash. Secondly, it’s going to be (we hope!) a great way of maintaining paddle fitness over the winter months, putting us in good physical shape to do some exciting sea kayaking next summer. Personally, for me, I’ve had a very difficult last twelve months which has put some of my life into a new context – this is a personal challenge for me that will push me both physically and mentally beyond anywhere I have been before. And, of course, it sounds like a fun way to spend the Easter weekend…

What’s it like paddling a racing K2?

Tim: It’s very, very different from paddling a seaboat. Our race boat has a ‘wobble factor’ of 8/10 – meaning that it’s way more stable than most racing boats, but even so, it sometimes feels like you’re paddling on a razor blade. The technique used is quite different too and it’s been a real challenge, both mentally and physically, to even begin to get the basics right. Also, there’s the novelty of having two people in the same boat, so coordination, timing and communication potentially become issues too. If anyone’s interested in giving it a go, we’ll happily take people out on the docks to try it out!

What sort of support are you getting?

Laura: We’ve had an amazing amount of support, both from within LCC and beyond. We are, for example, very grateful to the club for allowing us to store our race boat in the compound, which makes training so much easier. Dave Brown has helped us massively, taking us out on the Weaver and giving us a lot of tips on paddling technique, training schedules, nutrition, hydration, race logistics, equipment, boat preparation and much else besides. Dave has been massively generous with his time, and his advice and guidance have allowed us—as complete novices—to make a good start on preparing for the race. We are very grateful to him!

Have you managed to get a support crew together yet?

Tim: No, not yet, and this is a major concern for us. It is pretty much impossible to complete the race without a support crew to manage the logistics of the race and keep the boat crew moving forward toward the finish line.

If any club members (or indeed, any non-club members!) are potentially interested in helping out, we’d love to hear from you! We will cover all the costs involved and provide a vehicle, and anyone who volunteers can choose one of the charities that we raise money for.  Also—naturally—we’d happily return the favour next year for anyone who supports us this year and can offer the loan of a race boat and all the other kit required too.

We can pretty much guarantee that it will be a great experience! If you think you might be interested and want to find out more about what’s involved, please get in touch! (timhaines@hotmail.com / laura_groom84@hotmail.com)

Photo Caption: Tim and Laura, following an unplanned swim in the Leeds-Liverpool canal. Perhaps, when they spend more time paddling and less time swimming, the ‘L Plates’ might come off the boat.