A Dusi double
Richard and Peter Daws finish the Dusi Canoe Marathon in Kwazulu-Natal despite the odds being against them.
Two brothers from Olivedale, Richard and Peter Daws, took part in this year’s Dusi Canoe Marathon from 13 to 15 February.
The brothers decided to take part in the marathon together this year after Richard had survived a terrible fire incident with his family in 2013. He spent several months in hospital, and after he recovered he wanted to take part in the marathon to test his limits, and challenge himself in every way possible.
“The marathon is a very intense race. It is one of the biggest canoeing events in South Africa which takes place between the cities of Pietermaritzburg and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. We competed in a K2 category where two people paddle as a team. This was a 120km race which consisted of three stages completed in a three-day period,” explained Peter.
The brothers completed the marathon in a respectable time, which they never thought possible.
“This was the first time in 14 years I had taken part in the race. I am very glad to have done this with Peter. We worked well together, and learnt a lot about ourselves through the race. This taught us to be patient, to listen and to respect each other,” said Richard.
The Belloord Jeep Two-Day Klip River race provided excellent training for the paddling duo. Jennie Dallas, public relations manager at the Gauteng Canoeing Union, explained that the race took place from 25 to 26 January. “It covered a distance of 34km per day from Buksies Resort near the Lido Hotel, finishing near the meeting point of the Vaal River. It also covered approximately 10km of portaging where paddlers had to climb out of the river with high banks and haul their boats out, running with them for distances up to 5km at various stages, before being able to go back into the river to finish the race,” said Dallas.
To prepare for the Dusi Canoe Marathon, Peter said they had to take a crash course in K2 Dusi canoeing; throughout the race they would drink energy drinks and eat energy bars to keep their energy levels up.
“We were not too competitive in the race, we wanted to enjoy ourselves. However, there are people that take this sport seriously and are very professional about it,” said Richard.
“Those who want to take the sport up professionally have to be in good health and train extremely hard. You have to be physically fit and have good core strength. This is why I am proud that Peter took part in this. Despite a few bumps and bruises, he did great,” added Richard.
Details: Jennie Dallas, 0828578571; www.dusi.co.za
