Tommy prepares for Dusi
Springs-based Tommy Booth partnered with Jarryd Breeds and finished in the top three of the 18km Dusi training race held at Homestead Dam in Benoni on Saturday.
The event was hosted by the Ekurhuleni Kayak Club.
Tommy is also a keen runner, which is an advantage when he has to carry the canoe during the portage sections of the upcoming Dusi Canoe Marathon.
With the Dusi, known as the world’s toughest endurance canoeing race, scheduled for mid-February, the Gauteng paddlers wasted no time kicking off their training for the New Year.
“Over 70 paddlers, who participated in the race, enjoyed the nippy chill in the early morning on the dam after the heavy, violent electric storm on Friday night,” says Jenny Dallas, public relations officer of the Gauteng Canoe Union.
The race included two 1km portage sections where paddlers practise getting out their boats quickly and smoothly to run with their boats.
She says the paddlers have to ensure a smooth hiccough free re-entry to the water as this is where they are likely to lose time and places on the Msunduzi River where there are numerous places on the river which are difficult to pass.
Tommy is excited about the upcoming race and says he is well prepared.
