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And you thought the Boat Race was tough

From the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, first published Thursday 4th Apr 2002.

THE Ruta Maya River Challenge sounds like hell on earth, but for Blackburn soldier Stephen Dickinson the tropical race is an experience he will never forget.

The event in Belize, Central America, lasts four days and spans more than 175 miles.

Stephen, 23, was among nine army teams to take part in the race, which takes place under a blazing sun and in temperatures of up to 40 degrees.

Stephen, a corporal chef in the Royal Logistics Corps, is stationed in Belize as part of the British Army Training Support Team, which sets up jungle training exercise courses for British soldiers in rain forests.

And while his three-man came in 29th and so missed out on the £24,000 prize, it was an experience that will live with him for ever.

The former Our Lady and St John RC High School pupil said: "At the start you get 80 boats bouncing on the river.

"Boats hit each other. there are people swearing and trying to get through. It is good fun. The adrenaline really gets going."

Over the four days, the canoeists battled on in their purpose-built fibre-optic boat. The river turns through the jungle for the entire length of the race.

Stephen, whose mother Lynn Dickinson still lives in Blackburn, said: "The weather was the biggest battle; the sun beats down and dehydrates you.

"You've got to eat and drink regularly to keep going.

"We do 15 strokes either side of the canoe, and then change to keep your balance.

"We've seen all sorts of river banks, howler monkeys, huge orange iguanas, and loads of birds. But it takes a long time!"

It was only on day three of the race that the river passed through several villages, and the inhabitants of Bermudian Landing and Burrell Boom lined the bank to cheer the boats.

Stephen said: "By then, we only had 24 miles to go to get into Belize City. Morale was high but we didn't say a great deal; we have to conserve our energy for the paddling. There was good team spirit."

Completing the race, held last month, was something Stephen would never had envisaged doing when he began training for it last December.

He said: "We started preparing with some really low-key training. We went out for an hour on the first days, and sank in the first 10 minutes.

"We paddled a bit more and I thought 'how am I going to do this for eight to nine hours a day?'

"But we built it up and it got easier. The training did pay off, I had no blisters!

"The whole experience will live with me forever.

"One of the most memorable things was the crowd at the finishing line. They came out and lined the riverbank to cheers us. We had a real sense of achievement in finishing the race."

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