A new record has been set for the time taken to kayak the entire length of the Murray River.
Dave Alley and his crew pulled into Wellington, South Australia, just after 2am today, having completed the taxing 2278 kilometre journey from Bringenbrong Bridge in NSW in 14 days, 23 hours and 33 minutes.
Mr Alley crossed the finish line at the top of Lake Alexandrina. As per the regulations set by the Inland Rivers National Marathon Register, he accepted the standard 12-hour penalty for not crossing the lake, which was deemed extremely dangerous in current conditions.
Adding the 12-hour penalty takes the completion time to 15 days, 11 hours and 33 minutes.
That wipes 19 hours and 25 minutes off the previous record set in 1993 by David Armytage.
Mr Alley, a 47-year-old father of five and fitness coach from the northern NSW beach town of Pottsville, averaged an incredible 152km per day, which some days took him more than 20 hours of paddling. Some days he paddled in 40 degrees Celsius and on many others it was freezing.
He said sleep deprivation was the most challenging aspect of the feat, along with battling headwinds, the lack of water flow encountered and navigating unfamiliar territory, especially in the dark.
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It was his crew that kept him paddling day in, day out, he said.
By his side was his best mate Dave Lees, his dad Reg and Mr Lees' dad Gary, and mates John Guyatt, Andrew Edwards, Dallas Young and Hendrik Bavage.
Setting records like these were more a mental than physical challenge, Mr Alley said.
"Every day there is a moment you want to give up and go home, especially as you need to back up day after day as the body starts to break down," he said.
"When times get tough I just look to the team around me. It's always about the team."
An extraordinary feat it may be but extraordinary is not new to Mr Alley.
He already holds the record for both cycling and running around the entire of Australia,
To cycle around the country in 2011 in a record 37 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes, he covered an average of 377kms a day, raising $30,000 for the Royal Flying Doctors in the process.
Four years later, he ran 13,383km in 169 days, 15 hours, and 31 minutes, breaking the previous record set by Pat Farmer in 1999, and raising $100,000 for the White Cloud Foundation.
Mr Lees said: "There are no words to describe what Dave has achieved. It is beyond incredible and has been inspiring to again be at close quarters watching this superb feat of human achievement occur."
The team said the incredible scenery was one of the highlights of the adventure.
As for what Mr Alley has planned with his free time first - sleeping "possibly longer than anyone ever has before" and catching up with his family are top of the list.
And the next record attempt?
Maybe eating the world's biggest t-bone, he said.
Shan Goodwin
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
