Inside the canoe race considered 'as hard as climbing Everest'
By Oliver Jervis
There are not many sporting occasions that give rise to a boat full of urine.
Sure, most sports have blood, tears and sweat.
But the added mix of the yellow stuff means one event really does take the pee.
Enter the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race, which runs over the course of 125 miles, 77 locks, and packs 76 years’ worth of history.
The waterborne marathon is held every Easter weekend and provides several racing categories to ensure all can enjoy the paddler’s dream.
Participants are most notably allowed to enter the 24-hour race category, which challenges boats to cover the entire distance in less than a full day – with no toilet breaks possible.
It is a task that attracts many, including TV presenter Steve Backshall, Olympic gold medallist rowers James Cracknell and Helen Glover, as well as explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes – with the latter famously comparing the race to climbing Mount Everest.
But what draws in these people?
“It’s like marmite,” said Rob Hansford, who competed for the first time in 2009.
“I think it’s the challenge that gets people engaged.
“The satisfaction from doing the challenge and seeing how far you can push yourself to your limits is what it’s about.
“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve done.”
Hansford’s family has been engaged in the race since the early 1990s, and the kayaker has collated several experiences from the event over the years.
As such, he has witnessed almost all the highs and lows presented by ‘DW’ – which sees almost half of its annual participants fail to finish the race – but his enthusiasm for the contest has still not dimmed.
“I had two retirements and one where the race was abandoned before we managed to do it,” Hansford added.
“So, from that side of things it obviously means quite a lot in terms of overcoming difficulties you face on the water.
“There are some people who will do it and never touch it again.”
The competition commences in the restive market town of Devizes, with participants typically enjoying the relatively calm flow of Wiltshire's and then Oxfordshire’s canals.
After this teasing start, paddlers are eventually introduced to the rumbles of the River Thames via Reading, Marlow, Richmond and finally Westminster.
Albeit a somewhat more scenic route than the adjoining M4, the journey’s length is not the only hurdle put forward by the marathon.
Since its humble beginnings in 1948, the race has come to be at the coal face of spring’s varying weather – something some suggest is not helped by climate change’s impact.
Heavy rainfall in the weeks preceding the contest in recent years has brought about hectic waters and record-breaking times for boats.
During other editions, warm weather has posed the threat of sunstroke and slower water flow.
The matter can prove particularly tricky for those who are either less experienced or seeking a more relaxing time with their oars – such as participants in the junior and stages categories.
Victoria Bowland, who now volunteers for DW after completing the junior race three times, has first-hand experience of the weather’s ever-changing nature.
“During my second year, we had the qualifying race cancelled for snow as the canal was frozen over,” she said.
“That year’s event was then cancelled for high flow on the water during the race.
“There were scary moments, with the flow and being spat out backwards from particularly volatile sections.
“Heatstroke was the worry in my final year, so we’d gone from one extreme to another.”
Bowland believes this aspect is one that makes the race thrillingly unique.
She added: “The British weather has an impact on the race times and part of that keeps people coming back.
“It’s certainly a big factor, which is different from a lot of sports.”
That lingering feeling of overcoming such challenges, however, leads to a competitive atmosphere free of toxicity.
“Although it is a race, it doesn’t feel maybe so much like you are competing,” Bowland said.
“You see direct competitors out on the course, and you do support them and say hello.
“I think there’s a real community that builds up around the race.”
In the 24-hour-long category, there is the loneliness of racing at night on often isolated waters, the need to go to the toilet in your own boat, hunger, adverse weather conditions, as well as the constant physical agony inflicted by the act of paddling.
But there are some factors that act as a driving force for continuing.
“You have a partner usually, and so there’s another person that you let down if you give up,” she stated.
“That pushes you through injuries, and the hard parts.
“You also have a support crew made up of family and friends who have sacrificed a lot.
“Those sorts of things keep you going.”
Upon overcoming those darker stages of the race, participants then face the prospect of finishing by Westminster Bridge’s historic arches.
“It’s very surreal when you finish, as it’s almost like you black out,” Bowland said.
“I think it’s one of those things that sort of happens in a slow motion.”
Yet this Westminster finish has been hard to come by recently, with heightened safety protocols – including the Port of London Authority’s presence – meaning the race has been forced to conclude before entering the Thames’ tideway, with this year’s edition ending in Teddington.
Hansford currently helps organise the event through DW’s public relations department and has seen the increasing difficulty of putting the event together.
“There are a lot of safety aspects that need to be considered,” he said.
“The other difficulty you’ve got is that all comes with additional costs, so there’s an increased financial burden to make sure the tideway can be used.
“DW going to Westminster is no longer a given, as health and safety is getting tighter.”
Regardless of such issues, Hansford believes the race could achieve a better future after witnessing entries drop by a “considerable amount” since the Covid-19 pandemic.
He added: “We’re putting a lot of work into increasing the entries again.
“Right now, we’re conducting a massive review process to see what we can do, including possibly introducing further categories and attracting more international teams.
“Increasing engagement is one of our main goals.”
With the unique qualities the race possesses, it is certainly ideally placed to enjoy a thriving resurgence.
In other words, it is something well worth urinating for.
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