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18
Feb 2024
Knaresborough woman to take on 162-mile paddleboard challenge
A Knaresborough woman is set to take on a gruelling 162-mile paddleboard challenge in aid of charity.
Sarah Chisem, who works as a podiatrist in the town, will paddle from Liverpool to Goole over 11 days.
She came up with the idea for the challenge after losing a close friend to a rare gynaecological cancer in 2019 and wanted to raise awareness.
The route, known as the Desmond Family Canoe Trail, is the UK’s first coast-to-coast canoe trail. It takes in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and has not been paddled by many before, says Sarah.
She will undertake the challenge with her friend Sara Edgar, aiming to row up to 16 miles each day.
Sarah said:
Sarah Chisem on her paddleboard.
Paddleboarding, also known as SUP, involves standing up or kneeling on a board and using a paddle to make your way through water.
Sarah got involved in the sport two years ago and has since gone onto to set up paddleboard social events on Thursday evenings in Knaresborough.
However, the prospect of paddling 162 miles is new to her and her friend.
The pair will start from the Eldonian Village Hall in Liverpool on March 27 and finish in Goole on April 8.
They have tried to train twice a week, weather permitting, and Sarah even visited the start line during a trip to the city for a recent podiatry conference.
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Sarah will be raising awareness and money for the charities Andy’s Man Club and The Eve Appeal.
The latter funds research into gynaecological cancers and is close to Sarah’s heart after losing her friend five years ago.
For her, the challenge will be a milestone for her and her friend. But it will also be a chance to complete a route that very few have attempted on a paddleboard.
She said:
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