uMhlanga paddler ‘not taking any prisoners’ at Drak Challenge
Christie Mackenzie is aiming for top position at this year’s N3TC Drak Challenge
WHEN Christie Mackenzie tasted victory at the KZN Mixed Doubles Champs in mid-December with her brother Hamish, she signaled her intentions to return to compete for the N3TC Drak Challenge title this month.
In fact, the uMhlanga resident hopes to go one better than her runner-up result of last year.
She was full value for her second place to seasoned Drak women’s winner Abby Solms, and has shown since then that her form and experience will make her a strong contender for a maiden Drak women’s title.
She has made some big changes to her training regime and has moved from Johannesburg, where she finished her Psychology Honours studies, to uMhlanga and has joined Matt Bouman’s training squad.
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“It’s a totally new training regime, and I am doing a lot of cross-training that I wasn’t doing before,” said Mackenzie. “It has added a whole new dimension to my paddling, which has been really beneficial to me.”
Having medalled at the World Marathon Champs and won many big titles, including the Dusi, the prestigious Drak title has eluded Mackenzie, and she has made it a priority at the start of the 2023 racing year.
“The Drak has been my near-miss race,” she conceded. “This year, I definitely have my sights set on the top step of the podium. It all comes down to making sure I don’t make any mistakes and I execute the race as best I can. I am definitely not taking any prisoners this year,” she added with conviction.
The N3TC Drak Challenge takes place on January 28 and 29.
