The Blow by Blow Account of our DW Adventure

I thought it was about time that I put something together to share with you all our DW race experience. It has been nearly a week now since finishing it, but to be honest, its the first time that my shoulder would allow me to sit for a long period of time typing, more about that later.

Myself and Enda met at work with our support crews loading our final bits of food, drink and kit into the vehicles that would be the support crew's home for the next 36hours or so. Nerves had not really set in with us both yet, excitement - yes and a desire to get out in the boat and get on with it too. So at 8:30am we set off in convoy towards Devizes, a journey that the sat nav suggested would take about 1hr 30mins.

The day was sunny and oh so warm when we arrived, even at 10:30am. We were due to head off at 11:53am according to our timings, so we had plenty of time to do the necessaries; get the boat and kit checked by race officials and then register so we could get get our number, also a fetching bracelet that gave us the reassurance that if we were to become separated from our boat and be found floating in the river, at least people would be able to call someone and find out who we were.

All going well so far then, time to eat some more food, drink, get changed and then liberally apply Sudacream to the nether regions ;o) All still good, adrenaline starting to kick in and time for the off approaching. It was getting very hot, and wanted to get on the water, but we wanted to get a good photo of all of us, as I'm sure by the time we got to the other end, we perhaps wouldn't be looking so fresh faced.

Me and Enda with all our support crew

Just before we started, we got in the boat to head up to the start line, I gave the picture of my dad a kiss, this journey was as much for him as it was me. We set off at 11:52 to a little applause under the bunting and into the gruelling first 15miles which would not see us have a single portage. We had heard that it wasn't the most pleasant part of the race, so it was a case of just get on with it, we would see our support crew a couple of times on the way through though, which broke it up nicely. To help pass the time as well, we had a game of I Spy, I was shockingly bad, but I did manage to get Enda with one tricky one.

We got to Wooten Bridges just ahead of schedule and were relieved to be able to get out for a bit of a stretch of the legs as we portaged the first lock. Today, we opted for just light trotting whilst portaging to conserve energy. So we just kept picking our way along the grind of the canal, decided to run/walk most of Crofton and was having a really positive, if not rather warm, race. At around 25miles in, whilst getting the boat up onto my shoulder, I felt a sharp twinge in it. I didn't think anything of it at first, just thinking about paddling on and it will pass. To be honest I just thought this would be the first of may little niggles that come and go throughout the 125miles. However, as we were heading along the canal, and at each portage, my shoulder started really hurting. I couldn't believe that so early into the event I could be hitting a problem, of course there was no way that I was going to stop, besides Enda would never let me anyhow. There was only around 5 miles til Newbury, so I thought if I take on some painkillers there, it would sort it out.

We got to Newbury a little behind time, the effect of the shoulder and some 'casual' portages was the cause of this. Was great to see my mate Kev 'Maple' Peebs along with our support crews and Fred, Marina, Pops and Charlotte. A nice morale booster to go with some hot food and of course painkillers.

Chowing Down at Newbury



After a quick pee (the downside of keeping hydrated was constantly needing a wee), we headed on up for the final 20miles of the canal. We steadily kept ticking away the miles, the pain killers had taken the edge off the shoulder and apart from being attacked by midges, it was fairly uneventful. Once we got to Aldermaston we were on 'unchartered' parts of the canal for us, but had a pleasant surprise with Steve from the club popping up at Midgham along with Fred and co again. Each time we met our support or any of the others it was always uplifting and motivating.

It was dark by now, however, we weren't phased by this at all having spent so much time in the boat in the dark during training. We were slowly getting towards Reading now, to Dreadnought Reach where the canal meets the Thames. My shoulder was starting to really hurt again, I found that I had to start digging deep, the hope was that at Fobney we would see Shaz and Noz who could supply me with more pain killers, when we got to the portage, we didn't see them, so I had to get my head round dealing with the next 90mins or so with this pain. Enda was reassuring and incredibly supportive and just as we were setting away we saw Shaz and Noz on the bank, they had to run about half a K along the bank to find a spot that they could get to us so some pain killers could be administered, thankfully!!! Noz even found time to rip his shorts to cheer my mood :o)

What was next was quite surreal, the canal runs through the middle of Reading, right through the main nightlife of the town, so you can imagine the looks we were getting from party revellers as two rather strange looking men were paddling along the canal at 11pm trying to find the way on a portage. In fact a couple of lads outside a pub pointed us in the right direction of one of them. There's nothing like getting support from complete strangers who are peeing into the canal we are paddling in :o)

Just after Readng came Dreadnought Reach, a massive milestone, it was here that we were hoping to get a little bit of assistance from the flow of the Thames. There was an enforced portage here, many crews stop for food and it was lit up well, so well that Enda almost took us into the bank :o) lol. We didn't stay long, just a couple of minutes as we were planning a food and kit change stop at Marsh, a further 7miles down the Thames.

Getting back into the boat onto the Thames brought  a new vigour, although the edge was taken off the pain in my shoulder, I still couldn't paddle with the technique that we had both been trying to maintain. Still, we were feeling confident and thankful that we had paddled the Thames during daylight hours in training, as a mistake at one of the portages on here could have serious consequences.

No dramas through the first 2 portages, the support crew could not get to them, but we made good time through to Marsh. Time for food and change into my warmer thermal gear for the night ahead. I was feeling a little woozy here, I think the pain killers had that effect along with perhaps a bit of tiredness creeping in. Enda was still in fantastic fettle, which was such a help for me, particularly with dealing with the shoulder.

We were assaulted by the support crews and Fred & Co, who helped us eat, drink and change, then set off on our way without any delay. So we were back in the boat and heading to Henley, it was here that I asked Enda if he could just keep talking to me, I was feeling very light headed and a little all over the place. I thought if Enda could keep me talking then it would help maintain some focus. It worked rather well. The night was very interesting indeed, for me it was a combination of digging in to help Enda keep the boat going, then periods of fighting extreme pain as medication was wearing off. I could only take the tablets every 4 hours, during which they took the edge off the pain for around 2-2.5hours of it, the rest was pure agony. Just lifting my arm anywhere close to shoulder height was starting to make me shout with both pain and frustration. Many times throughout the night and indeed the latter stages of the race, I would look into the picture of my dad and get support from it. Enda was also always there though, reassuring me that we just need to keep it steady and keep going and we would get through this.

We got to Boulters Lock in the dead of night, things seemed very solitary on the Thames, until you got to the portages, then it seemed boats appeared from nowhere. Here it seemed as though everyone was trying to hurry us too much, we got the boat out and to one side to take on a quick bite of food. Andy and Gareth were there, then we saw Jimbo and Blair, who was looking rather knackered to put it politely, but must have been doing superbly. Strange how out of the darkness that they should appear though. We then headed for the put in, this is right next to some very fast flowing water, however we are confident with this. What we didn't account for though was one of the race marshalls, he was a complete pain in the ass and right in the way, he kept trying to move us further back all the time so much so that when we were getting in, he got in the way of Enda and it tipped us over. We both tried hard to grab the side, this really didn't help the shoulder, but in the end we just had to let it go. We were in, the thought to stop never crossed our minds though. Gareth stepped in to help get the boat up and eventually we got it onto the side, emptied and then back in. Valuable time had been lost though.

So the night continued, as we drew nearer to dawn, the fog got thicker and thicker, the head torches just made it worse, so in the end we were kind of using 'the force' to find our way. Dawn started to break as we passed through Windsor and the thought that we were entering the daylight brought a new lease of life again, although my body was starting to not feel much of any effect of the pain killers any more. Mentally it was just starting to become a battle against pain. I couldn't stop, but at the same time I didn't want to be holding Enda back. This was becoming a difficult stretch, I know Enda was having a bit of difficulty staying awake and each portage seemed to be getting further and further away.

It was starting to get a rather warm morning, I was aware that we were significantly behind time now, which wouldn't have been too much of  a problem apart from having to get to Teddington Lock before they close it. We were due there, if all went to plan, for 8am, it was now nearly 10am and we had a long 5mile stretch from Molesy. We had to dig really deep, I was chunking the time down in 10min sections. This helped us drive on and get to Teddington, as we could sense we were getting closer we asked people on the bank how far it was, someone told us it was 600m round the bend in the river. My god that had to be the longest 600m ever, (we would realise that was not true as we found longer in the tidal). We were looking forward to getting some food though and to change into some more appropriate clothing, we were stinking and melting. However when we finally got to Teddington, we were told that we couldn't get out, there wasn't time. We were force fed beans/bacon and pasta wayfarer, cold tea and coffee and given a 'goodie' bag of food for the tidal part of the Thames and set off, (which would be swilling around in river water and pee that was lurking in the bottom of our boat). I desperately had to get some more pain killers inside me though, it would be around 2-3hours before we would see the next chance of a stop or support.

The thought of hitting the Tidal part of the Thames had been a massive carrot for getting through the night, dealing with the pain and tiredness. We both were so looking forward to catching some of that flow as we had been robbed of any flow at all on the canal or river.

On we got, the tide and gone out a significant amount, we could see that the water level had dropped at least 8 feet. We could still sense that there was at least some tide running out though. We would be up against it though, if we took too long, then the tide would change and we would have to try and paddle against the ripping Thames tide.

I was hot, and it was getting rather frustrating, we were looking forward to getting on the Thames for a bit of 'sightseeing' too to help pass the time. However, it seemed that we were entering London 'through the back door' as Enda put it. Even when we had to take on our 77th portage at Richmond Lock, it seemed like we were a lifetime away from the end. We started to try and work out how far we had come as we started to go under bridges, we thought we had only about 7-8miles to go when we saw Shaz and Noz on one of the bridges, they told us we had 10 to go. I nearly lost it here, I could not believe that we still had that far to go, how could we be going so slow even with what was left of the tide, was running with us.

For the first time, Enda was starting to say that he was really feeling it, his shoulders were seizing up, we were exhausted, I had run out of drink. We were in thick thermals in one of the hottest days of the year, we could not see any landmarks that would signal how close we were getting. We were constantly checking any stantion or buoy to make sure that the tide was still running out, any moment we were expecting it to run against us.

One last time we saw Shaz, she informed us we had 5miles to go, it was like being told we had 500miles to go. We struggled to come to terms with it, but we had to put a positive spin on it. We both said that we have only 5miles of 125 to go, about 1 hour until, rest and glory. Something that summed up how we were feeling, Enda asked me if I fancied a bit of a Brunch Bar, of course I did. Unfortunately, Enda could only reach as far as his shoulder, there was no way that  could reach forward to get it, so we decided to go for a throw over the shoulder and catch. Over the shoulder it went, but it just bounced off the deck just behind Enda and into the Thames. Bloody typical!!!

That last hour, that last 5miles, time was going backwards, for every paddle stroke we were making forwards, we could have sworn someone was pulling us back. Everything in my shoulder was just giving up, there was nothing in there, Enda was tightening up. When would this end??? Then Enda, who knows his way round London, noticed the MI5 building on the right bank, he sensed we would be there so soon. Then the moment arrived, Enda said 'Look Left', you could see the top of the London Eye over the tops of some of the trees. We knew that this landmark was right by Westminster Bridge, we got round that bend and we could see Lambeth Bridge in the distance, the final bridge before Westminster.

We gradually got nearer and nearer to Lambeth Bridge, we could now see the Houses of Parliament, race officials support boat was now telling us to head over to river right for Lambeth. I looked down at the picture of my dad on the deck in front of me, not for the first time. During the night I had been talking to him asking for strength to get me through this pain. This time though it was different, I looked down, smiled and I could feel myself welling up. There was no time to relax though, this part of the Thames gets very choppy, not the best conditions for 2 extremely tired and fatigued paddlers to cope with. We passed under Lambeth Bridge, we could hear Shaz shout and could see her start to run towards the finish.The tide had gone right out and was on the verge of turning, we were so nearly out of time. There in front of us was Westminster Bridge, it just didn't seem to be getting any closer. The water was getting very choppy, Enda told me to just keep our balance, so that last 400m, Enda paddled us to the line while I just kept support stroking. We got closer, I could hear Becky calling, I was smiling and welling up. The horn went, we had crossed the line, in the same way I started the race, I kissed my fingers and laid that beauty right down on the picture of my dad. Tears started to build in my eyes, I wanted to see Becky and Alanah now.

Thankfully, there were race marshalls in the water to steady our boat as we got out onto the steps, first Enda who felt sorry for the guy who unzipped his spray deck and got hit with a wall of stink. Then myself, I just rolled onto the landing into the foetal position. I got up and slowly walked to Enda, I could do nothing more than to hug him, tears running down my cheeks. He said my dad would be proud and I knew he would, but I needed to get up the steps and see my girls, Becky and Alanah and there they were, right at the top waiting for me and we just fell into each others arms.

I'm not really sure what happened next, I was in a kind of dream world. I know we got presented our medals, got changed and got some food. It all seemed so surreal though, it was so busy with the usual crowds out sight seeing in London. I just wanted to find our support crew and thank them, thanked Fred, Marina, Pops and Charlotte for their support, it was all fragmented though. I saw Ollie and Nigel, who looked as broken as I felt. I saw Jimbo who looked good apart from his hands. I had heard Blair was whisked off for his own good.

Then that was it, it was over everyone was going their separate ways and it was time to go home.

It was the culmination of a long journey that started last October. We have to thank Fred for so much, his training is what made sure that we weren't phased by anything that the conditions or race could throw at us so we could concentrate in looking after ourselves. We have to thank our support crew, who were amazing. They looked after us so well, were so well organised and we didn't have to worry about anything apart from paddling the race.

I need to thank Enda, he kept me focused when I was away with the fairies and helped keep me motivated when the pain was getting too much. He was immense throughout the whole race.

Finally, I want to personally thank my Becky, so understanding in those nights and mornings that I have been out training for it and being there for me when I needed her.

So what damage? Well my shoulder had a fair bit of damage to it, the whole rotator cuff was in spasm and I had torn the deltoid in my right shoulder and had a partial tear of the bicep on my right arm. Other than that, just a couple of blisters and sores in expected places. Enda, did very well, he picked up a couple of choice 'sores' and the expected sore shoulders, what an immense performance ;o)

After all this, what have we achieved, well I hope that putting oursleves through this has raised the profile of the funding need for Alzheimer's research. So many of you wonderful people have donated much more than both myself and Enda could have hoped for. The online total currently stands at £1120, with around £250 more to come in still. I know this will help, but it will need more and more we just need to keep this cause on the agenda. Thank you everyone so much :o)

What's next? Well who knows, but rest assured we'll be doing something crazy soon.

Crossing the Line

The 'Hug' with my 2 girls, Becky & Alanah

Our Crowning Moment - Wearing our medals

The Eve of the Race

Not been much to post about this week, been taking it easy myself. Just done a run and a 10k row early on and Enda went out for an evening kayak on Tuesday. This week has been much more about getting the logistics right.

We had our final meeting on Wednesday night with the support crew. Its turning into something that's being planned to military precision. Both Enda and myself think that perhaps we have the easy bit, lets face it all we have to do is keep paddling for 125 miles. Our support crew have to feed us, look out for us, keep us up to date with how we are doing. Find us, repair boats, get us changed, treat any injuries. Without our 2 crews we would be helpless. We owe them a massive thank you.

Well pretty much all packed, just been getting all of my food ready. I can't believe how much I have, I have 2 stacker boxes full and that's  not including what we're having for our scheduled meal stops. Enda has been busy making the final touches to our boat today, ensuring that its all ready for us to jump into tomorrow.

All that's left now is an early night, a good hearty breakfast and then a safe journey up to the start. I know both me and Enda are just keen to start now.

No matter how cold, wet, tired and hungry we may be. No matter how much discomfort and pain we may be in, even if the skin is falling from our hands from blisters. WE MUST NOT AND WILL NOT STOP!!!!!

Our discomfort will only be temporary, but for the sufferers and families of those with Alzheimer's is long term. Our memories and achievement will last forever knowing that we have helped in trying to aid the upset of Alzheimer's.

All your well wishes will be with us the whole way and here's a picture of what has inspired me and Enda, my dad.

From Marlow to Runnymede

Its getting really close to D-Day now, only 5 days left and we're putting the last bits of planning together.

On Saturday we went out with the all the DW crowd from the club for a paddle down the Thames from Marlow to Runnymede the last 19mile stretch that either of us hadn't done. It was also Fred's (Jedi Master Coach) birthday so another fine reason for us all to get out. It was also the first time in the boat for me in nearly 3 weeks, so I was a tad apprehensive wondering how I would get on both in stability and in regards to how my wrist would hold up.

The weather was most pleasant, starting off a nice sunny day, not too hot so great paddling conditions. I did not need to worry about how  would get on either. As soon as we pushed off from the jetty, it all felt like it should, and apart from a little bit of a lean issue early doors, me and Enda settled in for some good paddling. Got the chance to look at 6 more of the portages we would be negotiating in the dark on Saturday, so hopefully we won't encounter any problems there come Saturday night.

Along the route we passed Eton College's 'Dorney Lake' where all the Olympic rowing comps will be taking place, looks very impressive and I found it a tad inspiring too.

So after we passed Windsor Castle we reached Runnymede and ended the day. Had a BBQ for Fred, to end a pleasant day.

As I said earlier, the last bits of planning are now being put in place. The forecast for Saturday is looking sunny and rather hot, and very mild over night, which can go in our favour as long as we don't overheat during the day.



Me and Enda coming into a portage

The Gang From Saturday

Almost Here!!

Well myself and Enda got back from a week in the mountains of Snowdonia yesterday. It came as an extra chance to recuperate from the tendonitis for me, but a good chance to work on some fitness 'hill walking style'. A great week training a group of 17-24 year olds working towards their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. Gave us both a bit of a 'different' focus for a few days too.

Now back to the main focus, Devizes to Westminster 2011. Its now only 8 days until we embark on this incredible challenge of fitness and mental toughness. Apart from my tendonitis, we both think that the training has gone well and we are more than ready for it. We just have one more paddle tomorrow, 19miles on the Thames from Marlow to Runnymede, another section that we will be doing in the dark come next Saturday.

Being away in the hills gave me a chance to reflect and to look forward, as it always does. I thought back to when both me and Enda read that article in Canoe Focus nearly a year ago now and decided that this might be something we would like to do. Little did I know then that it would become a reality. Then onto October and to the first time we both got into racing kayaks, Enda taking to it much better than me, it would take me a little while longer than Enda to get relatively stable in these boats. Training hard through those winter days and nights in some very cold conditions under the excellent tutelage of Fred and Poppy from the canoe club.

Ever since I first got in that boat, I have been picturing crossing the line by Westminster Bridge. Never have I thought that we would not complete it, it always has us crossing that line but what I can't imagine is the emotions that I will be feeling. Relief, exhaustion, joy, celebration, sorrow I really just don't know. What I do know is that throughout the duration of the race, both me and Enda are going to have our highs and lows, good times and bad, but we are resolute in our attitude that we will offer support and the odd joke to get us through each tie of hardship. We also know that our support team play such a pivotal role in our success. It will very demanding on themselves as well, but will need to refuse to let us back out if we dare consider it, give us the masses of food we are going to need and be an emotional crutch.

Something that me and Enda have given thought to is looking at the positive side of this event, I mean how often will we be given the opportunity to paddle through 125 miles of the Thames Valley in these circumstances? Its not everyday you can try this is it :o) lol

What we must keep going over in our head is this mantra, 'One more portage, one more stroke.' For me I will always be holding the thought of my dad, reminding me why I am doing it, I know this thought alone will keep me going when cold and tired at 4am. The discomfort we shall both experience in this event is only temporary, but the feeling of success and achievement and the memories will last a lifetime.

Our thoughts are always and have always been positive and we have only talked about when we finish the event at Westminster, we have always said that we are going to struggle at times, but we have both always said that come whatever, we will make it through determination, support of each other and the fact that we are both stubborn buggers :o) lol

Here's a little pic of what gives me a perfect moment to reflect, its the view from our wild camp, just below the south ridge of Snowdon

Two Weeks Left!!!!

Hi All

Well since my last post I have done nothing in the K2 still rehabbing the tendonitis,its coming along, but very slowly. To be honest its getting rather frustrating, the big event is only 2 weeks on Saturday. Enda gives me confidence by keep telling me that we're solid in the boat and we know how to deal with the issues we get, and besides we're both very stubborn and string willed.

Talking of Enda, he's stil been getting some good sessions in, getting out his usual 3 times a week. This week, with the rest of the gang, he's been getting in some good practice particularly in wash hanging. This is where you reduce the effort required to move along by positioning yourself in the wash of other paddlers or boats. This will be a massive help in the DW for helping to conserve some energy.

The both of us are off to North Wales tomorrow for another part of our outdoor lives. Going to Snowonia to train a great group getting ready for thier Gold Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. This will give me another week of, hopefully, giving the wrist/forearm and rest. It will also give me and Enda the opportunity to talk some tactics, well in between charging up and down North Wales finest.

I've got some photos of some of our evening exploits in the boat, well not si dark now the lighter evenings are here, but worth a look.

Chief Coach Fred, making  a very tippy boat look stable

How Lush!!

Junior Coach Poppy

Jimbo & Blair (The boat sits quite low don't you think)

Wash Hanging (extreme)

Royal CC Marathon & A LIttle Worried

Hi Again Readers

Yesterday was the Royal CC Marathon event taking in 18miles of the Thames from Runnymede to Teddington Lock. Myself and Enda entered more for giving the portages a once over on this stretch as well as looking at our speed on the Thames. Unfortunately though, I have some bad tendinitis in my right forearm, which meant I could not take part. Enda still went ahead, even if one of us could get at least a bit familiar with this section, it would help on the DW.

Enda paddled in our K2 with Ben, another one of the guys we train with at the club. They completed the 18miles and 6 portages in 2hours 48mins, within that they had to make some adjustments to one of the seats, so bloody good running from them two. Enda seemed pretty pleased with how it went.

For me though, it was very disappointing. With only 3 weeks left til the big day, I am left in a situation where I am having to spend no time training in the boat whatsoever. In fact the only training I am able to do is running. I keep feeling now is not the time to keep up the good work we have both been putting into the boat, but to take the positives from it, at least I have 3 weeks to get over the tendinitis as long as I can keep away from the activities at work, mountain biking and running high ropes sessions antagonised it last week, so I plan on keeping clear from it all this week. I just hope that not spending any time in the boat isn't going to affect how well e can run in it.

Got a couple of pictures here for you, firstly one of my daughter Alanah sat in our boat, aiming to start them young ;o)

In this one Fiona Bruce from BBC news was kind enough to have our photo taken with me and Enda for our blog during a visit by the Duke to Tile Barn Outdoor Centre, where Enda is the centre director and I'm the ops manager.