Man with type 1 diabetes breaks record for circumnavigating Britain in kayak | Diabetes

A 23-year-old with type 1 diabetes has broken the record for circumnavigating Britain in a kayak after paddling 2,000 miles in 40 days.

Dougal Glaisher arrived in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, at 5.40pm on Tuesday evening, beating the previous record by 27 days.

Speaking to the Guardian on his mobile as he paddled through 5ft waves and strong headwinds on Tuesday afternoon, he said: “I’m proving to myself and other people with type 1 diabetes that it doesn’t need to hold you back.

“It’s been a massive challenge but I have really enjoyed it. It’s been such a big adventure, seeing loads of wildlife, minke whales and dolphins. The scenery around Britain is beautiful.”

Although he had comfortably broken the previous record of 67 days set by Joe Leach in 2012, Glaisher was so determined to complete the challenge in 40 days that he paddled through his final night.

After a few hours’ rest on Monday evening he set off at midnight, stopping briefly for breakfast in Great Yarmouth before getting “back on the water to finish the job”.

Glaisher was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 19 shortly after winning the Oban Sea Kayak race in Scotland, when he had blurred vision and struggled to recover his energy.

The expedition was to raise money for the UK-based charity Action4Diabetes and Glaisher live-streamed his blood sugar levels using a tiny sensor beneath his skin.

“The hardest part of the trip mentally is knowing that if my sugar levels fall to a certain level I will go unconscious, so I always make sure I’ve got lots of snacks on my boat,” he said. “I do what I want to do and my diabetes has to adapt to that.

“I’m not a perfectionist with my [sugar] levels. I’ve just nearly kayaked round Britain and my levels haven’t been perfect but I’ve followed my dreams.”

On Tuesday he was well-stocked with a bunch of bananas and a stash of cereal bars lashed to his boat. But in remote areas it was more challenging. Around the islands off Scotland he ran out of freeze-dried meals and survived on porridge for several days. He also sourced drinking water from streams.

Glaisher, who grew up in rural Somerset and was part of GB’s ocean racing team, averaged 70km to 80km a day and put on 8kg to prepare for the trip. It is the first time anyone has used a surfski – a kayak that you sit on top of – to paddle around the country.

He was able to shave time off the previous record by making more open ocean crossings, rather than hugging the contours of the coastline.

Most nights Glaisher camped on wild beaches but some evenings strangers also offered him a bed and a meal. “It’s been a rich experience,” he said. “It’s only been 40 days but it feels like I’ve been camping for about a year.”

Glaisher faced huge waves and strong tides but said his toughest moments were often starting the day. “The hardest bit of the day is getting out of that warm sleeping bag and putting wet kit on,” he said.

This was not his first major kayaking expedition. After studying biology at the University of Nottingham Glaisher spent last year kayaking 5,500km around the Mediterranean.