The Marathon Series 5 K1 Race was back in full swing once again in the waters of Florida Lake, hosted by the Gauteng Canoe Union.
This was to provide the paddlers with an opportunity to train for the upcoming Gauteng Canoe Marathon Championships set to take place on June 1 and 2 at Roodeplaat Dam. During this event, the provincial team will be selected to represent the province at the South African Marathon Championships at Roodeplaat on June 14–16.
The marathon featured various clubs from all over Gauteng with different age groups who were all eager to showcase their skills.
The Guppy Race for U12 paddlers was a 3km race with a portage where paddlers practised taking their boat smoothly out of the water to run (or walk) with it in a short distance and put it back into the water without falling or dropping it and wasting time. Portaging is an essential skill and exercise required at international racing, which excludes much older paddlers after 60 years of age.
A short dash race also took place for all ages over 12 years, 10km with two portages, and a 20km race for the more serious and fitter paddlers, which included four portages.
Some of the winners of this race who have secured a spot in the Gauteng Championships are Clinton Cook, who has 24 years of experience as a paddler. Clinton finished the 20km race with four portages in 1:33:47.
Speaking to the Roodepoort Record, Clinton stated that this was a single race and praised himself for the hard work he put in. Clinton’s highlight during his journey as a paddler was when he represented the country in the Leffy Descent International Competition.
The ladies’ top finishers were Caitlyn Odell from the University of Pretoria. She also secured herself a spot in the Gauteng Champs.
