Preview Devizes to Westminister Canoe Race
16th April 2003Over 350 competitors face the challenge of Britain's toughest canoe race, the 125-mile Devizes to Westminster Canoe race (DW) over the Easter weekend - the second time in a week that a mixed mass-participation and elite sports event has finished in the shadow of Big Ben - this race being the water-borne equivalent of last weekend's London Marathon.
The Blue Riband race of the weekend is the non-stop doubles event which starts on Saturday 19th April. All competitors in this gruelling test of courage, skill and endurance, must finish by midnight on Sunday, 20th April.
Strong favourites are the twice former winners (1999 & 2002) Jim Morrisse / Michael O'Meara from Ireland. Their closest rivals look set to be Hereford's Steve King / Paul Jones. If the weather holds fair both crews might also have an eye on beating the existing course record of 15 hours 34 minutes.
Tactics will play a key part with teams playing their start times to ensure they gain the maximum benefit from the tidal flow on the last few miles from Teddington to the finish at Westminster. This means the teams have to choose the benefits of a daylight run with the possibility of added river congestion against the solitude and cold of a night-time run. With this years tides experts predict that the top crews will either finish around 9am or 9pm on Sunday depending on what they have chosen as their start time.