MUCH of South Africa’s paddling fraternity have one eye on the road and the other on the sky as they make their way to Underberg in the Southern Drakensberg for this weekend’s 21st edition of the 68km N3TC Drak Challenge Canoe Marathon which will double up as the South African K1 River Championships for the first time since 2007.
The mighty uMzimkulu River has been flowing at a magnificent level for much of the summer however a recent dry spell has seen the water level drop to a concerningly low level and will have paddlers hoping and praying for a last minute thunderstorm over precisely the right place in order for the water to come up and racing to commence over the full race route from just above Castleburn bridge to Hopewell Farm near Coleford.
Canoe Marathon World Champion Hank McGregor (Kayak Centre/Team Jeep) missed 2013’s race and is adamant he wants to make the popular race’s title his own for the fourth time in five years.
Having won the race in 2010, 2011 and 2012, McGregor will be hoping to become only the second person in the history of the race, behind Drak legend Ant Stott, to win the title four times.
After claiming the title in McGregor’s absence in 2013, Grant van der Walt (Varsity College/Team Jeep) will however be hoping he can halt his regular doubles and training partner’s run as he seeks second consecutive title, despite having spent little time in the boat over the festive period.
Dusi Canoe Marathon victors Andy Birkett (EuroSteel) and Lance Kime (Best 4 Healthcare/EuroSteel) will also be hoping they can add their names to the title challenge mix as, after a strong Dusi build-up period, they look to get their hands on the Drak trophy for the first time.
Should any of the pre-race favourites slip up though, a self-proclaimed undercooked Len Jenkins will undoubtedly be waiting in the shadows, ready to pounce at any opportunity thrown his way to add to his Drak Challenge title tally of three.
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Defending Dusi Canoe Marathon champion and 2014 N3 TC Drak Challenge hopeful Lance Kime was seen trying to get to grips with the potentially low water levels expected for this year’s edtion starting in Underberg this weekend. Photo: Dave McLeod Gameplan Media.
The women’s clash is set to be one of Adie versus Kime. Three time winner and defending women’s champion Abby Adie (Best 4 Healthcare/Kayak Centre) will be hoping she can once again get the better of her regular rival, Dusi Princess Robyn Kime (Best 4 Healthcare/Kayak Centre).
Bracing herself for another assault on Dusi with 2012 victorious partner Abbey Ulansky, Kime will however have other thoughts as she looks to make it win number two after her 2012 victory.
Dusi Queen Ulansky (Best 4 Healthcare/Kayak Centre), back from Canada for the Drak/Dusi period, will also take to the water however will purely be looking to get some mileage into the arms rather than get tangled up in the front two’s scrap.
The likes of surfski ace and Drak dark horse Michelle Burn (Team Jeep), vastly experienced Hilary Bruss (Race Food/Pepto Pro Sport), the injured but always determined Jen Theron (Knysna Racing/PVM) and under 23 star Jenna Ward are all expected to go head to head in the battle for the final step on the podium.
Plucky elite racer Danica Bartho (Barthos Fish Co.) would be another who many would throw into the front-of-the-race pot however this year’s Drak carries a slightly different focus for Bartho as she, in her bright pink paddling gear and boat, look to raise awareness of cancer and continue to motivate good friend and fellow paddler Nikki Heynes, currently in a fight against the disease.
Through her Lettie Paddle campaign, started when she became the first woman ever to paddle from Richards Bay to Durban in a surfski, Bartho also hopes to inspire others to join her in her awareness drive and asks others to also wear pink as a sign of their support of someone they know currently fighting cancer.
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Danica Bartho (Barthos Fish Co.) will be paddling with good friend and fellow paddler Nikki Heynes, currently battling cancer, in mind when she tackles this weekend’s N3TC Drak Challenge in her pink boat and bright pink paddling gear. Photo/ Anthony Grote/Gameplan Media
Of a far less serious elk but still as personally daunting is the task Dean Bottcher, Brendon Germaine and Jon Ivins have set themselves as they look to make stand up paddleboarding history when they take on the 2014 Drak Challenge on their purposely and locally-built river SUPs.
Another trio facing a potentially tricky two days on the river, particularly if the water level does not rise, are K3 entrants Craig Wright, Craig Gibson and Clinton Lawson who will look to successfully drive their three-seater bathtub of a canoe down the river.
If all goes well on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 January, the coveted Drak Challenge Trouts will welcome no fewer than 14 new members to their ranks as the likes of Gareth Edmonds, Pooch Ovenstone and co. look to notch up Drak finish number ten this year.
Regardless of the weather and the subsequent river level, the action promises to be blisteringly hot on the water however a fiery contest at the annual Drak Challenge Interclub Golf Day at the legendary Underberg Country Club can be expected too as paddlers look to embrace the totality of a weekend in the beautiful setting of Underberg.
The N3TC Drak Challenge 2014 starts on 18 January at Castleburn outside Underberg and finishes on 19 January at Hopewell Farm close to Coleford. More information can be found at www.drak.co.za
