All systems go for upcoming Dusi race, confirms organisers

FOLLOWING the relaxation of the lockdown regulations on access to rivers and dams, paddlers are now going into the six weeks before the MyLife Dusi Canoe Marathon with confidence after the race bosses confirmed that all systems are in place for the three day race from 18 to 20 March.

There have been a number of different stories that have circulated around the format of the event and whether it will happen and organisers have put all the misinformation to bed.

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“This is a time of great uncertainty, and the rumour mill has been churning since the start of the new year,” said race committee head Shane le Breton.

“Let us be absolutely clear that the 2021 MyLife Dusi is on. We have put in place numerous plans to make sure the event is staged in a safe and responsible manner, and that we remain fully compliant with all the race protocols,” he pointed out.

With most major races during the past year having been cancelled, the Dusi race office has taken several hundred entries for the 2021 Dusi as eager paddlers set their sights on the multi-day stage race from Camps Drift to Blue Lagoon after months of frustration at events not taking place.

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Le Breton added that he had great sympathy for the elite athletes, for who a good Dusi result was a top priority, as the one month postponement had necessitated changes to their training plans.

”The top athletes plan their training periodisation to peak for the three days of the Dusi, and to have to roll out those plans by a month has been very difficult. The planned dates of all the important races that make up the MyLife Dusi series in the build-up to the big race have also moved, so each of the athletes is having to adapt and refocus their training,” he said.

Le Breton said there will be changes to seeding races and qualifiers, but organisers have set out to be as flexible as possible to make sure they look after each and every athlete’s best interests.

“But the important thing is that the MyLife Dusi is 100 per cent on for 18 to 20 March. The dams are full, the rivers are flowing and the famous Dusi buzz is in the air right now,” he said.

Normal entries are being taken until the end of February. 

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting