50 miler Dusi training race
VLC's Richard Cele looks forward to the infamous Dusi endurance canoeing race.
Richard Cele, coach and top paddler at Victoria Lake Canoe Club (VLC), was among the Gauteng paddlers who streamed to the Dusi Valley for the weekend of December 6 and 7.
Cele was the first finisher from his club in a time of four hours and 26 minutes, as the 65th k1, a good top 100 position.
The 50 Miler Lettie Pants Race was also an opportunity for paddlers to prepare for the Dusi.
The 50 Miler, which is raced over two days, offers superb preparation for the Dusi.
The 80km enjoyable river was tougher than usual and, due to low rainfall during the past year, paddlers were forced to carry boats out of the river and run (or walk) up steep hills and down slippery slopes, as parts of the river were not suitably negotiable due to low water levels, with little water from the local dams, which were not full enough to enable releases.
This made for an excellent training and preparation weekend for the endurance challenge of the Dusi river race, which maintains its 1964 traditions of such portages in line with the first races hosted on the river, before the advent of dams.
The traditional Dusi winners battled it out, with the usual top winners taking the podium positions.
The youngster, who originates from the Dusi Valley, where the Change a Life programme gave him his head-start in life, is looking forward to the challenge of the infamous Dusi endurance canoeing race in mid-February.
