Salt Rock resident and recently crowned flatwater marathon World Champion Hank McGregor glided to victory in the first race of the Wall and Back Surski series in Durban on Friday.

McGregor had to surge from behind to overtake Matt Bouman to win the eight kilometre race on Friday evening. The revived series is comprised of six races that starts at Pirates lifesaving club at Battery Beach and sees competitors race to the Durban harbour wall and back. The races are on Friday evenings and the series runs over six weeks.

Paddlers had a tough time negotiating an unpredictable shore break, tough middle section and back line wave conditions before racing off to the harbour wall on Friday.

“The conditions certainly were not easy but that is typical of the great series the Wall and Back is. You know it is probably going to be pretty tough paddling most weeks of the series but it is still always such great fun. It is great that the series is back again this year!” said McGregor.

The World Champ finished in a time of 34 minutes and six seconds to win the first race. Matt Bouman came in second and Grant van der Walt finished third.

Nikki Russel was one of the only women competitors to brave the rough conditions and won the women’s category in a time of 48 minutes and 18 seconds. She paddled an extra one kilometre by accident but still claimed victory.