Florida Lake paddlers take on iconic race
Florida Lake Canoe Club paddlers enjoyed participating in the event with partners Sean Jones and Jason Bryden finishing the 3-day endurance event in 12 hours and 45 minutes.
The 2023 Dusi Canoe Marathon began in Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg and ended at the Blue Lagoon in Durban, where paddlers experienced a spectacular three-day paddling and portaging event.
The marathon, which took place from 16-18 February, is recognised as the world’s toughest canoe endurance marathon and has been taking place annually since 1951.
According to Gauteng Canoe Union PR/Media Liaison Jennie Dallas, this legendary event, which was first done in 1950, was conceptualised during World War II when Ian Player (brother of golfer Gary Player) huddled around a campfire in Italy, tired and homesick. He proposed organising a race downriver from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, using the Msunduzi and uMngeni rivers.
After an initial expedition was planned but then abandoned halfway through 1950, eight paddlers set off from Alexandra Park in December 1951.
Six days, 8 hours, and 15 minutes later, Player was the only paddler to finish, having survived two days of low rivers and then a flash flood and finally a night adder bite.
The eight paddlers were meant to race in pairs, but Player’s partner Miles Brokensha quit at Mfula Store on Christmas Eve, so when a “bedraggled and exhausted” Player arrived in Durban he was outside of the initial set of laws, but undisputedly the first person to do the ‘Dusi’.
Player won the next two races with Fred Schmidt before retiring unbeaten in the Dusi and by the 1956 race, the entries had reached 48 starters and changes started happening.
From a non-stop format the race implemented compulsory overnights stops at Dusi bridge and Khumalo’s Causeway.
For the first time, the field of six doubles and 18 singles was set off in batches, on what was a desperately low river.
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The 2023 race had plenty of water with recent heavy rains, and fortunately, the problems with the quality of the water which affected many beaches in Durban during December were resolved in time, to enable the paddlers to enjoy the fast flows.
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Florida Lake Canoe Club paddlers enjoyed participating in the event with Sean Jones who finished 17 of the races, partnered with Jason Bryden from Krugersdorp to finish the three-day endurance event in 12 hours 45 minutes as the 90th K2 (Double Kayak) to cross the finish line and as 14th Sub Grand Master age category (under 60).
It was Bryden’s first Dusi river race – very challenging, and most satisfying to finish, despite the fast-flowing water and big white-water rapids, Jones was most impressed that they managed to finish the race with only two swims.
READ MORE: Florida Lake Canoe Club takes on the rapids in the Free State
Hardus Theunissen completed his first Dusi river race, partnering with young Tristan Trican who finished his 4th challenge successfully in a time of 12 hours and 11 minutes.
The team from Florida Lake Canoe Club paddlers were exhilarated to have completed the event and enjoyed the preparation and training.
