Devizes to Westminster International
Canoe Race
Advice
Photo: Guy Dresser
Photo: Guy Dresser
Join a club
If not a regular paddler with a club, get in touch with the nearest racing club to you
There are many clubs in the UK that have a focus on marathon racing and they will be able to offer all sorts of advice to novice and inexperienced paddlers from the basics like boat and paddle choice to specific advice on DW.
They will offer coaching on technique and guidance on training plans, as well as encouraging you to join in their group training sessions.
Check on the Paddle UK website - https://gopaddling.info/blog/local-paddling-services/find-paddling-clubs/
Photo: Jill Priday
Spend time training on the water
Most paddlers do a minimum of 6 months training for the DW, and this training will include running, gym work as well as (lots of) paddling.
You don’t have to be a finely tuned athlete to complete DW, but having a basic level of fitness certainly helps.
Senior doubles crews typically increase their weekly paddling mileage in the 2 months leading up the race and most will aim to do several 30+ mile paddles in that period.
Quite a few stage racers do not do the same training mileage as the non-stoppers, but the majority will increase the hours in the boat as the race gets nearer.
Photo: Guy Dresser
Find the right boat
Find a boat that you can paddle comfortably for long periods, particularly when you are tired. This is especially important for the Senior Doubles.
You could be in the boat for 24 hours and if the boat feels even slightly unstable at the start it will likely be unmanageable after 10 or so hours continuous paddling.
Many paddlers suffer from dead legs and/or numb backsides due to being sat down for such long periods. Be sure your seats (and their position relative to the footrest) are comfortable and tested over at least 1, preferably more, long training paddles.
Photo: Guy Dresser
Train on similar waterways to the race
Train on similar water that you will encounter on the race (canal, flowing river and estuary). This may be hard to achieve for some crews due to their local waterways but if possible it will give you an advantage in knowing what to expect in how the boat runs.
The early canal stretches can be very draggy and this will lead to slower boat speeds whereas the Thames will offer (in most years) some flow to help you along.
In high flow conditions, the lower canal and Thames offer different challenges that crews need to negotiate, notably the incoming side streams on the canal and turbulance above and below the Thames weirs.
Photo: Guy Dresser
Train at night
Senior doubles crews should do some training sessions at night. All senior doubles will paddle part of the Thames at night, and late starters will do the lower canal in the dark as well.
Paddling at night can often be disorientating as paddlers have to rely on night vision and often can’t see the banks of the canal/river.
For some paddlers, the boat will feel slightly more unstable at night as their sense of balance becomes heightened in the dark, and for others the converse will be true.
Only by doing some training runs in the dark will you know how it affects you.
Photo: Jack Prosser
Plan your nutrition
Plan your nutrition for the race and test it out over several training sessions. There is plenty of advice and products on offer today that are geared to fuelling competitors in endurance events.
However, paddlers need to work out what works for them – and this can ony be achieved by trying things out on training runs. Many DW non-finishes are down to stomach cramps, feeling nauseous, being sick and thus losing any fuel taken on board.
Some paddlers vary their foodstuffs, some eat pretty much the same thing all the way down. The same with fluids. It is also important to test out feeding and drinking methods.
Most paddlers will feed when they get in the boat after a portage (but please don’t hang around as you may hold other crews up), for fluids a lot of paddlers use chest mounted drinking bottles with tubes, but hydration packs worn on the back like a rucksack are becoming more common now.
Photo: Guy Dresser
Practice portaging
There are 77 portages on DW. Each one is an opportunity to save time, or lose it, or worse, damage the boat or injure yourself.
A minute lost at every portage is over an hour on your race time, which you won’t get back.
You don’t have to be world class at portaging, the key is to be smooth and efficient, and look after the boat.
You can replace parts and paddles on the race, but you can’t change boats if you drop it and break it.
Photo: Stefan Senk
Consider taking part in the Waterside and Thameside races
These races are run on consecutive weekends before Easter. The four Waterside races are held on the canal and between them will give you experience of the DW course from Devizes to Aldermaston (the first 43 miles).
The two Thameside races cover the DW course from Aldermaston to Marlow (the 70 mile point).
All of these races are opportunities to get familiar with the course as well as practice portaging and training support crews. Dates for these races are on the homepage of the DW website.
Photo: Jack Prosser
Perfect your technique
Paddling technique training is as important as endurance training. There are demonstration videos on YouTube and racing canoe clubs will have coaches who can help and advise.
Poor technique can lead to injuries that prevent you from training as well as curtailing your race (tendonitis in the wrist is the most common injury).
Good technique puts less strain on your body as well as making the boat move faster for less effort. Even seasoned paddlers look at their technique regularly to try to improve it.
Photo: Guy Dresser
Learn the course
Get to know as much of the course as possible, ideally by paddling it. This is key. Paddlers (especially senior doubles who will be paddling some of the course at night) need to know the course.
Whilst there are only a few places paddlers might get lost (notably the cut just above Aldermaston and near Cookham Lock), there are several islands on the upper Thames where gong the wrong way will not only lead to extra distance being paddled, but some channels get narrow and overgrown.
Knowing where all the Thames weirs are and the river geography above them is vital to avoid getting too close to them.
At night, you will hear the weirs before you can see them – this gives you warning to choose the right course, but only if you know where you are.
Photo: Guy Dresser
Involve your support crew in training
Support crews play a vital role for paddlers during the race. It worth identifying team members early and training with them on multiple occasions before Easter.
They not only need to know the route to drive, but where to park for the locks and the best way to manage the paddlers’ health and wellbeing throughout the race.
A good support crew will greatly increase a crew’s chances of completing the race.
Join The DW community
There is a vibrant and very active DW community on Facebook with many members always willing to offer advice
DW would always recommend that you wear a buoyancy aid, carry emergency equipment and a mobile phone when training. You must ensure that you have the relevant license for the water you are paddling on.