In order to prepare for the upcoming Dusi Canoe Marathon, Bedfordview residents Guy Carter and Richard Tandy participated in an 18km training race last Saturday.
The race was hosted by the Ekurhuleni Kayak Club (ERK) at the Homestead Dam in Benoni.
The duo form part of the Gauteng paddlers.
The race, which was a Dusi seeding event, included two, 1km portage sections where paddlers practised getting out of their boats as quickly and smoothly as possible. The paddlers then have to run, carrying the boats to ensure a hiccough free re-entry to the water.
This is where the paddlers are likely to lose time and places on the Dusi River, which has numerous patches that are impossible to paddle through.
The winning team on the day were Alex Roberts from Emmarentia Dam who partnered with Phineas Zulu from Soweto for this year’s marathon. The pair finished in 1 hour 18 minutes.
For this year’s instalment, most competitive paddlers are doubling up to take on the challenge as the marathon will be a K2 event.
Carter and Tandy finished as the second Sub Veteran team in a time of 1 hour 26 minutes.
Both have always been keen runners and with their river race experience they hope for a successful Dusi.
