Louis Tinsley on Racing the ThruDark Devizes To Westminster 2026

The Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race is not a race you stumble into. Covering 125 miles of canal and river from Wiltshire to Westminster Bridge, with 77 portages along the way, it's widely regarded as one of the toughest canoe marathons in the world. Competitors paddle through the night, through exhaustion, and, if they've trained right, through the other side of it.

This year, ThruDark is the lead sponsor of the race. And this year, ThruDark co-founder Louis Tinsley isn't just watching from the bank. He's on the water with his brother beside him.

We sat down with Louis ahead of the 2026 race to talk training, the learning curve of racing, and what it really means to take on something this hard with family.

Tinsley: It's been a real journey if I'm honest. We've put a lot of hours in, around 70 hours on the water, but more than that, it's been a process of learning where our limits are and then working to push them back in the right way.

We've had sessions where everything clicks, the boat feels fast, stable, efficient, and then others where you're reminded how unforgiving this sport is. I think the biggest takeaway has been humility. You can't bluff this race. You have to earn it, session by session, and stay committed to improving the small details.

Tinsley: It's been one of the steepest learning curves I've had in sport.

The boat doesn't let you hide anything. If you're out of sync, slightly tense, or overworking, the boat tells you immediately. Early on, we were fighting the boat and, at times, fighting each other without realising it.

But as we've progressed, especially with small changes like improving stability and connection to the boat, you start to feel what it should feel like. Smooth, efficient, almost effortless when it's right. That's what we're chasing now.

Tinsley: Two things really stand out.

First is efficiency under fatigue. It's not just about fitness, it's about maintaining good movement, good timing, and composure when you're tired. That's where things break down.

Second is discipline with pacing and timing. It's easy to get drawn into going harder than you should early on, especially when you feel good. But this race isn't about being the fastest in the moment, it's about managing your effort over the full distance.

We've had to learn to hold back, trust the plan, and stay controlled. Ultimately, it's not about chasing speed early, it's about giving yourself the best chance of finishing well.

We've been consistently getting out multiple times a week, balancing longer endurance paddles with shorter technical sessions.

The focus hasn't just been volume, it's been making sure each session has intent. Some days it's about distance, others it's about rhythm, stability, or practising things like portages. Every session is building towards being able to execute over the full distance.

Tinsley: I'm genuinely excited... but it's a grounded excitement.

There's a level of respect for the race that keeps that excitement in check. You know what's coming, and you know it's going to be tough. But that's exactly why we're doing it. It's an opportunity to test ourselves properly and see what we're capable of when things get difficult.

Tinsley: I'm looking forward to the back end of the race, that point where it becomes less about physical ability and more about mindset and discipline, it's true Grizz territory… That's where you find out who you really are.

In terms of hesitation, it's probably not a specific section, but the accumulation. The fatigue, the need to stay composed when things aren't going well. That's the real challenge. But it's also what makes it worthwhile.

Tinsley: That's probably the most important part of it for me.

We've both faced challenges in our own ways, and to be able to take something like this on together means a lot. There's a level of trust and understanding there that you can't replicate, especially in a boat where you have to move as one.

When things get tough, and they will, it's not just about getting through it yourself, it's about getting through it together.

At its core, this is about unity and shared endeavour. It's about pushing through adversity side by side, holding each other to a standard, and coming out the other side knowing you've done something meaningful together.

If Louis's answers tell you anything, it's that the hardest part of the D2W isn't the distance, it's staying composed when everything inside you is screaming to stop. That's the kind of test ThruDark was built around. Not proving yourself in controlled conditions, but finding out what you're made of when conditions stop being controlled.

We'll be following every mile. Good luck, Louis and Frankie.