Barthos triumph in race
All the results from race 2 of the Illovo Suncoast Wall and Back series.
FISHING brothers, Brett and Daryl Bartho, were all smiles after Friday evening’s race two of the Illovo Suncoast Wall and Back Surfski Series, as a combination of their vast experience on the ocean saw them claim the top and bottom step on the podium respectively. Meanwhile Brett’s wife, Danica, claimed second place in the ladies’ encounter behind Durban North’s Nikki Russell, rounding out the Bartho trio’s podium sweep.
Having paddled for numerous years and previously enjoying the status of ‘the ones to beat’, particularly in the surfski community, the pair have spent the past few years in the paddling wilderness as they put all their time and effort into launching their family fish business, Bartho’s Fish Co. However, a recent return to their beloved sport has sparked excitement among many and Friday evening’s performance proved why.
With the van der Walt brothers, Grant (Team Jeep/Varsity College) and Brandon (Team Jeep), absent from the entry list and Faltwater Marathon World Champion and race one victor, Hank McGregor (MacSquad Elite/Fenn) and surfski and surf lifesaving powerhouse, Matt Bouman (Epic) both on the start line, many anticipated a somewhat lopsided two-horse race to unfold with McGregor firm the pre-race favourite.
Mother Nature had other ideas though and served up a cruel combination of sizeable surf, mushy deep-sea conditions and a howling Easterly which saw numerous participants fall victim to her fury in the first 50m of the contest.
“I was pretty tired coming into the race after packing fish since 3am in the morning, but when I got out pretty cleanly and saw where I was in the field, I thought there may be a small chance I could do well.
”Never did I ever think that I’d end up winning though,” chuckled a disbelieving Bartho afterwards.
“It’s been quite some time since I last won a race so yeah, I’m pretty stoked!”
The women’s race once again saw Nikki Russell (MacSquad Elite/Fenn) claim the spoils, however, the second edition of the series was by no means easy going for the race one victor as she was pushed the entire way by the evergreen Danica Bartho.
“It was incredibly tough out there tonight!” exclaimed Russell. “Fortunately, having grown up in East London and often being sent out into some pretty gnarly conditions as a little nipper (junior lifesaver), I am pretty used to these sorts of conditions, but man, it was still really hard out there.”
Race three of the Illovo Suncoast Wall and Back Surfski Series takes place on Friday 1 November at Pirates SLC, Battery Beach. More info can be found at www.wallandback.co.za
