Mark’s story is truly an incredible one demonstrating strength, courage, commitment & perseverance with a wonderful love story entrenched throughout. From canoe marathon training & racing every weekend & being selected & paddling for Great Britain to unfortunately discovering that he was suffering from heart failure. With great friends & coaches & lovingly supported by his lifelong love, his wife; Mark’s journey takes you from the then to the now, his competitive & recreational paddling, sharing with you his dreams & goals, the highs & the lows & his unquestionable resilience throughout.
So who is Mark Davis and what’s your paddling backstory?
When I was 13 my parents gave my sister and me each a canoe as a Christmas present. Mine was an Apollo white water racer – a bit tippy but not too bad. I was at Leighton Park School in Reading, and in the summer I took canoeing as a sport option. My PE teacher was Bernard Perrett and he took us paddling on the Thames and Kennet and Avon Canal. I quickly got the bug and became part of an eclectic bunch of marathon paddlers. We raced most weekends and trained hard. Bernard became my canoeing coach and he and his family became my second family. He was a formidable canoeist in his own right winning the Devizes to Westminster canoe race and becoming a Great Britain canoeing coach. He was an inspiration and, as a great friend and canoeing partner of mine, Rhod Kinch, said “he made the extraordinary seem ordinary”. Bernard trained us up to do the junior Devizes to Westminster Canoe race and to represent Great Britain as juniors. My first international race representing Great Britain was in Spain when I was 16. I went on to represent Great Britain as a senior too.
Now 50 years on I have never stopped paddling (and enjoying my padding!) and keeping fit with cycling, running, resistance training and hiking. Life has chucked in some curve balls though. In 2018 I became a stem cell donor for my brother who was unwell. This involved a lot of tests on me to make sure I was up to the job. This process led to me being diagnosed as having cardiomyopathy and heart failure, and in 2019 I had open heart surgery and had an ICD (defibrillator) implanted. I was initially told that I would not paddle again. However, the heart rhythm nurse (a specialist on implanted defibrillators) turned out to be sea kayaker and advised me that limited paddling would be OK. I was told that if I went for a paddle I needed someone nearby to hook me out of the water if my defribillator kicked in (I would lose consciousness). As anyone who has paddled a racing K1 knows they are difficult enough to keep upright let alone when you are unconscious! Now my paddles on the beautiful Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal are “chaperoned” kindly by my wife running alongside on the towpath. I am much less fit now because of the heart condition and the drugs I have to take so my chaperone does not have too tough a job keeping up with me!
What’s your contribution to or stamp on paddlesport? How or why do (or should!) we know you? If you were nominated by a previous guest or invited by myself, why do you think they or I nominated you?
My wife nominated me, I guess because she likes it that I still paddle long after my successes in marathon racing have faded into the mists of time and in spite of some new challenges. To me it’s what I have always done and hope to keep doing.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not paddling?
I love riding my bike and used to do “sportives”. After my heart surgery I got an e-bike, and with a bit of help from “Billy Bosch” managed to ride a sportive again this summer. I love the mountains whether on a bike or on foot. Living in the Brecon Beacons is fabulous and we are spoilt for wonderful scenery to jog and hike the trails.
Your worst habit?
Procrastination!
Your happiest or proudest moment of adulthood?
Happiest moment: my wedding day! My wife shared a flat at college with Lucy Perrett, my coach, Bernard Perrett’s daughter which is how we met. So without canoeing I would not have met the love of my life!
Proudest moment: being awarded a distinction for my MSc as a mature student – I always thought of myself as a canoeist, I never thought I was an academic!
Your biggest regret?
That they didn’t bring in the 200m sprint kayak event 20 years earlier (500m was always too long for me!). The 200m was only introduced after I had stopped racing seriously.
Your favourite song?
Still Waters Run Deep by the Four Tops.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you were older?
A writer – haven’t quite got there yet but I have written several scientific papers which have been published. There’s still time!
Your chosen craft/s and brand/s?
I paddle a Nick Pink K1 (but have always lusted after a Struer veneer K1).
Tell us more about your local areas blue spaces and why we would want to go there
I live in the Brecon Beacons where there is lots of water nearby, Llangorse Lake, the Usk, the Wye and the jewel in the crown the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. In my biased opinion this canal is the most beautiful in the country. It has an aqueduct, stunning views and avenues of trees that are spectacular in the autumn (the leaves caught on the bow of the boat are a curse though!).
I’m always dreaming about my next #clarerutterwherenextadventures, if you could paddle anywhere in the world, where would your #wherenextadventures be and why?
I would love to paddle down Doubtful Sound in New Zealand. It’s a breath-taking bit of scenery.
If you could paddle with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? Living or not, past or present, paddler/non-paddler…there are no rules here!
It would have to be Bernard Perrett, my canoeing coach, and the man behind who I am now. I also have to mention my paddling hero as a teenager was Gert Frederikson – an amazing paddler who won medals at the Olympics and World Championships from his 20s into his 50s. He dominated the sport at the time.
Most memorable paddle?
This has to be the Bedford to Kings Lynn race that I did with Rhod Kinch. The 75-mile doubles race started at 2 a.m. on an icy cold day in early December. We shot weirs in the dark (we were guided to where to shoot the weir by marshals shining torches). There was the inevitable swim! We had just one support crew to cover my coach, Bernard Perret and Brian Greenham, and us. Eventually we were too far behind for the support crew to get to us and Bernard and Brian, who were leading the race. For the last 20 odd miles – in a dead straight line down a land drain – we had no food or drink. Near the end we were desperate for support and hallucinating that we could see our support crew on the bank, but only succeeded in grounding the boat and taking a chunk out of the bow which needed to be stuffed with mud and sticks to prevent us from sinking. The dog walker (not our support crew as it turned out) must have been quite bemused! We managed to limp to the finish utterly exhausted in 4th place (Bernard and Brian won smashing the record). A bacon sandwich was never more welcome!
Your happiest or proudest moment in paddlesport?
Being selected for the Great Britain team with Rhod Kinch as a junior. The school got half a day off in our honour.
Many people paddle to aid their mental health and wellbeing, what does paddling do for you and what does it mean to you?
If I don’t paddle there is something missing in my life. When I get back on the water I am complete, free and refreshed. It so good see nature that others rarely see (kingfishers, herons, water rats, mink and even red kites under the tree canopy from time to time).
What lessons has paddling taught you?
Train hard, never give up and who knows where it will get you.
Top general paddling tip?
Keep paddling whatever the weather!
Favourite paddling gadget/item/must have lucky pants etc!
Kayak Pro paddling machine, keeps me paddling fit even when I can’t get on the water.
Who inspires you and why?
Bernard Perrett will always be my inspiration. He made me what I am today.
Thank you for sharing your amazing journey Mark, it really has been a pleasure showcasing you and your incredible achievements. It just goes to show that most things are possible with a little adaptation and a whole heap of perseverance! I look forward to bumping into you again on the canal some day!
If you are or know someone who would be ideal to be interviewed for Clare Rutter’s Paddle People: An Interview with… please send a brief and the best way of getting in touch to email@clarerutter.com.