Gauteng paddlers have wasted no time in kicking off their training for the New Year with an 18-kilometre Dusi training race this past weekend.
The race held at Homestead Dam in Benoni and hosted by Ekurhuleni Kayak Club is in preparation for the worlds toughest endurance canoeing race scheduled for mid-February.
After the previous week’s heatwave with extreme temperatures draining everybody’s energy, the over 70 paddlers who participated in the race genuinely enjoyed the nippy chill early in the morning on the dam after the heavy violent electric storm the previous night,” said Gauteng Canoe Union’s Jennie Dallas.
The race included two 1-kilometre portage sections where paddlers practice getting out their boats quickly and smoothly to run with their boats.
This is to ensure a smooth re-entry to the water as this is where they likely to lose time and places on the Dusi river where there are numerous places on the river which are impassable.
Florida Lake’s team of Shaun Maphanga and Melusi Nxumalo crossed the finish line to take the 2nd podium position with a time of 1:18.
This was seven seconds behind the team of Alex Roberts from Emmarentia Dam, partnered with Phineas Zulu from Soweto as this year’s Dusi will be a K2 event.
This is despite Maphanga being in an car accident and broke his hand which prevented him from training in previous months.
The young 23 year old FLCC community program coaches, Macdonald Nkosi and Donald Moncho who enjoyed the training opportunity, finished the race as 12th double, in 1:26.
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