DUSI Canoe Marathon women’s title contender Jenna Ward has found herself in an unexpected race against time as she rehabilitates an ankle injury picked in a key Dusi seeding race last month.

Ward was racing through the notorious Devils Cauldron on the Guinea Fowl portage during the recent Campbell’s Farm to Dusi Bridge seeding race when she rolled her right ankle jumping off an erosion step in the steep dip.

“I heard it click and I went down,” recalled Ward. “I was heart-broken and had to do some quick, clear-headed analysis. There would have been no point in worsening it by running on it, so I took the decision with my seconds to stop right there.

Read also: All systems go for upcoming Dusi race, confirms organisers

“Dusi has to be the priority. I was so looking forward to racing races like the 50 Miler the next day, but instead it was off to hospital for X-rays and ultrasound then starting physio and working with the biokineticists. Fortunately I am part of the Elite Athlete Development Programme at Prime Human Performance Institute, so I have been getting great treatment and advice from them,” said the Mount Edgecombe resident.

She hobbled down to the beach to race the Marine Series surfski race with her brother Jason, who also drove her down the full uMngeni River for the Kindo Inanda Dam to Durban Dusi qualifier race on Sunday, and says her cautious approach to healing the ankle seems to be paying off.

“It was a grade one sprain, which is good news. I am now walking on it comfortably, and have taken the attitude that my approach to the Dusi will be different this year, but that it may well be a good thing. Lockdown forced me to look at my running, which may have been a weakness of mine on the Dusi, and I did a lot more work on my running.

Read also: Surfski national champs and trials get the green light

“I am very strict about my training plans and it has been mentally hard to see the zeros in my training log in the running mileage column. In the build-up to the Dusi I tend to really go at my training hard, which always runs the risk of over-training. Now I might come into Dusi slightly under-trained, which could be a good thing,” said Ward.

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting

Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.  

You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532.  

For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram