Paddling for a purpose
The only person to stand on the Dusi podium was Solly Segal when he paddled with Bakkie Simmons and got a third in their category.
THIS year the Dusi is special for Amanzimtoti Canoe Club paddlers, as they will dedicate the gruelling 120km paddle from Pietermaritzburg to Durban to three Toti friends, namely Kevin Hay, Mark Dixon and Steve Cothill who have cancer and are fighting the fight.
Kevin and Steve have already had surgical procedures performed and Mark will have his operation on Thursday, 13 Febuary.
There is a Facebook page for Kevin, Facebook/Team Flamingo, where you can follow the paddlers’ progress along the way. There is also a website at www.teamflamingo.co.za where you can pledge for Kevin and follow his progress. There will be four paddlers from Toti who will paddle in bright pink pants and long sleeve tops for the purpose of bringing cancer awareness to the public’s attention.
Toti’s favourite crew has got to be Brett Bennikade and Brent Chiazzari, who have been training very hard for this race. This will be Brent’s first Dusi. They are good paddlers and are running very well at the moment, so if all goes well and they experience no boat issues, they should be placed well.
Two Toti girls, Jenna Ward and Kerry Segal, who are paddling for varsity are in the running for U23 title. They will hopefully also have a trouble-free race and get to stand on the podium. The only person to stand on the Dusi podium was Solly Segal when he paddled with Bakkie Simmons and got a third in their category.
As the late Graham Pope Ellis always said, ”you win the race on the first day and lose it on the second and third day”. There is a lot of running on the first day and a lot of technical rapids on the second and third days, where lots can go wrong very quickly.
All the best to all the paddlers and a big thank you to all the seconders. Spare a moment and say a prayer for Steve Cothill, Mark Dixon and Kevin Hay as they take on their own personal ultra marathon.
