The day of the challenge … |
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It wasn ’ t long before the day was upon us , and at 9am a small group of friends cheered us off from the water ’ s edge as we set off . Soon we were onto lap two , then three and four . As the loop has a path next to it , it was easy for people to come and watch us . We were constantly being cheered on by local friends which was amazing and it was lovely to have one or two paddlers join us on the water for each lap too . |
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THE TEAM |
James Ibbotson , or Ibbo for short , organises events in kayaking , so organising this task came easily to him . Ibbo trained in slalom as a child but now spends his time training in C1 freestyle and is a member of the GB freestyle team . Unsurprisingly , he chose to convert to K1 for this challenge though ! |
Sam is another experienced freestyle paddler and was already used to training daily so was the most naturally prepared for the challenge . Sam is a PhD student at Nottingham University but also works part-time at our local kayaking shop ; Desperate Measures . |
Matt is one of the most lovable guys in kayaking and is also on the GB freestyle team . He also spends a lot of time enjoying other forms of paddling including SUP and canoe . Whilst training for this , Matt completed weekly river cleans and removed rubbish from the Nottingham Loop . A geography student , he cares deeply about the environment and his record for collecting rubbish stands at 16 bin bags in one day .
Finally , there was me ( Del )! I am a # Shepaddles ( women ’ s paddling ) ambassador for British Canoeing . My flat water experience was very limited but I made up for this in enthusiasm .
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By 9pm , we had completed four laps and darkness had set in . We each pulled on a fresh set of gear ( fleece and warm hat included ), adorned our night lights , and set off for our laps in the inky blackness . The novelty of paddling in the dark outweighed the tiredness and with clear skies to see the stars , it was a special experience . We were incredibly lucky that for each night lap , volunteers continued to join us on the water . Being serenaded on the river at 4am was certainly a highlight . Our final and eighth lap came at 6am . It was now incredibly cold and each of our boats had accrued a layer of ice on them . As we made our way down the river , clouded in morning mist , we watched a spectacular sunrise . Our friend Meg met us by the canal with cups of hot coffee to wake us up and fuel us along the final canal section . We completed the challenge in 24 hours and 30 seconds . Our friends and family were waiting , socially distanced , at the lock to cheer us to the end which was very much appreciated .
I think I can safely say that none of us were up for another lap at 9am on Sunday , but minus a few blisters , we all remained in good spirits throughout the 24 hours . It was certainly challenging , both physically and mentally , but the hard work we had put into our training and the amazing support network we had helping us along made it an enjoyable experience .
“ Thank you to everyone who donated ,
supported us on the day or offered
encouragement in any way . The kindness and
generosity shown by so many people has been
overwhelming and it is certainly appreciated .”
The team have raised over £ 4,000 so far . To contribute to their funds head to : justgiving . com / fundraising / 24hrpaddle
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All photos Copyright Tom Clare Aerial photos taken by a CAA qualified drone pilot following PDRA-01 rules . |
Canoe Focus Late Spring 2021 |