Christie aims for Drak crown
After her Dusi win in 2019, the talented sportswoman is hoping to claim a win at this year's Drak Challenge.
TALENTED paddler, Christie Mackenzie hopes to sync up with the Umzimkhulu River and claim the top title in the elite women’s race during the N3TC Drak Challenge from 6 to 7 March this year.
The young Varsity College/Euro Steel star, who claimed her first major K1 marathon scalp when she won the MyLife Dusi Canoe Marathon in 2019, cut her teeth on the waters of the Southern Drakensberg as a junior and wants to try and push for ultimate honours at the Underberg classic.
Mackenzie felt her issue on the 63km stretch of river was her own mind and she has planned to change up her tactics going into 2021’s edition of the race.
“I always feel that I have to just race my own race and try and concentrate on myself,” Mackenzie said. “I can get quite flustered on race day and, despite the fact that I am good at dealing with problems, I want to avoid those problems.
“A race like the Drak you need to minimise mistakes and we see in the girls that have won the race in the past that they make the fewest mistakes.”
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Heading into the 2021 Drak Challenge Mackenzie is going to make sure that she has not left a stone unturned when it comes to preparation.
“With lockdown, my running is in a better place than my paddling at the moment but I am going to try and get as much tripping in on the river in the build up to the race. If I can limit the mistakes, then I am going to be in a much better position during the race. Speed is always something that I need to work on, so that will be another focus for me,” she added.
Recently Jenna Ward has become the new Drak champion following Abby Solms’ break from paddling and Mackenzie knows that Ward’s approach is something that needs to be replicated.
“Jenna will be the one to beat again because she makes very few mistakes on the river and knows her lines through the rapids really well. We all know how strong she is on the water, so it’s important that I am paddling well by the time we start the Drak,” Mackenzie said.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
