Two paddlers from the Florida Lake Canoe Club (FLCC) have been training hard and are now ready to take on the challenge of the mighty Msunduzi River.
The FNB Dusi Marathon, known as one of the toughest of all canoeing endurance events, has been running annually since 1965, covering a distance of some 120 kilometres over a three-day period. “The challenge is that the race requires many kilometres of running and walking, carrying the boat between paddling through some enormous rapids and drops,” said Jennie Dallas, FLCC public relations officer.
Last year’s race was a true test of every participant’s endurance. Due to the drought conditions no water was released from any of the dams. “The paddlers had to walk or scrape their way on the third day from Inanda Dam to Durban in the heat of the valley,” Jennie said.
In preparation for their Dusi race, Patrick Thomas and Macdonald Nkosi took on the Elands River Race, which took place just past the Waterval Boven tunnel. They finished in a time of two hours and 37 minutes. “This 23km race thoroughly tested the duo’s river skills as there was a fair amount of water due to the recent rain storms in Mpumalanga,” she said.
They also participated at the Johannesburg Country Club’s two-day Klip River event which took place in flooded conditions. They have also been running numerous laps around Florida Lake in preparation of the running component of the race. According to the duo, they are ready for the challenge.
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