Harte flies on opening day of ThruDark DW 2026

What a first day here at the 2026 ThruDark Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race!

The Stages race kicked off in earnest on Friday as the crews set off from Devizes. Despite the early morning, the support at Devizes was immense and the paddlers were raring to go, spurred on by their supporters.

As always, the British weather delivered rain shortly into the race but this did not dampen the spirits of our paddlers, as they continued with smiles on their faces. An overly friendly swan at Alton Barnes gave some paddlers a hard time, but they pushed on, undeterred by this new-found obstacle.

As they continued, portages were navigated brilliantly and communication proved to be a big part in keeping spirits high.

Supporters were out in force today, lining the banks at Newbury waiting for the paddlers to arrive. We even had some canine supporters who watched the paddlers as well! As per usual, the support crews for each team were outstanding, there to help our crews through difficult times and to put smiles on their faces when things became hard.

There were some strong times in the opening stage of the race, including in the Junior Doubles class, with Barrett and Brown (Boat 108) finishing today in 5 hours 46 minutes. However, Barr and Hulton (Boat 113) and Gaiyevyi and Morrsion (Boat 136), finished not long after, which promises an exciting day tomorrow.

As for the Senior Singles, Harte (Boat 716) finished today in an outstanding 4 hours and 50 minutes!

The first day for our extended SUP category was filled with hard work and determination, with some excellent times being recorded.

Tomorrow the Stages paddlers set off for Marlow, while the first of the Senior Doubles crews will get underway just after midnight on Saturday morning.

And with wind gusts forecast for Saturday afternoon, everything is still to play for!

Report by Hannah Webb