By Ben Leach Published: 9:00PM GMT twenty-seven February 2010
Helen Skelton, the Blue Peter presenter, is set to finish an epic tour to turn the initial lady to have kayaked 2,000 miles down the Amazon She has paddled past crocodiles, 20-foot anacondas and shoals of piranhas whilst overcoming blisters, heatstroke and seasickness.
Barring a disaster the 26-year-old will finish the last 60 miles of her outing after roughly 6 weeks of paddling for 10 hours a day, 6 days a week on a stream mostly wider than the English Channel.
Helen Skelton"s Amazon diaries: week five Helen Skelton"s Amazon diaries: week 4 Helen Skelton"s Amazon diaries: week 3 Helen Skelton"s Amazon diaries Trans-Siberian: The biggest sight tour in the universe Australian schoolgirl to cruise piece for one person turn the universeIn you do so she will have damaged dual universe records: the longest piece for one person vessel tour record, and the longest vessel by a lady in twenty-four hours jot down (75 miles).
But whilst drawn out acclamation is approaching on her lapse to Britain, uppermost in her mind is something most less glamorous the thought of receiving her dog, Barney, for a walk.
"It"s been 6 weeks of sitting in a vessel surrounded by zero but H2O and rainforest," she said. "There have been stretches of six, seven, or eight days where I haven"t even set one feet on dry land, and my crippled has the blisters to show for it.
"And I"ve longed for my dog terribly. So the initial thing I"m going to do will be to collect him up and take him for a great prolonged walk."
Skelton proposed her tour on Jan twenty in Natua in Peru, where the rivers Marañón and Ucayali stick on to form the Amazon, and ends it 2,010 miles downriver in Almeirim in Brazil where the stream becomes tidal.
On track she paddled past creatures together with anacondas, a class of lizard that squeezes the chase to death. She suffered from appalling blisters, sores and heatstroke but any kayaking experience prior to to her training.
She additionally had to overcome her most doubters. When she initial told James Cracknell, the stand in Olympic bullion medallist who scarcely died during his try to row the Atlantic with Sundaycolumnist Ben Fogle of her plan he told her: "You can"t do this." Skelton"s reply was typically defiant. "You don"t know me," she said.
"There were lots of people who told me I couldn"t do it" she said. "Three of the 4 experts we consulted prior to we proposed pronounced I wouldn"t be means to do it. Everyone thought the thought of you do it was laughable.
"But I"d contend never decider a book by the cover. Just since I can have things with gummy behind cosmetic doesn"t meant that I can"t mangle records."
Since afterwards she has been sent thousands of messages of await even one from Cracknell himself.
"He sent me a poetic message, but there have been most others, and it"s them that have got me by this.
"My friends and family have never doubted me and that"s unequivocally spurred me on as well. The thought of vouchsafing any one down is usually unbearable."
Skelton is no foreigner to pulling herself to her limits.
Last year, she demonstrated her implausible continuation when, in April, she became the second lady to finish the 78-mile ultra-marathon in Namibia, using the 3 uninterrupted marathons in twenty-three hours and 50 minutes.
Following that attainment Blue Peter motionless to theatre a attempt to lift recognition for Sport Relief this year and Skelton motionless she longed for even some-more of a challenge.
While it is not the initial time Skelton has pushed herself to her boundary of endurance, it is additionally unequivocally doubtful to be the last since nonetheless she has not nonetheless finished this challenge, she is already meditative of the subsequent one.
"I owe it to my friends and family to have a bit of rest when I get behind home," she said. "But I know what I"m similar to and I"ve already proposed articulate to the group here about what I can do next.
"So, yeah, there will be something else entrance along shortly something snow white hopefully, nonetheless I"m open to suggestions. I have thought about Mount Everest, and additionally about channel the Alps, so watch this space."
Although Skelton is already formulation her subsequent record-breaking plea her physique will be great out for rest.
Over the past 6 weeks she has paddled on 6 out of 7 days each week, for at slightest ten hours, from 5.30am until dark, with usually a short mangle for lunch when the feverishness became unbearable.
So punishing was her report that her rest day sounds anything but restful.
On the seventh day, she done drive-in theatre for Blue Peter and wrote a weekly mainstay for the Sunday Telegraph"s Travel territory about her adventures.
She additionally had assorted alternative media commitments, mostly receiving piece in 30-minute interviews true after rock climbing out of her kayak.
And she certified that there were times when she was close to giving up.
"The misfortune impulse was when I unequivocally proposed to onslaught with faintness and I was throwing up everywhere," she said.
"I was median by and I was meditative "If I"m struggling right afar afterwards it"s not going to get any improved it can usually get worse".
"I thought I would have to give up since my physique wouldn"t have been means to take anymore. Everyone was removing unequivocally carried afar about me reaching median but I was usually meditative "I"ve got to do all that again!"
"It was hideous since when you"re feeling that low you usually instruct your silent to put her arm around you, and she"s thousands of miles away."
But the great times have far outweighed the bad, she said.
"The last week"s been shining since I motionless to take the vigour off and try to suffer the experience a bit more. I"ve proposed to see at the trees and watch the birds and it"s been wonderful. I feel similar to I"ve non-stop my eyes for the initial time in 6 weeks."
It is that certain support of mind that should see her to the finish line this evening. And she pronounced her biggest instruct receiving her dog for a travel enclosed is that her actions enthuse others
"It"s not about proof people wrong or right it"s about proof to myself that I can do it and proof to the kids that you shouldn"t bashful afar from something since it"s tough. And you know what, if someone says it"s unfit afterwards make use of that as motivation.
"I"d rather contend get involved. Get stranded in. This has been incredibly formidable but it"s been one of the most appropriate experience of my life."
Skelton hopes her efforts will enthuse family groups opposite the UK to climb to their own plea for Sport Relief, come in the Sport Relief Mile on Sunday 21st Mar and assistance lift income that will shift lives forever.
Go to www.sportrelief.com for details.
