Canoeists win at marathon champs
EMMARENTIA – Local canoeists do proud at Gauteng's marathon championships.
Dabulamanzi Canoe Club shone again in a race in preparation for the South African Canoe Marathon Inter-provincial.
The Gauteng Canoe Union’s Marathon Championships took place on 1 and 2 June at the Cradlemoon Lakeside Resort in Muldersdrift, with perfect weather conditions.
The K1s (single kayaks) raced on the first day with the K2s (doubles) on day two.
Paddlers from other provinces travelled to Gauteng to test run their skills against their competition and enjoyed the opportunity to gain familiarity with the course in preparation of the upcoming interprovincial taking place from 15 to 17 June.
The top finishing Gauteng woman, U18 paddler, Alexis Rich of Dabulamanzi Canoe Club, finished her 17.5km race in 01:28:00, while the top finishing man was Clinton Cook (KZN) who partnered with Dabulamanzi’s Wayne Jacobs to win the 23km K2 race in 01:33:00.
One of the essential skills to master in marathon racing is efficient portages – to take the boat out the water, run a short distance, and put in effectively – avoiding swims, slipping and dropping the boat. These contribute to how much time paddlers can save, or use up with mistakes, at crucial points during a race.
Rich, Jacobs and Cook utilised these skills well.
There were many categories to win on the weekend. Paddlers from U8 level to the age of 80, both men and women, had fun on the water.
