Fifty miles on the Dusi River
With the world’s toughest endurance race coming up in February, numerous paddlers headed down to the Umsindusi River, between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, recently, to participate in a two-day river race.
The paddlers spent training time on a section of river that the three-day Dusi covers, to test doubles partnerships as well as gain familiarity on the superb rapids of this awesome, fast flowing, downhill river.
The Dusi and Umgeni rivers join up to provide superb white water paddling opportunities.
Although the Dusi has its compulsory portages based on tradition, the 50 Miler has no such qualms and the paddlers can shoot almost everything on the river, through the gorges and valleys.
Clinton Fox, from Benoni, and Clint Munro, who lives in Boksburg, are both members of the East Rand Kayak Club (ERK), based at Homestead Dam, in Benoni, and partnered up after a successful CMH Vaal K2 Championships race, to test their partnership for the upcoming Dusi event.
The partnership covered the 50 miles through rocky S-bends, channels and islands in five hours 26 minutes, over the two days, to finish in 71st position overall, just missing a sub veteran age group podium position by coming fourth, while ERK’s Michael Stewart and his Cape-based partner were 92nd.
Father and son team Roy and Matthew Aiken completed the race as the 154th finishers, in six hours, 18 minutes,while brothers and Benoni businessmen Leon and Peter Maritz were 177th.
Florida Lake Canoe Club will host the final race of 2013,on the Klip River,in Meyerton, at the end of the Belloord Series, which takes the format of a Dusi training race, on Sunday, December 8, for Gauteng paddlers’ preparation.
