Hartley hungry for Drak Challenge title
Bridgitte Hartley has confirmed she will be back to challenge for the N3TC Drak Challenge women's title.
OLYMPIC paddling heroine Bridgitte Hartley has set her sights on adding the 2020 N3TC Drak Challenge canoe marathon title to her impressive resume of paddling achievements.
The London 2012 500m K1 women’s bronze medallist has a jam-packed schedule again this season, having just become the first South African woman to represent her country at sprint, marathon and surfski world championships in the same calendar year.
She is a passionate supporter of the Drak Challenge and rates the Mzimkhulu as one of her favourite rivers to paddle on, but her stormy relationship with the Drak Challenge has seen the women’s K1 title somehow elude her over the years.
“The Drak is right up there on my bucket list of races I want to win. I’ve got a second and a third at the Drak, and I would really like to better those results.”
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“To win the Drak you need to have a flawless race for starters, but with the standard of the women’s field I think you have to braver, and back yourself rather than following other people.”
Hartley has an interesting first half of 2020 on the horizon. She still hopes that she will be able to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics at the last qualifying event, and will plan her training around that, and another serious Dusi Canoe Marathon K2 challenge.
She said that sprint training will remain the basis for her training, saying that it is easier to develop the stamina needed for marathon racing off a solid sprint base.
The N3TC Drak Challenge canoe marathon takes place in Underberg on 1 and 2 February. Visit: www.drakadventure.co.za.
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