East Rand Kayak’s Patrick Thomas, a dedicated pastor for a local Germiston congregation, recently partnered with young Shelley Robertson for an 18km race on Rietvlei Dam as a test run to check their paddling compatability before the 80km A Grade Fish River race in September.
They were pleased with their comfortable one-hour-40-minutes paddle.
Other East Rand paddlers were Paulo Ferrao, who partnered up with a colleague who also lives in the East Rand area, Richard Greeff, to enjoy the company, good weather and sunshine while putting in the needed mileage.
The nine miler, 18km race on Rietvlei dam annually heralds the start of serious training for major races on the canoe race calendar.
Many paddlers who have been resting or hibernating since the Dusi river race in February, or through the early part of winter, inevitably find their way back on to the water to obtain a decent seeding for the major A Grade Fish River event.
This leaves just enough time to train for the exciting and challenging 80km white water event.
Despite the presence of both crocodiles and hippos at the Rietvlei dam, the race hosted by Centurion Canoe Club never fails to attract a large crowd, as the paddlers enjoy the company on the five laps around the massive dam.
With more than 130 paddlers on the water, no boat is alone for too long – either overtaking, or being overtaken, depending on fitness levels.
Paddlers from throughout Gauteng shook off their winter blues to enjoy the unseasonal spring weather and kickstart their training for the A grade Fish River Marathon.
