Dusi paddlers cross the finish
While the leaders of the race train regularly on the river without water releases and are familiar with all the treacherous channels and islands, it was the out of towners who struggled.
Krugersdorper Daryn Koertzen, member of the Crocodile Canoe Club, finished the Dusi Marathon in 207th place overall in a time of 11 hours 15 minutes.
The Dusi took place in February from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, a distance of some 120km. Despite thunderstorms in recent weeks, the storage dams levels were well below expected levels for this time of year and most provinces are feeling the brunt of water restrictions.
For Dusi paddlers this meant the luxury of water releases from the dams that have been a hallmark of the modern Dusi were reduced noticeably.
While the leaders of the race train regularly on the river without water releases and are familiar with all the treacherous channels and islands, it was the out of towners (Gautengers) who struggled to find their way on a low level river, with numerous portages, harking back to the tough pioneering days of the early Dusi marathon races.
Other Krugersdorpers based at the Florida Lake Canoe Club included novice first-time Dusi paddlers Liam Whitlow and Ryan Coutts, who had attended Krugerdorp High School and West Ridge High School respectively and finished their first Dusi, with boat intact, as the 663rd boat to cross the finish line, which was the 287th double, in a time of 14 hours 16 minutes over the three days.
Warren Mackenzie partnered with James Baard, both living in the Krugersdorp boundary, to do their first Dusi, and finished despite boat breaks and repairs, as 730th finishers, 326th double, in a time of almost 15 hours acknowledging it was a tough endurance event.
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