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BBC News
01-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ex-parachute regiment officer from Lewes aims for rowing record
A former parachute regiment officer has set off on his attempt to break the record for a solo row around Great Britain, aiming to honour his former Ellicock, from Lewes in East Sussex, was wounded in action during a hostage rescue in Sierra Leone in 2000, when he was a 25-year-old parachute regiment platoon father-of-three, now 49, is attempting to make history by completing the challenge in less than 80 days."I turn 50 this year and to 'celebrate' I thought it would be a good idea to attempt to break the record for rowing around Great Britain," he said. He set off from Newhaven on Wednesday in a Canadian-designed boat called Pegasus which is a combination of a sea kayak and an ocean rowing will go in a clockwise direction, stopping inland every so often to replenish supplies."I'm least looking forward to hitting Thurso, which is one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the UK, maybe in the world," he said."But I've trained hard for this challenge and taken advice from experts to ensure I'm equipped to deal with the wild waters there unscathed."Mr Ellicock will raise funds for the Parachute Regiment Charity. Following his recovery from being wounded in action in Sierra Leone, Mr Ellicock said he "had the privilege of commanding paratroopers on operations again before making a successful and rewarding transition into civilian life".He added: "Not all my former brothers in arms were so fortunate, and that's why I'm looking to use this challenge as a way to honour them while raising money for charities close to my heart."He will also fundraise for the Royal National Lifeboat 2013 he broke a Guinness World Record for running the London Marathon with a 40lb (18kg) pack in three hours, 25 minutes and 21 seconds, and has previously taken on the Devizes to Westminster canoe race, which runs over a 125-mile course from Wiltshire to London."This upcoming challenge is from another league though. It's like the next level," he said.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canoeist wins 125-mile race for third year in row
A man who canoed 125 miles (201km) without stopping says he is "ecstatic" to have won the annual event for a third year in a row. Tom Sharpe and his canoe partner Anoushka Freeman finished the Devizes to Westminster race in 17 hours and 17 minutes. They set off from the Wiltshire town on Saturday at about 18:00 BST and finished in London at about 11:00 BST on Sunday, overcoming "very difficult conditions". "[The] strong winds didn't stop the whole race. It was in your face the whole time. It's quite energy-zapping and obviously it slows you down," Mr Sharpe told BBC Radio Wiltshire. This year's annual Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race saw more than 300 people take part and ended on Monday. More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire The event first took place in 1948, with paddlers making their way to London over the Easter weekend. Competitors come from all over the world, including Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and the United States. Reacting to their win, Mr Sharpe said: "[I'm] a little tired, I've got a slight croaky voice. But pretty ecstatic to win again." The event organiser Paul Fielden told BBC Radio Wiltshire lower water, particularly in the River Thames, made it so hard for paddlers that 50% withdrew as they failed to reach Teddington Lock on time. Mr Sharpe, who is based in Richmond-upon-Thames, said the second half of the race from Reading to Westminster was "harder than usual" as there was "no water to push us down". To train, he says he paddles 62 miles (100km) and runs 31 miles (50km) every week between January and April. Mr Fielden said Mr Sharpe and Ms Freeman - whose win was her second in a row - beat their closest rivals by four minutes in a "fantastic race". "We had a 50% failure rate this year, lots of paddlers pulled out because of the conditions best described as brutal," he said. "It's a tough race in the best of years, this year was exceptionally tough." The event is divided into different races: the senior doubles (non-stop), the stage races which are paddled over four days, and the junior doubles which involves eight hours paddling and an overnight camp. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Junior teams set off on three-day canoe race Non-stop canoe race celebrates 75th anniversary Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race
BBC News
22-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Canoeist wins 125-mile non-stop canoe race for third time
A man who canoed 125 miles (201km) without stopping says he is "ecstatic" to have won the annual event for a third year in a Sharpe and his canoe partner Anoushka Freeman finished the Devizes to Westminster race in 17 hours and 17 set off from the Wiltshire town on Saturday at about 18:00 BST and finished in London at about 11:00 BST on Sunday, overcoming "very difficult conditions". "[The] strong winds didn't stop the whole race. It was in your face the whole time. It's quite energy-zapping and obviously it slows you down," Mr Sharpe told BBC Radio Wiltshire. This year's annual Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race saw more than 300 people take part and ended on Monday. The event first took place in 1948, with paddlers making their way to London over the Easter come from all over the world, including Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and the United States. Reacting to their win, Mr Sharpe said: "[I'm] a little tired, I've got a slight croaky voice. But pretty ecstatic to win again."The event organiser Paul Fielden told BBC Radio Wiltshire lower water, particularly in the River Thames, made it so hard for paddlers that 50% withdrew as they failed to reach Teddington Lock on Sharpe, who is based in Richmond-upon-Thames, said the second half of the race from Reading to Westminster was "harder than usual" as there was "no water to push us down". To train, he says he paddles 62 miles (100km) and runs 31 miles (50km) every week between January and April. Mr Fielden said Mr Sharpe and Ms Freeman - whose win was her second in a row - beat their closest rivals by four minutes in a "fantastic race"."We had a 50% failure rate this year, lots of paddlers pulled out because of the conditions best described as brutal," he said."It's a tough race in the best of years, this year was exceptionally tough."The event is divided into different races: the senior doubles (non-stop), the stage races which are paddled over four days, and the junior doubles which involves eight hours paddling and an overnight camp.
