In the park without a paddle
Paddlers use Victoria Lake Parkrun as a fun training opportunity leading up to the Dusi.
The FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon was started in 1951 and remains one of the biggest canoe races on the race calendar.
The race, which will be held on February 16, 17 and 18, in Pietermaritzburg, covers a distance of 120km and includes a minimum of 15km portage (running with the canoe) over the three days.
Some of the big challenges for the Dusi include the Guinea Fowl portage, the severe Devil’s Cauldron, the Nqumeni Hill and the steep Burma Road.
With these challenges in mind, members of the Victoria Lake Canoe Club (VLC) have found a new way to strengthen their legs and improve their running fitness, by participating in the Victoria Lake Parkrun.
In past weeks, canoeists from VLC have been running the 5km Parkrun with their canoes on their shoulders, which is no easy feat.
The GCN visited the Parkrun, on Saturday morning, to meet with some of the dedicated VLC members.
Mike McGiddy and Andy Ryan will be tackling the race together as a K2 (pair) for the first time this year.
This will be McGiddy’s 15th and Ryan’s 10th Dusi, and they are hard at work trying to make sure they are as ready as they can be for the marathon.
“Our training has included 15kms of paddle time at least three times a week, running in Rietvlei to train for hills and we’ve also ran the Germiston Parkrun,” said McGiddy.
The pair are excited to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.
Mark Handley also joined Saturday’s parkrun in preparation for what will be his first Dusi in 27 years.
“I feel doing the parkruns has really helped with my stamina and preparation for the marathon,” he said.
Other runners in the parkrun have welcomed the canoeists to the run with some joking that the guys show them up.
Other members using the parkrun for training include:
- Noel “Banjo” Bessler, who is affectionately known as the grandfather of canoeing, will be paddling the Dusi in a K1.
- Uwe “The Snake” Schmidthaus is a renowned canoeist who has successfully completed 23 Dusi’s to date.
He will paddle in the K1 division.
- Richard Cele, rated as being in the top 20 canoeists in South Africa and who is a coach at VLC.
Cele has previously been in the top three for the non-stop Dusi and has completed more than 10 Dusi’s to date.
- Thomas Ngidi, a talented young canoeist groomed for success, is hoping to finish in the top 20.
- Bob Demalis, who has completed more than 14 Dusi Marathons, will be paddling with first-timer Jaco Esterhuise.
- Hamer and Ryan Booysen will take part in their first Dusi as partners. The pair has trained extensively in the hope of being ready for the challenging race.
All of the competing canoeists are looking forward to this year’s Dusi adventure.
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