AT the start of this year’s Dusi Canoe Marathon, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more experienced duo than the K2 crew of Glenn Hilliar and Doug Tatham.
The pair have a wealth of experience on the river between Pietermaritzburg and Durban and have completed 74 Dusi Canoe Marathons between them.
In fact, Hilliar is 15th on the list of the most completed Dusi Canoe Marathons with 40 under his belt.
The Beachwood High Old Boy (now Northwood School) said he completed his first Dusi in 1981.
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“I got involved in the Dusi because of my uncle. I remember coming down to Blue Lagoon with my brother, Richard, and we would watch him finish. That inspired me to paddle my first in 1981, and I’ve never looked back,” he explained.
Hilliar, who has also finished in the top 10 six times, has compiled a waiting list of people he’d like to paddle with in a K2 canoe for every Dusi.
“It is true; I’ve got my next few Dusi Canoe Marathons planned out. Next year, I’m hoping to complete the race with a paddler from Sri Lanka, and then, I’ve promised my wife, Bridget, that I’ll paddle her 10th with her. With this year’s race, Doug and I have been able to do a few races together, and we’ve set our sights on winning the Grandmasters category,” he said.
Tatham echoed that sentiment.
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“We may end up being the only grandmaster paddlers in the field,” he quipped. “Both Glenn and I are really looking forward to this year’s paddle. He has always had a long waiting list of people wanting to paddle with him, and I’ve been in the queue for years, and finally, it was my turn to get to the front. Glenn is a Dusi legend, and there are very few guys who have done 40 Dusi Canoe Marathons and beyond, so it is a privilege to paddle this year with him,” he said.
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