Craighall resident Christie Mackenzie was the first woman to cross the finish line in this year’s Dusi Canoe Marathon.
This is the first time that a Gauteng woman has won at the event.
The talented young woman, sponsored by Varsity College, completed the event in 09:42:00 over three days, finishing as the 13th overall U23 and the 40th K1 (single kayak).
The top Gauteng male paddler was Siseko Ntondini, who completed the race in 08:54:00 and was the ninth K1 across the finish line.
Other local paddlers included Neil Barrow and Nick Warren from Parkview and Ian Wilson from Parkwood. Barrow was the 30th sub-master finisher in 13:18:00 while Warren finished as the fourth master in 11:30:00. Wilson was the 74th senior age finisher in 11:57:00.
The well-known annual race runs from Pietermaritzburg, on the Msunduzi River, to finish in Durban, 120km later over a three-day period.
Jennie Dallas of the Gauteng Canoe Union said the 2021 event took place from 18 to 20 March covering some major Grade 2 rapids as well as numerous portages.
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