Father and son enjoy Liebensbergvlei River race

Dabulamanzi Canoe Club, based at Emmarentia Dam, hosted two-day training races near Frankfurt on 5 and 6 September. The races occurred on the Liebensbergvlei River from the Reitz Water Works to the Zorgvliet farm in Tweeling.

According to club general manager, Jason Brown, the club hosts approximately five races per year.

Despite a series of mishaps – cold temperatures, rain on the first day and a number of bakkies stuck in mud on the farm roads, the paddlers enjoyed the 64km distance they achieved over the weekend, which provided excellent preparation for the upcoming 80km Hansa Fish River Marathon in Cradock in October.

Auckland Park resident Carel van Biljon raced with his son, Peter. The pair are members of the club, and finished both days of the race as the third K2 finishers on the first day in 02:18:00, and 02:20:00 minutes the second day as the fourth double.

Brown elaborated, “K2 refers to a double racing kayak, and a K1 refers to a single racing kayak. As this was a K2 race, only K2 entries were eligible for prizes, though K1 paddlers were able to compete for their own benefit and fitness.”