Celbridge Club Paddlers break marathon canoe record
201 km non-stop race throughout the night
Celbridge Paddlers Club members Eavan O’Keeffe and Dave Horkan have broken the Irish record in the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe race, finishing second overall in a time of 16 hours, 46 minutes and 1 second.
The Devizes to Westminster International Event is a marathon canoe race in England. It is held every Easter over a course of 201 km and includes numerous locks, so as well as arduous paddling, there is a considerable amount of running involved. A whopping 77 portages and is the longest non-stop canoe race in the world.
It starts in Devizes in Wiltshire and ends in Westminster in central London and has been run since 1948.
This year due to the very heavy levels of rain fall, conditions were treacherous and before the start of the event additional strict safety and skill criteria were imposed on competitors, resulting in many being forced to withdraw.
Eavan and Dave were in the Senior Doubles (a crew of 2 adults) who raced nonstop throughout the night from start to finish, starting on Easter Saturday, finishing on Easter Sunday until they arrive at Westminster 201 km later.
No wonder its recognised as one of the toughest endurance races on the sporting
calendar. The boys now join a small elite group of Club members that have completed the D.W.