I cannot begin to describe how we are feeling now, having prepared as a team since July for one event is almost impossible.
The training is done, we are carefully eating our way to the start, preparing the boat, packing our kit.........
Two things more than anything keep us going and maintain the focus.
Firstly Matt and Lee agreed to do the event together as a team, we have had lots of fun times together in training and some not so great times, through illness or weather, if we were honest I suspect we would both say we would prefer it was now over and we could return to normal family life, we are both looking forward to the event enormously and could not have reached this stage without the support of our wives, Melissa and Debbie and our families, friends and employers! The race is not just about Matt and Lee but what they have all contributed ahead of and during the race as our supporters. The blog describes us as the AB Walker Canoe Team and that is what we are.
Secondly during the darkest hours of our training we have thought about our charity, with the boat sign written and wearing the Help For Heroes wristbands we cannot forget that we are raising money for men and women who have made a far greater sacrifice for this country. We are delighted that thanks to the generosity of all our sponsors to have surpassed our fundraising target of £5,000 by some way in the week before the race, thank you one and all.
For those of you that still want to know just what we are about to subject ourselves to please see parts 1 and 2 of the Devizes Westminster documentary on OUTDOORS TV. http://www.outdoorstv.tv/playdw1.html
I doubt that we will post any more before the race as we need to get into the zone or something like that!
Have a very Happy Easter, we intend to!
Thanks to you all
Best wishes
Matt and Lee
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Waterside D - Devizes to Newbury 34 miles 35 portages
After a very early alarm call (04:15 a.m.) we headed off to Caversham to meet with Matt and Mel and the boat, as we were clearing Reading they were setting up for the Reading half marathon.
The forecast was good and in no time at all we were parked near the Wharf in Devizes, as we collected our race number the girls joined the queue for bacon sandwiches (for them!) and Matt and Lee put in on the slipway.
We drifted down to the start and were away. We were pleased to see less weed than last Saturday and made good time down the first pound, we had a tussle with some fast K2s just below Pewsey and ended up tangled with the foliage, but we were soon off again, going through Pewsey too quickly to stop for the support crew.
We made steady progress but it felt noticiably harder than the run we did last weekend on the same course to Newbury, Lee had a few problems in the pitch black of the Bruce's Tunnel, Matt called time and that got Lee back into the flow of things and we cleared the tunnel without a swim.
Just below Hungerford Lock we had good cheers from Sandra and Simon Jeffs who had kindly driven from Marlow to support us and Simon's NELO boat which is being used by another team.
We met up with some good crews along the way, Owen and Dan from Reading went screaming past us with a K1 hanging on their wash.
Finally we reached a section we knew just 3 miles to Newbury, we were keeping pace with a junior K2 it transpired were from Basingstoke CC and we kept with them till the last 500 yards. We crossed the line with a time of 5 hours and 44 minutes some 16 minutes faster than out time last weekend and in 7th place in the Vets!
We were delighted with the time and another great effort from Melissa and Debbie, well done girls.
The forecast was good and in no time at all we were parked near the Wharf in Devizes, as we collected our race number the girls joined the queue for bacon sandwiches (for them!) and Matt and Lee put in on the slipway.
We drifted down to the start and were away. We were pleased to see less weed than last Saturday and made good time down the first pound, we had a tussle with some fast K2s just below Pewsey and ended up tangled with the foliage, but we were soon off again, going through Pewsey too quickly to stop for the support crew.
We made steady progress but it felt noticiably harder than the run we did last weekend on the same course to Newbury, Lee had a few problems in the pitch black of the Bruce's Tunnel, Matt called time and that got Lee back into the flow of things and we cleared the tunnel without a swim.
Just below Hungerford Lock we had good cheers from Sandra and Simon Jeffs who had kindly driven from Marlow to support us and Simon's NELO boat which is being used by another team.
We met up with some good crews along the way, Owen and Dan from Reading went screaming past us with a K1 hanging on their wash.
Finally we reached a section we knew just 3 miles to Newbury, we were keeping pace with a junior K2 it transpired were from Basingstoke CC and we kept with them till the last 500 yards. We crossed the line with a time of 5 hours and 44 minutes some 16 minutes faster than out time last weekend and in 7th place in the Vets!
We were delighted with the time and another great effort from Melissa and Debbie, well done girls.
Thursday, 18 March 2010
DW On BBC Radio Wiltshire
DW on BBC Wiltshire
18 Mar 2010 12:08 pm
Interviews with our Devizes organisers, and Devizes Canoe Club on the Matthew Smith Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Wiltshire. Fast forward to 2hrs 21 mins. (If the link doesn't work, look for Mathew Smith, BBC Wiltshire on the BBC iPlayer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p006xylp/Matthew_Smith_18_03_2010
18 Mar 2010 12:08 pm
Interviews with our Devizes organisers, and Devizes Canoe Club on the Matthew Smith Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Wiltshire. Fast forward to 2hrs 21 mins. (If the link doesn't work, look for Mathew Smith, BBC Wiltshire on the BBC iPlayer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p006xylp/Matthew_Smith_18_03_2010
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
New Livery
There is nothing more motivational than paddling the miles looking down at a large medal on the deck of the boat reminding us of our charity; Help For Heroes. the A B Walker signwriter has done a fabulous job on the boat we even have cockpit names just like the real racers! Thanks to Julian Walker, Matt's brother and member of our support crew for turning up early this week to take these photographs:
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Saturday 13th March Devizes to Reading Kennet & Avon Canal
In all of the training reference material we have read it has been re-inforced that you need not paddle for sessions of longer than three hours in training.
None the less we have constantly asked in our own minds, how will we feel after 30 miles, 40 miles etc. so we had agreed as a team to do the length of the canal as a test run, with support crew to get a reference time on which we could base our actual projected time which is so important for scheduling our DW schedule at Easter.
Plans were laid a couple of weeks ago to do the run on Saturday setting off from Devizes some time around 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning after a few photos of the new livery for the Condor. We put in over a floating barge (ice covered arghh!) just above the famous start bridge in Devizes and paddled off into glorious morning sunshine after saying our goodbyes to Mel and Debbie who were following in support.
We made a mid pound water stop around Honey Street for a pee too and got back in stopping next at Great Bedwyn, the girls said we were doing well on time. We knew Great Bedwyn to Newbury from Waterside C in the ice the previous weekend, boy was it good to paddle vs. run.
In no time were we at the Bruce's tunnel, we passed a canoe heading towards us, after pleasantries exchanged we cracked on. Crofton went well and after the 6 mile maarthin the previous week was tame by comparison, changing shoulders and running with the boat on opposite shoulders really helped. The girls made sure we were well fueled with an assortment of food and watered before we set off.
The next run was uneventful apart from catching our support on the phone in the car park at Kintbury not paying attention to the plight of the poor chaps in the boat. The girls did a great job stopping traffic even (aided by their flourescent jackets) as we crossed roads at some portages.
Matt was doing a great job pacing us and in no time at all we saw the tower cranes in the car parks at Newbury. We pulled alongside the Waterside centre on the opposite bank and settled down to Chilli and Rice straight from the tin, it went down really well, much to the amusement of people sitting outside the tea shop.
The stop was just over ten minutes and we set off with Lee navigating, which started with him trying to squeeze us under an impossibly low swing bridge, we agreed it would be portaged in the race, soon we were in our stride navigating a new stretch of the canal for us.
After 6 or so miles another K2 came screaming past us, Lee asked where they were from "Newbury, and you" came the reply, when we mentioned Devizes they congratulated us.
A little way down stream someone was practicing the art of jamming the entire canal getting two brages through an arched bridge with one engine one person on the tow path and two people being towed in a canoe behind. We waited on the bridge island for minutes as they passed and then cracked on down stream.
At Aldermaston we again delayed our put in while a barge manouvered every which way before decing to reverse itself out.
We were pleased with the flow assistance on what we treat as our home stretch of the canal having run this section several times in training. And in no time were we playing in the mud at the put in at Fobney, we were really stuck in the mud here and eventually eased off.
We raced past a couple of playboaters in the middle of the Oracle shopping centre in Reading and hit the Thames after 9.5 hours of paddling, we then did a cool down paddle up to the club at Caversham where Mel and Debbie were waiting with the camera.
Boy did that first shower feel good.
Both paddlers felt good after the canal and recovered well the following day with no injuries to speak of, it was a great opportunity to have done it before the DW proper and the support crew did an amazing job too, it really was a team effort.
Ten hours in a boat with your mate gives you time to catch up and chat without interuption from mobiles or other modern day perils, as to the subject matter of the banter; what goes on in the boat stays in the boat!
We will amend this post when all the pictures come through from the digital camera.
None the less we have constantly asked in our own minds, how will we feel after 30 miles, 40 miles etc. so we had agreed as a team to do the length of the canal as a test run, with support crew to get a reference time on which we could base our actual projected time which is so important for scheduling our DW schedule at Easter.
Plans were laid a couple of weeks ago to do the run on Saturday setting off from Devizes some time around 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning after a few photos of the new livery for the Condor. We put in over a floating barge (ice covered arghh!) just above the famous start bridge in Devizes and paddled off into glorious morning sunshine after saying our goodbyes to Mel and Debbie who were following in support.
We made a mid pound water stop around Honey Street for a pee too and got back in stopping next at Great Bedwyn, the girls said we were doing well on time. We knew Great Bedwyn to Newbury from Waterside C in the ice the previous weekend, boy was it good to paddle vs. run.
In no time were we at the Bruce's tunnel, we passed a canoe heading towards us, after pleasantries exchanged we cracked on. Crofton went well and after the 6 mile maarthin the previous week was tame by comparison, changing shoulders and running with the boat on opposite shoulders really helped. The girls made sure we were well fueled with an assortment of food and watered before we set off.
The next run was uneventful apart from catching our support on the phone in the car park at Kintbury not paying attention to the plight of the poor chaps in the boat. The girls did a great job stopping traffic even (aided by their flourescent jackets) as we crossed roads at some portages.
Matt was doing a great job pacing us and in no time at all we saw the tower cranes in the car parks at Newbury. We pulled alongside the Waterside centre on the opposite bank and settled down to Chilli and Rice straight from the tin, it went down really well, much to the amusement of people sitting outside the tea shop.
The stop was just over ten minutes and we set off with Lee navigating, which started with him trying to squeeze us under an impossibly low swing bridge, we agreed it would be portaged in the race, soon we were in our stride navigating a new stretch of the canal for us.
After 6 or so miles another K2 came screaming past us, Lee asked where they were from "Newbury, and you" came the reply, when we mentioned Devizes they congratulated us.
A little way down stream someone was practicing the art of jamming the entire canal getting two brages through an arched bridge with one engine one person on the tow path and two people being towed in a canoe behind. We waited on the bridge island for minutes as they passed and then cracked on down stream.
At Aldermaston we again delayed our put in while a barge manouvered every which way before decing to reverse itself out.
We were pleased with the flow assistance on what we treat as our home stretch of the canal having run this section several times in training. And in no time were we playing in the mud at the put in at Fobney, we were really stuck in the mud here and eventually eased off.
We raced past a couple of playboaters in the middle of the Oracle shopping centre in Reading and hit the Thames after 9.5 hours of paddling, we then did a cool down paddle up to the club at Caversham where Mel and Debbie were waiting with the camera.
Boy did that first shower feel good.
Both paddlers felt good after the canal and recovered well the following day with no injuries to speak of, it was a great opportunity to have done it before the DW proper and the support crew did an amazing job too, it really was a team effort.
Ten hours in a boat with your mate gives you time to catch up and chat without interuption from mobiles or other modern day perils, as to the subject matter of the banter; what goes on in the boat stays in the boat!
We will amend this post when all the pictures come through from the digital camera.
Friday, 12 March 2010
The unveiling of the new liveried K2 Condor - Full Dress Rehearsal
Matt has arranged to have the boat badged with Help For Heroes decals and other material, I saw the boat at the club this week and it looks fantastic, thank you Matt and AB Walker.
In F1 style we will publish pictures after the weekend.
On Saturday we are paddling the length of the canal from Devizes to the Thames at Reading but we will deviate from the Devizes to Westminster course as we join the Thames and will turn left and head upstream back to Reading Canoe Club to give our support crew, the boat and ourselves a full test.
Knowing our full canal time will be invaluable in detremining what time we select to start from Devizes on Saturday 3rd April to hit the optimimum tide point at Teddington the following morning, high tide at Teddington is predicted at 06:59 a.m. on Easter Sunday.
Pictures to follow over the weekend.
We have pushed through the £4,000 mark with a continuing stream of donations thank you one and all for your support, it is making a huge difference to the charity, the lives of our wounded service men and women and the morale within the AB Walker Canoe Team as we move to T minus 22 days before the start. We are all most grateful to each and every one of you.
In F1 style we will publish pictures after the weekend.
On Saturday we are paddling the length of the canal from Devizes to the Thames at Reading but we will deviate from the Devizes to Westminster course as we join the Thames and will turn left and head upstream back to Reading Canoe Club to give our support crew, the boat and ourselves a full test.
Knowing our full canal time will be invaluable in detremining what time we select to start from Devizes on Saturday 3rd April to hit the optimimum tide point at Teddington the following morning, high tide at Teddington is predicted at 06:59 a.m. on Easter Sunday.
Pictures to follow over the weekend.
We have pushed through the £4,000 mark with a continuing stream of donations thank you one and all for your support, it is making a huge difference to the charity, the lives of our wounded service men and women and the morale within the AB Walker Canoe Team as we move to T minus 22 days before the start. We are all most grateful to each and every one of you.
Let's hear it for the supporters
It has been said before that to succeed in this race it really does require a team effort, whilst Matt and I continue to bang out the hours training, our wives Melissa and Debbie and organising a willing bunch of volunteers to support us on race day.
Our houses are filled with an assortment of kit now and various foodstuffs which will keep us fueled during the race.
They are doing an amazing job in ensuring that everything runs to clockwork on the day, we just have to keep the boat upright and pointing towards London!
Many thanks indeed from the boys in the boat.
Matt and Lee
Our houses are filled with an assortment of kit now and various foodstuffs which will keep us fueled during the race.
They are doing an amazing job in ensuring that everything runs to clockwork on the day, we just have to keep the boat upright and pointing towards London!
Many thanks indeed from the boys in the boat.
Matt and Lee
Sunday, 7 March 2010
I thought this was a Canoe race! Waterside C Pewsey to Newbury
After an early start from Matt and Mel's house we set off along the M4 to the start at Pewsey, the weather was very bright but extremely cold with the temperature display in the car never going above - 4 deg. C.
Upon arrival at the start the thermometer had not risen and looking down at the canal below the car park at the start confirmed that the canal at Pewsey was indeed frozen over. A narrow boat broke the ice as it navigated upstream only for the ice to reform withing minutes after it had passed.
After check-in we moved the boat down to the start line which was clear of ice and moved through the throng to the start and we were off.
After no time at all the snake of canoes ahead were all coming alongside and climbing out as the ice was too thick making navigation (at least in these boats) impossible. We joined the merry line of runners thankful that we had fixed foam pads to the deck to protect our shoulders from the deck as we ran with it upon our shoulders.
We ran and ran and then ran some more........... minutes passed and still no sign of clear water, then after two miles or so boats were getting back in so did we and it was great to be paddling again, our euphoria was short lived as after a few hundred meters paddling we were back out on the tow path running again, we ran almost to the Bruce's Tunnel and slipped back into the water for our first paddle through the tunnel some 500 meters long in the dark.
As soon as we cleared the tunnel we were back out and running AGAIN.......we ran to the Crofton Flight, some seven locks close enough to run together over the next mile, that said we paddled the first pound, just for the fun of being in the water. Along this section we saw Paul Toomey from Reading Canoe Club, he was as ever full of helpful advice and jogged beside us. At the put in we saw the welcome sight of Melissa who was doing a fabulous job supporting us solo today, sandwich squares, fruit and new bottles taken on and we were off on clear water.........we think the running period had covered appoximately seven miles!
This was the pattern with Mel supporting us now all the way to Newbury, we had a few hic-cups with the seats working loose and slipping and having to stop to re-tigten them otherwise every few miles we saw the welcome sight of Mel with more food and new water bottles if necessary.
There was lots of support on the bank with many spectators and all were cheering us on as we passed there were even cow bells being rung! no doubt just back from the winter olympics in Vancouver.
After an involuntary slip into the canal on the put in near Kintbury, Matt hauled himself back out of the canal and we were on the home straight.
At West Mills swingbridge a fast crew from Richmond were close to us, we pulled off and sprinted diagonally to the last portage, still ahead we put in just before the Kennet entry and finished with this crew beside us with a double blast from the horn at the finish line.
Our time 4:10 and we need to see how useful this is for a DW schedule as we sincerely hope not to be running so many miles with the K2 during the race.
Thanks again to Mel for an amazing job as support for this race, the food really does help to bring the energy levels back up and avoiding the slump.
Eyes down now with some gym work this week and more paddling followed by an assault on the whole length of the canal on Saturday.
That's all folks, thank you for your support the money is still rolling in and the AB Walker Canoe Team are very grateful to you all for your support.
Upon arrival at the start the thermometer had not risen and looking down at the canal below the car park at the start confirmed that the canal at Pewsey was indeed frozen over. A narrow boat broke the ice as it navigated upstream only for the ice to reform withing minutes after it had passed.
After check-in we moved the boat down to the start line which was clear of ice and moved through the throng to the start and we were off.
After no time at all the snake of canoes ahead were all coming alongside and climbing out as the ice was too thick making navigation (at least in these boats) impossible. We joined the merry line of runners thankful that we had fixed foam pads to the deck to protect our shoulders from the deck as we ran with it upon our shoulders.
We ran and ran and then ran some more........... minutes passed and still no sign of clear water, then after two miles or so boats were getting back in so did we and it was great to be paddling again, our euphoria was short lived as after a few hundred meters paddling we were back out on the tow path running again, we ran almost to the Bruce's Tunnel and slipped back into the water for our first paddle through the tunnel some 500 meters long in the dark.
As soon as we cleared the tunnel we were back out and running AGAIN.......we ran to the Crofton Flight, some seven locks close enough to run together over the next mile, that said we paddled the first pound, just for the fun of being in the water. Along this section we saw Paul Toomey from Reading Canoe Club, he was as ever full of helpful advice and jogged beside us. At the put in we saw the welcome sight of Melissa who was doing a fabulous job supporting us solo today, sandwich squares, fruit and new bottles taken on and we were off on clear water.........we think the running period had covered appoximately seven miles!
This was the pattern with Mel supporting us now all the way to Newbury, we had a few hic-cups with the seats working loose and slipping and having to stop to re-tigten them otherwise every few miles we saw the welcome sight of Mel with more food and new water bottles if necessary.
There was lots of support on the bank with many spectators and all were cheering us on as we passed there were even cow bells being rung! no doubt just back from the winter olympics in Vancouver.
After an involuntary slip into the canal on the put in near Kintbury, Matt hauled himself back out of the canal and we were on the home straight.
At West Mills swingbridge a fast crew from Richmond were close to us, we pulled off and sprinted diagonally to the last portage, still ahead we put in just before the Kennet entry and finished with this crew beside us with a double blast from the horn at the finish line.
Our time 4:10 and we need to see how useful this is for a DW schedule as we sincerely hope not to be running so many miles with the K2 during the race.
Thanks again to Mel for an amazing job as support for this race, the food really does help to bring the energy levels back up and avoiding the slump.
Eyes down now with some gym work this week and more paddling followed by an assault on the whole length of the canal on Saturday.
That's all folks, thank you for your support the money is still rolling in and the AB Walker Canoe Team are very grateful to you all for your support.
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Help For Heroes - NEWSLETTER ON LINE NOW
Please keep up to date with all the news from the Help for Heroes charity:
http://sendgold.icuk.eu/display.php?M=53216&C=7c971e59be45bbc025d41099ecff2bc3&S=186&L=3&N=108
http://sendgold.icuk.eu/display.php?M=53216&C=7c971e59be45bbc025d41099ecff2bc3&S=186&L=3&N=108
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