Dusi’s Taxi Rapid causes a stir

As organisers roll out plans for the 69th edition of the 2020 Dusi Canoe Marathon, from 27 to 29 February, the debate regarding a compulsory portage around Taxi Rapid on the first stage of the race continues to dominate canoeing circles, Highway Mail reports.

At the Umpetha Challenge, the first of the season’s races on the Msundusi River, organisers made the rapid a compulsory portage to minimise the number of athletes who fell ill with Dusi Guts.

This rapid has developed significantly in recent years and is now a big drop, where paddlers are immersed in the river at a section that is a suspected source of E.coli. After the Umpetha Challenge, a survey showed that 96 per cent of the 109 paddlers who took part in the race had no stomach complaints, with just two reported cases of upset stomachs.

That is in sharp contrast to the figure of 66 per cent of participants in last year’s Dusi Canoe Marathon who fell ill.

A few weeks later, the Supa Quik Fezela Challenge was held over the same section of the river and the hosts gave paddlers the option of shooting Taxi Rapid. Most of the 106 finishers did. The post-race survey showed that only two of the 72 respondents fell ill after the race.

“This is important information as we monitor the river closely as part of our drive to ensure the health and safety of every paddler,” said the race committee head, Shane Le Breton.

“For the Dusi, we will be testing the river with DUCT thoroughly. If the results show the E.coli levels in the river are high, it makes sense to keep paddlers away from the affected areas. If the levels are low, then we will allow paddlers to decide if they want to shoot Taxi Rapid,” he said.

Taxi Rapid is above the outflow of the Darvil Water Treatment and the confluence of the troubled Baynespruit.

One of the paddlers in favour of portaging around Taxi Rapid is multiple Dusi champion Martin Dreyer, who will paddle alongside his wife, Jeannie, in February.

“Start the day well hydrated and then don’t take any drinking bottles with you. Once you get to Campbell’s Farm you can get a drinking bottle or bladder from your seconds. That is an hour into the race, and it is fine to go without juice for that length of time, especially if it means reducing or eliminating the risk of getting sick,” he added.