STEVE BACKSHALL INTERVIEW: DEVIZES TO WESTMINSTER

Steve Backshall is a naturalist, explorer, presenter and writer, best known for BBC TV's 'Deadly...' franchise.

A keen outdoorsman who has competed in a host of endurance events from ultramarathons to long distance treks, Steve first took on the Devizes to Westminster in 2017 assisted by his wife Helen Glover.

TD: How and why did you first get involved in Devizes to Westminster?

The first time I took on DW I’d had a serious rock climbing accident which meant my budding career as an ultra endurance runner was cut short. I needed a challenge that had less running and DW was it!

The hardest moment was on the first attempt. I was with my best friend Stuart, and at the halfway point in Marlow we stopped and had a riverside hot three course meal, and a hot shower! We thought the luxury would be great for morale, but 20 mins later, we got super cold, and were paddling off in the darkness with nothing left to look forward to and 60 miles still to do. It was a reminder that actually the best thing to do is just keep moving and never properly stop.

My best advice would be to train really hard, but not long. Keep sessions under two hours, do as much of the canal and river as possible so it’s familiar in the small hours when you’re knackered. Do some but not all of the Thameside and waterside series and do not use anything on the race (from clothing to food choices) you haven’t used over and again in training.

If you're a first time paddler then join a club. They'll give you advice, logistics, and maybe even help with a support team (so essential) train with them as often as possible, and train portaging and fueling as much as you do paddling.