Conlon to represent Germiston

Grant Conlon will be one of the Gauteng paddlers en route to the Western Cape, to take on the longest canoe race in South Africa – The Berg River Marathon.

Conlon, who hails from the Germiston’s Victoria Lake Canoe Club, competes in the race annually and will be doing his 16th Berg River this July.

He does a lot of intense training races in the cold, to prepare for the race.

When asked why he does the race each year, Conlon said: “I have make sure I’m still alive.

“Heart beating, hands freezing, the race is my annual challenge and you never know what to expect.

“The weather and conditions, flooding from the heavy rainfalls and blistered fingers all make for an interesting race.”

The race will begin on July 16, in Paarl, in the Western Cape, where midwinter is particularly tough, as the area is traditionally very cold, rainy and windy.

The recent cold front and heavy rainfall will mean a full Berg River for the race.

The race is 240km long and takes four days to complete, with canoeists finishing at Velddrif, on the Western Cape coast, after paddling through the scenic mountain views and Cape wineland areas.

This race is only for the very tough and hardiest of paddlers.

Conlon finished 10th, in a time of two hours and 30 minutes, in the 26km Watuni Vaal River Race, on June 21.

This is a hard training race that helps to prepare paddlers for the Berg endurance event.

It involves paddling upstream on the Vaal River, against the current, and paddling up the Taaibosch River, which runs into the Vaal, with the canoeists improving their overall endurance against resistance and tough slog.

In another training race, Conlon finished the 30km Klip River Race, from Daleside to Meyerton, on Sunday, July 6.

The icy conditions of the race aided in preparing him for the expected conditions at the Berg.

With all his hard preparation, Conlon is ready to take on the challenge of the Berg River Race.