Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon
The Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon is the premier marathon canoe race in England, held every Easter over a course of 125 miles, or 201 kilometres, from Devizes in Wiltshire to Westminster in central London. It’s also one of the oldest endurance canoe races in Europe because it has been held every year since 1948.
Route
The route is challenging but also extremely beautiful. It begins at Devizes wharf, and the route follows some of the most lovely industrial countryside in England, as it takes place first on the Kennet and Avon through Pewsey, Hungerford and Newbury to Reading. From Reading the race follows the non-tidal River Thames through Henley-on-Thames, Marlow, Maidenhead, Windsor, Staines and Kingston before reaching the tidal River Thames at Teddington Lock, and ending seventeen miles later at Westminster Bridge.
Classes
There are two basic classes for the race, doubles and singles, but these are also broken down into:
The Junior Doubles and Junior/Veteran – which means two in a boat, taking four stages with overnight stops.
Senior Singles – which means one person canoes racing over the same four stages.
Senior Doubles - Timed continuously from the moment they start, until either they reach Westminster, or they admit defeat, an admission which accounts for one third of the entries every year!
Famous personalities who have succeeded in completing the course to receive a coveted Devizes to Westminster medal are:
1. Former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Paddy Ashdown
2. Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes
3. Rebecca Stephens, the first woman to climb Everest solo.
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