THE two athletes who finished second in last year’s N3TC Drak Challenge in partnership with FNB, Stew Little and Jenna Ward, signalled their intentions of going one better in 2020 by winning the tough FastDrak race in tough, low water conditions.

The race covers the famous Drak course in one day, with two portages, and is a good indicator of form going into the main event on 1 and 2 February, with many athletes using it as key Dusi Canoe Marathon base training.
Mount Edgecombe resident, Ward said she was pleased with her showing on the low river, particularly as she has not been able to race the FastDrak in recent years.

“The water was a bit low for us, but it isn’t anything that we haven’t had to deal with the Drak Challenge in the last two years. I was happy to get down the full 40 kilometres without getting out of my boat, which was my goal, and I had loads of fun doing that,” she said.

She added that the race gave her a good opportunity to learn the lines down the many rapids ahead of the Drak Challenge.

“The racing is so competitive among the women at the Drak that you can get rushed into making silly mistakes, so it was good to be able to enjoy the river and the scenery and not make any mistakes in the rapids,” she said.
Ward looked refreshed and energised after a two month break after her world marathon championships campaign in October.

“I needed it both physically and mentally,” she stressed. “The Drak and Dusi moving later in the season allowed me to take that time off. I got back into full training in December. I hope the weather gods bless us with a full river this year, because I would really love to race the Drak from the top this time,” she said.

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