Two lecturers from Richmond, The American International University in London, smash Guinness World Record canoeing attempt

Two charity fundraising lecturers from Richmond, The American International University in London, have broken the Guinness World Record for the fastest canoe journey down the non-tidal Thames, from Lechlade in Gloucestershire where the Thames starts, to Teddington, near Richmond.

Mark Horne, Assistant Professor in Psychology at Richmond and Professor Dominic Alessio beat the time of 120 hours set previously for a world record by making the 125 mile journey in 81 hours and 52 minutes. The record-breaking attempt was all in aid of You Touch Africa, a charity which aims to advance the education of disadvantaged children and adults living in Africa.

Professor Dominic Alessio, said, “It was a fantastic yet exhausting experience. Setting off at the start of the Thames, we paddled for 14-15 hours each day, so it was pretty much non-stop, except for a 10 minute lunch break and we made camp about 9pm each evening. The weather was good but a lack of rain meant there was no flow for the descent, so the going was slow. Waking at 4.45am every morning to dismantle the tent and re-pack the canoe, we finally made it back to Teddington, where the non-tidal Thames ends, last Friday.

“By undertaking this challenge, we are thrilled to have raised £780 for You Touch Africa, which will go towards helping other students achieve their ambitions. We are now planning our next adventure!”

Mark and Dom’s Justgiving page is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/markhorne-domalessio.

Richmond, The American International University in London is a private, not for profit University which offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with accreditation in both the USA and UK.  The University is based across two campuses in London, in Richmond and Kensington, with additional sites in Florence, Rome and Leeds. 

Richmond teaches in the liberal arts tradition which provides students with a broad, multi-disciplinary foundation combined with in-depth study in a specific area of interest.

Two charity fundraising lecturers from Richmond, The American International University in London, have broken the Guinness World Record for the fastest canoe journey down the non-tidal Thames, from Lechlade in Gloucestershire where the Thames starts, to Teddington, near Richmond.

Mark Horne, Assistant Professor in Psychology at Richmond and Professor Dominic Alessio

beat the time of 120 hours set previously for a world record by making the 125 mile journey in 81 hours and 52 minutes. The record-breaking attempt was all in aid of You Touch Africa, a charity which aims to advance the education of disadvantaged children and adults living in Africa.

Professor Dominic Alessio, said, “It was a fantastic yet exhausting experience. Setting off at the start of the Thames, we paddled for 14-15 hours each day, so it was pretty much non-stop, except for a 10 minute lunch break and we made camp about 9pm each evening. The weather was good but a lack of rain meant there was no flow for the descent, so the going was slow. Waking at 4.45am every morning to dismantle the tent and re-pack the canoe, we finally made it back to Teddington, where the non-tidal Thames ends, last Friday.

“By undertaking this challenge, we are thrilled to have raised £780 for You Touch Africa, which will go towards helping other students achieve their ambitions. We are now planning our next adventure!”

Mark and Dom’s Justgiving page is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/markhorne-domalessio.

Richmond, The American International University in London is a private, not for profit University which offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with accreditation in both the USA and UK.  The University is based across two campuses in London, in Richmond and Kensington, with additional sites in Florence, Rome and Leeds. 

Richmond teaches in the liberal arts tradition which provides students with a broad, multi-disciplinary foundation combined with in-depth study in a specific area of interest.