A local father and son team has conquered the world’s toughest canoe endurance race, the Dusi Canoe Marathon, and bagged themselves a Top 100 finish in the K2 category.
The world’s toughest canoeing endurance race took place from 14 to 16 February, with heavy rains causing huge waves at various rapids, brown from the swirling mud beneath as paddlers enjoyed the challenge of the 120km paddle up South Africa’s east coast from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. The Dusi tradition started all the way back in 1961, with Ian Player (brother to Gary Player) and a handful of buddies, who took 6 days to complete the course.
The canoes in those days were heavy and made of wood and canvas and therefore not suitable to shoot most of the technically treacherous rocky rapids, nor was there any water release from dams. They were forced to carry their boats around numerous rapids which were thus not navigable in the canoes of their day.
These days however, while some of those rapids are certainly enjoyable to fibreglass kayak racers, the tradition of the paddlers carrying their boats around most of those same rapids remains, and makes up a large part of the endurance section of the 120km race.
While the senior in the two-man team, Grant Thiel was taking part in an impressive 21st Dusi this year, it was his son Warren’s very first Dusi Canoe Marathon. Grant and Warren decided to team up for this year’s Dusi Canoe Marathon, with it being the seventh time Grant has taken on a teammate to conquer the race after having previously completed six with Brian Whiller at his side. Despite it being the first time they’ve taken part as a team, they managed to finish the race in a highly respectable time of 12:46:34, in 59th place in the K2 category.
Warren is currently Deputy Headboy at King Edward VII School, and being an avid sportsman, he thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of this mighty endurance event and the huge, wild white waters.
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