Toughened up for rapid racing

The club’s Jennie Dallas said the drought conditions and resultant low water levels made it arguably the most difficult marathon in many years as boats got stuck on the large, flat shelf rocks on the river, forcing paddlers to repeatedly exit their boats and pull them over the rocks before continuing the race.

James Thorburn from Midrand partnered with Pierre van der Merwe, both members of the local Centurion Canoe Club, tested their Dusi partnership successfully. The pair finished the gruelling race in a time of 05:50:00 and finished on the third Sub Veteran podium position and a respectable 10th K2 position.

With 35km covered on the first day, the second day covered a distance of 26km from Smilin’ Thru resort through to Parys, where there were a number of portages around the boulder-strewn low water section of the river.

“[This is] where the real fun began,” said Dallas.

“With the white water rapids, the river become more treacherous in low conditions.”

Dallas said the race was traditionally a K2 event due to the long, flat river sections of the Vaal, which has always been sluggish and hard work, however, it was the lighter boats, with lightweight paddlers and perhaps the K1s which had the advantage in this year’s low water conditions.

The race finished at Hadeda Creek, a resort down river from Parys.

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