Rosebank resident paddles his way to victory at the Lowveld Croc Canoe Marathon
Clinton Cook began paddling after meeting SA paddle legend Colin Simpkins, who gave him his first paddle at 8 years old. The rest, as they say, is history.
Rosebank resident and paddler Clinton Cook collected his latest accolade recently in Mpumalanga at the Lowveld Croc Canoe Marathon.
The race was a 30km route from Kwena Dam outflow to Terblanche Langoed farm near Old Joe’s Kaiaand, where marshals were placed at strategic points along the river to assist any paddlers in trouble.
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“This was the first Lowveld Croc Race I have competed in, and I was happy to have won it on my first attempt. It is one of the most prestigious trophies in SA and goes back 60 plus years,” said Cook.
The paddler began the water sport at the tender age of 8 and remembers always being an energetic child. When school sports were not enough for him, he was introduced to South African paddler legend Colin Simpkins who gave him his first paddle, and the rest was history.
Cook hones his paddling skills at least once a day, training at Dabulamanzi canoe club in Emmarentia, but taking a rest on Fridays. “I also run and gym as a secondary session during the day.”
The Rosebank resident achieved several accolades for the water sport.
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“Internationally, I won the Liffey Descent in Ireland earlier this year, following in the footsteps of Colin Simpkins, raced doubles with his son Joshua, and it was special for both of us. I have won multiple SA sprint and marathon titles and some of the local river races, like the Lowveld Croc, Vaal, Orange Descent, and Liebenbergsvlei.”
Cook also represented South Africa as a junior and senior in sprint and marathon disciplines.
He notes that he sometimes experiences bad days which could be on a personal level, a lack of motivation, tiredness, or laziness.
“They can also be on an external level, like if the weather is bad. Training in winter is tough in Johannesburg. I generally try to set goals and targets, and having structure helps me with that. Knowing that your results reflect the work you put in is also my motivation.”
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