Local paddlers excel at canoe oar-deal
The first day of the annual VKB Liebensbergvlei River Race took place from the water works dam at Reitz, to the road bridge in Tweeling, a distance of 32kms with rolling wave trains, twists and corners, as well as the Free State wind.
With the international ICF World Marathon Champs having being hosted in Pietermaritzburg the previous week, a number of international paddlers and top South African paddlers made the trek to the small farming towns of Reitz and Tweeling to enjoy the fast-flowing, icy-cold, clean waters of the Liebensbergvlei River on 18 and 19 September.
Dekker Erasmus from Krugersdorp partnered with Serge van Hee, another member of the Florida Lake Canoe Club, to finish the 66km fast-flowing VKB Liebensbergvlei River Race in preparation for the Hansa Fish River Marathon which will take place in October.
Liebensbergvlei River is fed by the Highlands Lesotho Water Project which releases melted snow through a tunnel into the Ash River near Clarens. The water then flows into the Liebensbergvlei, through Bethlehem, to Frankfort and into the nearby Free State Dam.
The first day of the annual VKB Liebensbergvlei River Race took place from the water works dam at Reitz, to the road bridge in Tweeling, a distance of 32kms with rolling wave trains and twists and corners as well as the Free State wind. The second day was a distance of 34km from Tweeling to Frankfort, providing excellent training over 66kms as paddlers prepare for the A-Grade mighty Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon, which takes place during the first weekend of October, in Cradock, Eastern Cape.
The pair finished the two-day event in a time of 4 hours 24 minutes and walked away as the winners of the Sub-Veteran Age group.
The race was hosted by the Dabulamanzi Canoe Club, which is based at Emmarentia Dam.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at krugersdorpnews@caxton.co.za or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister websites:
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
