Climbing Everest by canoe?

It’s interesting how humans can become used to pain or discomfort, especially when enduring a major challenge. It’s also curious how those of us observing such exploits can become complacent about the achievement of those taking part.

Climbing Everest is practically derided nowadays as a tourist trip and yet, in spite of the assistance most climbers receive, this is still a challenge that can take you to the very brink of existence. Once upon a time, running the London Marathon was a major achievement, now it seems that if you haven’t yet run it, you are somehow not complete!

Is it because of the perceived ubiquity of these challenges or is it media over saturation? Does this mean that, as a society, we have simply become numb to acts of great adventure – have we got ‘achievement fatigue’?

I hope not, because we’re going to be making a documentary next year about one of the toughest inland water challenges going – The Devizes to Westminster canoe marathon. This is an event that caught my imagination as soon as I heard of it & I must admit I’m really looking forward to spending four days living out of the back of a van filming it!

There are a couple of categories to the ‘DW’ but the main race is the non-stop doubles race – 125 miles without rest & going right through the night in sub zero temperatures. The current record is a little over 15 hours & 30 minutes. The canoeing community call this the Everest of canoeing. While the conditions may seem a bit more welcoming than the Lhotse Face, the gruelling nature of the challenge, surely justifies the comparison.

Tactics will play a major role as well. All paddlers will have to plan to arrive at Teddington Lock in time to catch the flow of the tide up to Westminster. Otherwise, they’ll be on a wet & turbulent tread mill!

This will be our first major documentary following the public launch of the channel next Spring &, hopefully, it will be an inspirational story to counter that ‘achievement fatigue’.

Roger Burlinson
Director of Programming - Outdoors TV