The Benoni pair, Michael and Liam Stewart, claimed a second-place finish at the Dambusters kayaking event hosted by the Dabulamanzi Canoe Club in Emmarentia on January 15.
The East Rand Kayak members finished in a time of 01:33:33 – four minutes behind the winners who posted a time of 01:29:50.
This event formed part of their training for the 120km annual Dusi Canoe Marathon, which takes place from February 17-19 between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.
The Dusi Canoe Marathon attracts between 1 200 to 2 000 paddlers and runs between the Msunduzi and Umgeni rivers over a distance of 120km.
In the Dusi, the route takes the paddlers on the picturesque Valley of Thousand Hills and the scenic sludgy and marshy areas of rural KZN and as the Dusi river has several portages, they will have to carry their boats out of the river and run or walk up and down hills and valleys.
“The training race at Emmarentia included a 3km portage section where the paddlers had to practise the ‘get out get in’ smoothly and run, walk or drag their boats,” said Jennie Dallas of the Gauteng Canoe Union.
“The 18km paddle around the dam and the 3km portage gave the paddlers an opportunity to test their skills, fitness levels and assess their competition.”
The Johannesburg Canoe Club will host the two-day Klip River Race this weekend. The many portages on this river, due to the recent rains, will provide paddlers with further opportunities to step up their preparations for the Dusi.
