WHILE Andy Birkett and Lance Kime claimed the limelight at the end of the Dusi Canoe Marathon with their sixth and second titles respectively last week, an eMdloti resident was carving out her own piece of history. Robyn Wiggett became only the fifth women in the history of the 64 year old race to complete her 20th Dusi.
Wiggett, who is the sports director at Umhlanga College, was greeted at the finish at Blue Lagoon by staff holding up golden balloons with the number five on them. She said she was thrilled with her Dusi moment.
“To be honest I didn’t even know about the record. Some of the staff at the school had contacted the Dusi organisers and found out I was just one of five women to reach the prestigious mark. It was fantastic and just amazing to reach 20 Dusis. There was even some champagne at the end, which was amazing,” she laughed.
Wiggett, who became the first chairlady of the Kingfisher Canoe Club completed this year’s race in a K2 boat with her husband, Richard, who completed his 15th Dusi.
“The thing about the Dusi is the spirit and the camaraderie among the paddlers. It’s something special. Nearly all of my Dusis I’ve completed with female partners, except the last four. Richard was great throughout the race. We had a tough start to the marathon, day one in particular was really tough because of the rain and mud, it made running up Devil’s Cauldron incredibly hard.
“It was a little more technical on day two because of the low levels in the dams so you had to choose your lines carefully. The last 10 kilometres on the third day were a killer but it was such a relief crossing the finish line,” she said.
The former South African sprint paddler said she would like to go past the 25 Dusi mark and hopes to one day paddle the three day race with her sons.
