80-year-old paddles 240km in double canoe

Dbulamanzi Canoe Club’s Tony Lightfoot paddled 240km throughout in 24 days for a virtual race.

Covid-19 and the resultant lockdown put a halt to most sporting events, and canoe races were no exception.

However, the organisers of the cancelled Berg River Canoe Marathon arranged a virtual race called the ‘Ultra Paddle’ that allowed canoeists from around the world to share in the enthusiasm for the event while raising money to support Canoeing South Africa’s food relief programme. Ordinarily, the race is a four-day event over 240km race from Paarl to the West Coast town of Velddrif that attracts a core of paddlers keen to test themselves against the river, the torrid weather and the sheer distance of the race that has made it one of the toughest of its kind in the world.

The virtual race aimed to make the multi-day epic accessible to a far wider audience than normal, by asking paddlers to cover the 240km before the end of July, allowing athletes to take on the challenge in more manageable distances. Some paddlers remained true to the standard format and completed the 240kms in four consecutive days, but most who accepted the challenge chose to do the distance over the allocated 24 days. One of those paddlers was a young-at-heart athlete by the name of Tony Lightfoot, who had been a member of Dabulamanzi for over 30 years.

What makes his accomplishment special is the fact that he turned 80 during the challenge, completing the full 240kms while many other younger, stronger paddlers stayed home and avoided the winter chill. Adding more kudos, Lightfoot paddled half the distance in his ‘yellow submarine’ – a large and heavy, old double canoe that ordinarily requires two paddlers to get it up to speed. Summer is coming, lockdown will end and if you want to take up a healthy, outdoor pursuit that will help you reach a ripe old age like Lightfoot, join his club and start paddling at Emmarentia Dam.

Also, you may have to buy him a beer when the clubhouse opens up again, but he will tell you a good story or two.

Details: Dabulamanzi Canoe Club info@dabulamanzi.co.za; 011 486 0979.