Two conquer the Vaal River in trying circumstances
The river was low, shallow, sluggish and resistant, so it was very hard work
Johannesburg Canoe Club, the first and original canoe club in Gauteng, hosted the two-day Vaal Marathon on June 30 and July 1 for the 69th running of the Vaal.
Due to the recent drought and being winter where water conservation is necessary, no water release was provided and paddlers found themselves stuck on flat rocks from time to time.
However, there were still a few tricky rapids and huge waves in some sections adding to the excitement of the Vaal River Marathon.
Tommy Booth from Springs, a member of the ERK Kayak Club at Homestead Dam in Benoni, partnered with Pieter Engelbrecht from Kempton Park to take on the endurance challenge.
They finished the 70km event, in a time of six hours 52 minutes, as the first sub-veteran age category finishers and as second double (K2) overall.
The first day was from the dam wall and finished 36km further in Three Rivers on the Klip River.
The second day started below the Barrage at Cote de Val and finished at Smilin’ Thru just before Parys, a distance of 34km.
The river was low, shallow, sluggish and resistant, so it was very hard work.
The river races start in April and beginners learn rivers through the winter months when the water is slow and manageable.
