Having completed his first Dusi Canoe Marathon in 1986, Stephen Binedell has reached a few milestones in the iconic race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.

He has already secured his permanent Green Number and now stands poised to complete his 33rd Dusi Canoe Marathon.

He has also paddled the event with friends, his wife and son but one person who has been absent from his list of paddling partners is his daughter Justine.

Northglen News reports that this year, however, the father-daughter K2 partnership is looking strong to create another cherished memory.

“I was lucky to finally make the cut. I’ve been working hard and it’s been exciting paddling with my dad. Growing up we always seconded my dad on the Dusi route so a lot of the points are familiar to me. I also did a documentary on the uMngeni River in my honours year. It’s amazing to consider that now I’m the one actually paddling the Dusi,” Justine says.

The 26-year-old adds that the natural beauty of the river has made the training and races all that more meaningful.

“We’ve had some incredible experiences. We recently spotted a pair of otters near the bridge on the N2 and that was a beautiful moment. My father who’s trained and paddled on this stretch of river for years has never seen them so it was quite special. I’ve loved the nature aspect of this,” she says.

While she is aiming to complete her first Dusi, Justine is hoping to convince her brother and mother along with her father to do a family Dusi together.

For Stephen, the upcoming three-day race is about completing the Dusi together.

“I’m not a big time man. I just do my best and take it as it comes. We’ve done a few of the races preceding the Dusi to get acquainted with the river. For me it is important to be safe and to paddle to the best of our ability. Justine has done incredibly well in the boat and the good thing is we’ve had no swims. She’s been very stable so we are looking forward to the three days of paddling and portaging,” the 58-year-old says.

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