SIX courageous canoeists completed a tumultuous rowing challenge.
They set off from St John's Lock in Lechlade at midday on April 20 and hoped to accomplish a new Guinness World Record for the fastest time to paddle a six-person canoe down the river Thames.
The crew from the Royal Outrigger Canoe Club included experienced paddlers Julian Harvey, Ruslan Kutlukaev, James Harland, Daniel Thomson, Sutton Yeung and Berta Hernandez.
They managed to paddle the 200 kilometres journey in 26 hours and 46 minutes, achieving what should later be confirmed as a new Guinness World Record.
This rowing challenge has raised over £2,500 for Purple Warriors, a new dragon boat club created specifically for serving and retired members of HM Forces who have some form of disability or impairment as a result of their service.
James said: "We put our body on the line for 27 hours, our incredible service men and women do it every day in some of the most dangerous places on earth."
The 49-year-old spoke of the tough sections of the journey and how they worked as a team to keep pushing through.
James added: "There were some lovely stretches of the river in the sunshine but most of the time it was high headwinds, pouring rain, low temperatures and pitch black night.
"It was an incredible experience and as much an inner journey as a river adventure.
"Layers of emotional buoyancy, intellectual arguments and aspirational principles get stripped away over the hours and you are left looking at the kernel of what remains.
"I am truly grateful to the boat crew and our amazing support crews for making this dream a reality.
"I've pushed myself to dream big and I’d encourage everyone to set goals that scare you, push the boundaries of possible and see what you can achieve."
The rowing team were accompanied by 12 members of the support team who stayed with the paddlers throughout the challenge opening locks and provided essential foods and fluids.
They also gave encouragement and collected the evidence needed to register the record attempt.
James now has to wade his way through a mountain of videos, pictures, signed witness statements and GPS tracker data in order to submit the attempt to Guinness for ratification.
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