| BROTHERS PADDLE INTO RECORD BOOKS |
 Two brothers from Abbots Langley have paddled into the record books after they canoed from Birmingham to London along the Grand Union Canal. Chris and Mike Jenkins, 26 and 24 respectively, from Margaret Close, canoed the length of the canal in their £70 boat bought off eBay to raise money for McMillan Nurses.
The brothers paddled through 166 locks along the 137 miles of water, stopping only to eat and sleep, spending around 14 hours a day in the small canoe.
Chris, a Geography teacher at Parmiter’s School, spoke to My Abbots News about the challenge and the troubles he and Mike had even before they had started.
“The canoe was stolen three times before we had even started,” he said.
“On one occasion we caught the culprits but they ran off, and on the other times we were lucky enough to find it dumped.”
The pair set off on their tough task on Saturday August 30, waking up around 5.30am every morning and not finishing until around 8.30pm.
“The endurance of it was the toughest bit about it without a doubt,” said Chris.
“In the morning it would take the shoulders a while to loosen up, while at times you had strong winds in your face or the sun beaming down on you.”
Stopping at campsites at night, Chris and Mike were met by their dad Steve each evening, who brought them supplies such as food and water.
“I guess you could say dad was our support crew, bringing us supplies every evening – he was a real help.”
The 137 miles took the pair three and a half days in total, with the Abbots brothers arriving at the Thames in London at around 6.15pm on Tuesday September 2, greeted by Steve and mum Anne.
It was mum Anne that inspired Chris and Mike to take up the challenge after she was diagnosed with bowel cancer.
“Mum is fortunate to have a lot of support and family around her, but there are others who are not so lucky, which is what made us think McMillan was the best charity to fundraise for.”
Chris admits he would complete the challenge a second time, but doesn’t want to see the canoe he has ever again.
The pair have raised around £1,800 so far, but are still looking for donations.
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