44 | April• 2018
responded. “It’s something inside me
Ididn’tknowIhad,”hetoldDavis.
Meanwhile, Davis pondered how
he could make this happen. Releasing
McAvoy from his cell for a full day vi-
olated the prison’s protocol, let alone
for 24 hours. This was a category-B
high-security jail; at night it was com-
pletely and utterly locked down.
Davis wrote a letter appealing to
the prison governor. Could an ex-
ception be made in these unusual
circumstances? The young inmate
showed huge focus and determina-
tion, Davis told the governor. Then
Davisaddedthattheinmateaimed
to raise much-needed funds for the
Rainbows Children’s Hospice char-
ity. he governor mulled it over. hen
he said yes.
A few months later, in early spring
2011,DavisandMcAvoysetupcamp
intheprisongym.ItwasDavis’sday
of, but he’d come in any way to mon-
itor McAvoy’s world-record attempt.
Hetackedupawhiteboardtokeep
track of McAvoy’s time, pace and
kilojoules consumed – the nitty gritty
of extreme human performance. As
other inmates wrapped up their
workoutsinthelastexerciseperiod
of the day, Davis pulled a stationary
bikebehindtherowingmachine.
At 4pm, Davis looked McAvoy in
the eye and counted down from three.
McAvoy brought the oars back, and
his shoulders engaged. He began to
row. Right behind him, in solidarity,
Davis began to pedal.Davis believed. But he also knewhe
couldn’t change anyone, least of all
John McAvoy. “The life adjustment,”
he says, “has to come from within.”
Inanyprisonthereisaninvisible
line between inmates and guards.
The ‘inmate’s code’ includes the
tenet:“Don’ttrustguardsorthe
things they stand for.” But the code
goestheotherwayaswell.McAvoy
wondered what price Davis was pay-
ing,intheeyesofhiscolleagues,for
befriending him.
Thepairsatdownanddiscussed
what McAvoy was capable of and
cameupwithaplan.McAvoywould
go for the 24-hour world rowing re-
cord.Hehadalreadybeguntraining
forshorterdistances,andhewas
surprised at how quickly his body PHOTO: COURTESY JOHN MCAVOY
McAvoy,aone-time
hardened criminal, is now
a world-class athlete