Novices to gain experience through VLC Cake Series
Paddlers offered unique opportunity to prepare for the Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon, to be held in October.
The Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon is a two-day marathon held annually in Cradock and covers a total of 81.8km.
The race starts at Grassridge Dam on October 6 and will see paddlers travel down the Fish River to finish at the sports complex in Cradock.
To help paddlers, both professional and novice, improve their proficiency and stamina for the race the Victoria Lake Club (VLC), situated at Germiston Lake, will be hosting three river races on the Klip River over three months, in the VLC Cake Race Series.
The event was organised to develop the sport and encourage novices to get experience and qualify early in the season.
The series is designed specifically to encourage and support camaraderie between paddlers and with this in mind the traditional prize money for each race has been replaced with cakes.
A cake will be awarded to the first K2 (pair), first mixed K2 or women’s K2 with a novice (a paddler in their first racing season), as well as, the first K1 novice.
“The race is open to everyone but we would really like to encourage as many experienced paddlers to get out there and take on a novice if they can.
“The events are intentionally low key with no prize money attached, the entry fee going towards providing each paddler with something to eat and drink and a few lucky draw prizes,” said Wayne Saunders on behalf of VLC.
Race dates and distances:
- Saturday, May 13 – 16km.
- Saturday, June 3 – 23km.
- Sunday, July 9 – 30km.
Entry rules:
- No paddler will be allowed to race on the day if they are not registered with the Gauteng Canoe Union (GCU) or have not completed their proficiency tests.
- New members must register in order to get a CSA number before any race.
- Personal flotation devices (PFD) and buoyancy checks will be conducted before the race and if not sufficient, paddlers will not be allowed to race.
To get your online entry visit www.gcu.co.za/race/online-race-entry-form/, pre-entries close at midnight the Wednesday before each race.
For more details email Saunders on Wayne.Saunders@standardbank.co.za.
