Boksburg-based kayaker Leon Maritz put his hand up in the Free State province and impressed during the Standard Bank One Day Liebensbergvlei
River Race on November 21 when he completed 33km in little under three hours.
The race began at the Reitz Water Treatment Centre and finished in Tweeling, a distance of some 33km to the Zorgvliet farm where the paddlers take out the river.
Maritz took on the challenge with glee, finishing the 33km race in exactly two hours and 52 minutes to finish in 10th place in the master category.
The Liebensbergvlei River continues to flow towards Frankfort and ultimately empties into the Vaal Dam. The water originates in the Ash River in Clarens, where it is pumped from the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, so is often chilly with melted snow.
Despite the long drive to the river for Joburgers, it’s worthwhile as there are few rivers with exciting white water rapids to enjoy in Gauteng.
A number of kayakers from throughout Gauteng showed up, including Pretoria and Lowveld, as well as some who came up from the KZN area and Rustenburg to enjoy the wave trains, rapids and fast flow of clean clear water through the farmlands of the Free State.
Elsewhere, Maritz’s fellow Ekurhuleni Kayak Club member, Rodney Carpenter, also relished the challenge: he completed the stretch in three hours and 51 minutes as the second Great Grand Master (over 65).
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