Florida paddlers ready to take on the mighty Dusi
Race helped Shaun and Alex with their Dusi preparations
Paddlers were recently afforded an opportunity to participate in a training race to prepare for the upcoming Dusi Canoe Marathon.
Johannesburg Country Club hosted the two-day 60km Klip River training race. Jennie Dallas, the Public Relations Officer for the Gauteng Canoe Union, said, “The race afforded paddlers the opportunity to better their seeding and start batching for the upcoming Dusi race, that will be taking place from Pietermaritzburg to Durban from 15 to 17 February.”
The paddlers participating in the training race had to cover a distance of 32km each day from Daleside on the Klip River towards the Vaal Junction in Three Rivers. “There were a few sections where paddlers had to take their canoes out of the water and run a short distance before putting them back into the river to continue paddling,” Jennie said.
One of Florida Lake Canoe Club’s top paddlers, Shaun Maphanga, partnered with a competitive paddler from Emmarentia Dam, Alex Roberts, and together they strove for another podium position in their age category. “Despite some mishaps on the river and some portages through narrow sections of overgrown bush as well as some slipping and sliding down the Henley Weir due to higher water levels from the increased rain, the pair managed to finish first in the Sub Masters category in a time of four hours and 15 minutes. This placed them fifth overall,” she said.
With the conclusion of the race, the pair is looking forward to the tough challenge of the Dusi event, and Shaun will be trying hard to add to his medal tally as well as repeating his podium position from last year.
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