David Haze has been adventurous since he was a child, but armed with his paddle board he’s set himself one of his biggest challenges yet.
The 36-year-old tries to hold himself to his life motto; “Through adventure we live.”
Mr Haze was a national sailing champion at university as well as a keen surfer. Flat days out on the water when he couldn’t surf led him to discover a love for paddle boarding. He said he “loves the extra sense of freedom that paddle boarding brings.”
He has combined his love of paddle boarding and need for adventure in his latest challenge.
Four lakes, four days, four world records
Starting on June 14, Mr Haze will attempt to paddle board the length of the UK’s four longest lakes on four consecutive days, with the hopes of breaking four world records for the time taken to do each.
He will start at Loch Awe in Scotland (25 miles), then head down to Lake Windermere in England (12 miles), over to Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland (19 miles) and finish with Llyn Tegid in Wales (4 miles).
Though paddle boarding has grown in popularity in recent years, to him, it is only just starting to reach its full potential.
He said: “The peak in the exploration side of paddle boarding, we haven’t even reached it yet so I’m trying to attempt world firsts and world records.”
He’ll be travelling in a campervan with a support team between locations, and hopes the weather doesn’t slow him down.
He said: “Weather is the main worry. Doing the paddling I’m not too worried about, but if the weather turns on me I’d be a little bit stuck as I’m obviously against the clock.”
Poole Harbour in Bournemouth, Mr Haze’s hometown, is the second largest natural harbour in the world, the perfect place to train for the challenge.
“I wasn’t really living my true potential”
Mr Haze said that adventurous sport has changed his life. He said: “I was stuck in a rut just before lockdown, I just realised I wasn’t really living my true potential.
“I used to be really adventurous as a child and I was sort of just fed up of not living a meaningful life anymore, I wanted to live again through adventure.”
He wants to encourage others to strive for the same positive changes through this challenge: “I want to try and share my stories to try and encourage growth and change in other people, try and encourage them to have a little adventure.”
Alliance of Sport
The adventurer is a criminal justice consultant, describing his role as “capturing the journey of people going through he criminal justice system through the eye of mental health.”
Alliance of Sport is a charity that brings sport into the criminal justice system. Mr Haze is raising money for the charity through the challenge as he has experienced first-hand the impact that sport can have on a person.
He said: “I think more work needs to be done to support those in prison, especially those coming out into the community and Alliance of Sport, that’s what they’re all about.
“Adventurous sport has changed my life and if they can use what I’ve used to help men and women in prison to change their views of life and try and help them rehabilitate themselves through sport then I’m all about that.”
“I want to try and do the longest lake in every country in the world”
June’s challenge is the first of many Mr Haze has planned.
“I’m hoping to do these four lakes, get some interest and sponsors then try and roll it out to the longest lake in every European country,” he said.
“If I’m successful at that then I want to try and do the longest lake in every country in the world.”
Half way there with our fund raising efforts for @AllianceOfSport, please continue to support this amazing charity and their awesome work https://t.co/lkyZ6DSPsi#sup #adventure #charity #challenge #fundraising pic.twitter.com/VpJjK5Z4Ym
— Nomadic Paddler (@nomadicpaddler) April 22, 2021
On top of that, he will be tackling the three peaks, an ultra-triathalon and paddle boarding the full length of the River Thames non-stop over the summer.
The determination to become a better person keeps him motivated through these challenges. He said: “It gives me something to look forward to and keeps me pushing myself.
“I think we all need that in life, it just encourages a bit of personal growth and a bit of change in yourself to make you become a better person.”
To donate to Mr Haze’s fundraising for this challenge, click here.