Briggs masters 40 Dusi races
Kloof resident, Nigel Briggs received a gold medal at his 40th Dusi Marathon race this year.
WHAT started as a challenge between a group of friends almost four decades ago, has led to Kloof resident, Nigel Briggs completing his 40th Dusi Canoe Marathon race.
The 61-year-old father of two, who obtained a gold medal in the grand masters category at this year’s race, became the seventh person in the history of the Dusi Canoe Marathon to complete 40 races. The Pinetown business owner, who also completed 10 Comrades Marathons, follows a healthy diet and training routine which includes a balance between paddling and running.
Briggs, who competed in Czech, Hungary and Singapore with the SA canoe marathon team, said, “With the Comrades Marathon, you have to put one leg before the next to reach your destination. With the Dusi, you can let the river do most of it for you. You can dance with the river, but you have to know the moves.”
For Briggs, the friendships he forms during the races is what makes the event memorable for him. Speaking about some of the challenges faced during the race, Briggs said, “Getting to know the river and the different water levels and handling it is quiet the challenge. The Dusi is also held during one of the hottest months of the year and there is not much wind movement.”
According to Briggs, finishing a race is always rewarding, but looking back at what he have achieved and the sacrifices that were made by the people around him is more rewarding.
Briggs and his brother, Dave, who completed 20 Dusi races, are the authors of two books, entitled, ‘Down the Dusi in the great canoe race – then and now,’ which was released three years ago. The book focuses on old stories which are merged with the modern day era.
His advice for future canoeists is, “Anyone who wants to participate in the Dusi must realise that they are taking on a special challenge and they have to adapt their life according to how big the challenge is for them.”
The determined canoeist, who is also the chairman of the KZN Flat Water organisation, is preparing to participate in the World Canoe Marathon Championship, which will be held in 2017 in Pietermaritzburg.
