This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Neighbor News

Deaf father of 5 on mission to break Kayak Sports Record

Murdock Henderson of Ann Arundel County, MD age 48 and deaf since birth, trains daily on the Potomac to set Kayak record and raise awareness

So what is training like for an Endurance Kayak competition? According to Murdock Henderson, "3 - hour DAILY runs on the Potomac, where I can average 8-10 knots per hour, which is the pace, more or less, that I need to maintain on the Amazon!” Henderson is preparing for his Intaba Paddle for Deaf Education, from Pucallpa, Peru to Belem, Brazil, to set a new world record and change the global perception of the Deaf community.

Henderson founded Intaba, a nonprofit that raises funds and awareness for its partner organizations throughout South Africa and worldwide, where deaf citizens are often marginalized from mainstream society. According to Henderson, age 48 and himself deaf since birth, “Through extreme sports events such as the Paddle I hope to be able to help break the barriers that millions of people who share the same set of challenges as mine need to overcome to be considered normal by mainstream society.”

Follow Henderson's final 3 weeks of training through future Patch articles and posts on Facebook. You can also learn how you can support Henderson and his work through Intaba by visiting Intaba Paddle for Deaf Education Go Fund me page

Find out what's happening in Anne Arundelfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?