2026 ThruDark DW concludes at Barn Elms

It has been a brilliant final day here at the 2026 ThruDark Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race!

Today the Stages paddlers completed the last stretch from Teddington, up the tideway to Barn Elms, where they completed the race.

It was another early start for our crews this morning, but as they knew that today was the final push, the atmosphere around Thames Young Mariners was incredibly positive before they set off. The Senior Singles led the way, followed by the top-10 junior doubles and then the rest of the crews in batches.

The atmosphere at Barn Elms was fantastic with many homemade signs and lots of cheering for the paddlers as they passed the yellow buoys to complete the race and could finally relax with their team-mates. For many of the crews it was emotional as they had just achieved an incredible feat, and their family and friends were sharing those emotions as they embraced their crews with pride.

In terms of results, they have remained consistent for the last four days. The winners in the Junior Doubles were Barrett and Brown (Kimbolton School), who created an hour lead, showing determination until the end. In second and third were Barr and Hulton (Marlborough College) and Gyaievyi and Morrison (Churchers College), who both recorded fantastic times.

In the Senior Singles, Harte (Banbury and District CC) paddled to victory in an outstanding time of 15 hours 14 minutes! In the veteran-juniors, Webb and Williams (Wey KC) came out on top, showing excellent consistency right up until the end. For our SUP category, Emily King (Independent) was victorious with a time of 24 hours 36 minutes, crossing the line to huge cheers!

So as the race draws to a close for another year, we would like to wish congratulations to all our paddlers who accomplished a huge achievement! As always, all the support crews, volunteers and paddlers have been amazing and we hope to see you all again next year!