The 59th Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race went according to the form book with the hot favourites finishing in the top three positions.

The first senior doubles crew across the finishing line at Westminster Bridge on Sunday was Piran Shelley from Richmond Canoe Club and his partner Tristram Turner from Bristol just 17 hours and three minutes after they left Devizes Wharf 125 miles away.

Second in a time of 17:21:40 was Metropolitan police officer Richard Hendron and Paul Lanighan from Oxford, the winners of the Waterside D race from Devizes to Newbury at the end of March.

Third was the much-fancied combination of Danny Beazley and David Hallam of the Leaside Canoe Club who were runners up in the Waterside D race. Their time was 18:25:03.

But the DW as it is known is about more than winning and breaking records. Thousands of pounds were raised for charity by the 220 entries.

Kat Burbeck, the daughter of former chief constable of Wiltshire Dame Elizabeth Neville, and her colleague from Loughborough University, Dr Gilly Mara, fulfilled their aim of being the first woman crew home in a time of 19:55:24.

They have also raised hundreds of pounds for the charity Spinal Research, chosen because Dr Mara recovered from a broken neck following a walking accident in America four years ago.

The junior doubles section, where competitors are made to camp overnight over the four-day competition, is always closely contested.

This year it was won by brothers Timothy and Philip Pearse of the Reading Canoe Club in a remarkable time of 15:50:16.

Most of the junior entries come from schools from all over the country and this year there was a record entry of 62 crews.

Locally, Archie Heaton-Renshaw and Freddie Dodson from Marlborough College covered themselves in glory, coming in eighth in a time of 18:27:38. Their respective brothers completed the DW in a similar time twice while they were at Marlborough.

Archie's father, Devizes GP John Heaton-Renshaw, said: "The boys have been working really hard in training and they certainly deserve to do well."

The first of the nine crews entered by Dauntsey's School to cross the line was Nick Ratcliffe and James Papworth-Smith, who were 12th in a time of 19:32:01.

As usual, there was a strong international entry, with competitors from Denmark, Finland, South Africa, Canada and the US. Ilia Kantsedikas from Russia and Brendan Ko from China shared a canoe entered by Bedford School.

The highest-placed visitors were Fiona Vincent of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Mike Vincent of the appealingly named Swill City Marathon Canoe Club.

The competitors had glorious weather throughout the whole weekend in which to conquer the canoeists' Everest. The Kennet and Avon Canal was as smooth as a millpond on Good Friday and Easter Saturday as the crews set off from Devizes Wharf.

The weather was not ideal for record-breaking times and the course record for senior doubles remaining unchallenged.

See Thursday's Gazette for more pictures and reaction