Booth braced for the Berg
While there are many names of top paddlers who are on the honour roll of the Berg River Marathon in the Western Cape, the 240km, four day ordeal is not for your average paddler.
With many obstacles and challenges, the race is the longest canoe challenge in South Africa and has been hosted for 54 consecutive years.
Tommy Booth, a member of the Ekurhuleni Kayak Club (ERK), based at Homestead Dam, is a recognised endurance paddler with determination to finish major challenges such as the Comrades Marathon and Dusi Canoe Marathon.
He will be taking on the Berg River Marathon, running from Tuesday, July 14 to Saturday, July 18.
Recent river races in Gauteng have been geared towards helping the paddlers train towards the mighty Berg.
On June 20, Booth finished the Watuni, a tough, 25km flat Vaal River race, paddling upstream, as well as up the Taaibos which flows into the Vaal, to build up stamina.
He finished fourth in two hours and 18 minutes.
The cold conditions on Saturday, June 27, at Homestead Dam, provided ideal training grounds for the Berg, and Booth completed the ERK 21 km race in one hour and 41 minutes and came in seventh.
On Sunday, July 5, he also finished the 40km Upper Klip Race, hosted by Johannesburg Canoe Club (JCC), which has numerous obstacles including a dead tree forest to manoeuvre around.
Booth finished as the second K1 (single boat) in two hours and 58 minutes.
He is now ready to tackle the Berg River for the second time.
