explained that while they could not keep racing officially, but they were happy to carry on if the crew were, the watches were still running and they felt that we could still get the challenge record. Having prepared solely for this race for 4 months Capps/Baker made the decision to go for it, removing the number from the boat and informed the DW organisation we were no longer in any way their responsibility and got back on the water. The crew went through Newbury in 4hrs 47mins and off the canal in 7hrs 29mins which had them back on schedule despite the halt. By this stage the duo had picked up a multitude of supporters who were absolutely amazing and just kept encouraging and willing the crew on to beat that record. Joining the River was great and with a good flow they picked up time all the way down completing the 54 miles in 6hrs (averaging 9 mph) arriving at Teddington at 1920hrs for the Tideway, well up on schedule. The crew were able to pick up the pace spurred on by familiar sights and the welcome relief of the lights on the London Eye wheel. Baker/Capps raced under Westminster Bridge and could see from the illuminated face of Big Ben that they had managed to complete the 17mile Tideway section in just under 1hr 48mins. The total time was 15hrs 17mins 45secs beating the official record by over 16 mins. In 2011, world champion kayakers Ben Brown and Ivan Lawler attempted to beat the record, but retired after 9 hours and 51 minutes, defeated by wrist injury, exceptionally slow flow on the Thames and a mounting headwind. Similar races In the months leading up to the races, there are two series of races, the Thameside Series and Waterside Series, that are deemed good practice for crews competing in the main Devizes to Westminster race. The Thameside Series is based around Reading, with two races, going from Aldermaston to Reading and Reading to Marlow respectively. The Waterside Series is a series of four races based around Newbury, Berkshire, of lengths 14 miles, 17.5 miles, 23 miles and 34 miles - it is often competed as a series on its own. See also Canals of the United Kingdom History of the British canal system Thameside Series Waterside Series References External links Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race Website Marsport Canoes -