Father and son duo prepares to take on mighty Dusi
They participated in the Klip River Race
A father and son duo from the Florida Lake Canoe Club (FLCC) has participated in the two-day Klip River race, in preparation for the Dusi Marathon.
Patrick and Franklin Thomas finished the two-day event in a time of five hours and 58 minutes. But this is not the only training they have been doing in preparation; they have been training together whenever possible – on rivers, flat water and even on the road.
The Klip River Race was hosted by the Johannesburg Canoe club and spanned over a total of 60 kilometres, which included a few portages, where paddlers had to get out of the river and run with their canoes, as required in the world’s toughest endurance race – the FNB Dusi Marathon.
The Dusi takes place from 14–16 February from Pietermaritzburg to Durban and covers a distance of 120 kilometres. Paddlers will not only be paddling on the river, but will also have manage a number of kilometres of portaging over rough terrain while carrying their canoes up and down hills and some steep, slippery slopes.
According to Jennie Dallas, the Public Relations Officer of the Gauteng Canoe Union, the first ever Dusi, organised by Dr Ian Player in 1951, took a week to complete.
“There were no dams to provide water releases back then, resulting in numerous sections of river where paddlers were unable to paddle on water over shallow, rocky patches. The boats were made of wood and canvas and were heavy and unable to shoot some of the mighty rapids, as the modern fibreglass boats are able to do,” she said.
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