Paddlers on track during recent race
This was an opportunity to train for the upcoming long A grade races.
Keith Smith and Colin van Heerden, both from Krugersdorp and both members of the Florida Lake Canoe Club, have now completed two races towards their A grade status.
The Florida Lake Canoe Club recently hosted a race on the Klip River from Meyerton to Three Rivers, where the Klip River runs into the Vaal River. This was an opportunity to train for the upcoming long A grade races, and to enable learners/ novices to gain the experience required to do those races, as well as to do the qualifying races required for A grade river status.
“The Gauteng paddlers have started the river race season and are preparing for their first A grade river race which takes place in October, in Cradock, on the Fish River, over a distance of 80km in a two-day period.
“They found the 23km quite tiring and long as they are still working on building their canoeing fitness – the regular races on the local river assist with this by adding longer distances over the months in preparation for the Fish River Canoe Marathon,” Jennie Dallas, from the Gauteng Canoe Union, said.
Smith and Van Heerden finished their race in a time of two hours 27 minutes, and confirmed that they had learned a tremendous amount from the mistakes they made along the way while thoroughly enjoying the challenge.
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