Wilson first in K1 Non-Stop Dusi

Young Ballito resident Travis Wilson is beaming with pride after being the first solo paddler to finish the Non-Stop Dusi this weekend.
The challenge alone is something to treasure as the gruelling paddle of the Dusi is not an easy one in pairs and even harder when doing it alone.
Wilson started the race being out ranked by many paddlers, most notably hard Non-Stop Dusi K1 veterans Marc Germiquet and Mark Mulder. He started out cautiously but put in a strong push up the Cabbage Tree portage to move into second place, just behind K1 leader Siboniso Shozi.
Wilson dug deep in the last five kilometers of the race and managed to pip Shozi and finish his first Non-Stop Dusi.
“I came into the race hoping just to try stay with either Mark Mulder or Marc Germiquet for as long as I possibly could before looking to just finish,” said the first year under-23 star.
“I never ever actually even considered trying to be the first K1 home. It was such an incredibly long day out there today! I nearly cried three times in the last few kilometres, I was just emotionally and physically drained but its awesome to have been the first,” he added.
Wilson was not the only local to dominate the race. Salt Rock local and flatwater canoe marathon world champion Hank McGregor teamed up with 2014 Dusi winner Sbonelo Zondi and the pair were the official winners of the Non-Stop Dusi.
The Non-Stop Dusi sees paddlers take on most of the three day Dusi canoe marathon in a single day. Competitors go from Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg to Blue Lagoon in Durban, along a similar route to the Dusi.