Category: Racing

The Marathon Racing Committee would like to wish all competitors racing in the 2026 edition of the ThruDark Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race the best of luck. We hope you all have a safe and enjoyable race with many memories and stories to share for many years to come.

We would also like to thank all the volunteers (directors, committee, marshals and more) out on the course over the next few days. Without you, these events could not happen.

There is a variety of coverage happening over the next four days as the straight through crews, juniors and stages compete and you can follow their progress in a variety of ways.

The official DW organisation channels include the following:

PaddleDaily, an independent paddling media company, will also be following the race through their channels. In particular, they will be running a non-stop live stream throughout the senior doubles event on their Youtube channel. You can find their channels below.

We look forward to following along ourselves!

Joe Petersen and Brynde Kreft have set a new world record for paddling the navigable length of the River Thames, completing the route from Lechdale to Teddington in just 14 hours and 3 minutes – 1 hour and 44 minutes faster than the previous mark.

The pair launched beneath the bridge at Lechlade at 6:26am, beginning a relentless push down the Thames that would see them cover nearly 200km of river, tackle 43 lock portages, and paddle the final stretch in darkness before reaching Teddington at 8:29pm.

To read the full article and interview, visit the Paddle UK News page here.

On Sunday 30th November, Banbury & District Canoe Club hosted the 25th Anniversary of the Ross Warland Memorial Canal Challenge, with over 192 competitors taking part. The course ran 20 miles from Cropredy to Nell Bridge near Anyho and back, including 12 portages along the Oxford Canal. Paddlers travelled from across the country, from Truro to Norwich to Runcorn, with both international-level crews and newcomers to racing. The event raised almost £1,500 for the Bone Cancer Research Trust.

The race is held each year in memory of Ross Warland, who died of bone cancer in February 2000 at the age of 21. Ross joined Banbury Canoe Club at the age of 8 and was an active and popular member. When he was no longer able to paddle, he devoted his time to coaching and training others. His courage and attitude during his illness inspired everyone who knew him.

The format of the Challenge is distinctive, offering options for different abilities. Competitors can complete the full 20 miles in K1 or K2, race in relays over 10 miles, or enter special categories if clubs are short of paddlers. This makes the event particularly appealing to junior crews and those new to racing, providing valuable training in a competitive but welcoming environment.

This year’s race produced several notable results. Sam Dickson (Falcon Canoe Club) matched the Junior Men’s K1 record with a time of 02:33:22. Andrew Birkett (Richmond Canoe Club) set a new Veteran Men’s K1 record at 02:41:32. Elise Montagna (Royal Canoe Club) and Katie Brookes (Richmond Canoe Club) won the Senior Women’s K2 title in 02:42:25. Brynde Kreft (Falcon Canoe Club) set a new Senior Women’s K1 record at 02:51:29, while Frankie Scrivener (Falcon Canoe Club) broke the Junior Women’s K1 record with 03:07:39. Rebecca Bird (Newbury Canoe Club) and Anja Whelan (Gloucester Canoe Club) also set a new Veteran Women’s K2 record at 03:18:55.

The 25th Anniversary Canal Challenge was a successful day of racing and community spirit, continuing the tradition of honouring Ross Warland and supporting bone cancer research. The MRC would like to thank Banbury Canoe Club for their support in creating this write-up as well as their dedication to creating such a stable winter marathon event within the British racing calendar.