Grant Conlon believes that the four day 220km long Berg River Canoe marathon in the Western Cape winter is the toughest thing he has ever done. However, he was back on the start line on July 10 for his 15th event of this race that has been hosted for more than 50 years.
Conlon, grew up in the South of Johannesburg where he was a keen rower during his school years attending Mondeor High School. He learned to canoe after taking on a bet with friends to do the Dusi Canoe Marathon and got hooked on the river sport, and has completed every river race in South Africa, finding the Berg River Marathon the toughest canoe marathon in the world.
He first did the race, which starts in Paarl meanders through the vineyards of the Western Cape towards the Atlantic ocean to finish in Velddrift, in 1997 and vowed he would never do the race again, but as often happens, the triumph and the challenge drew him back time after time.
Conlon says with Berg you never know what to expect: having finished the Berg race on a low river with howling winds, snow on the mountains, rain and sleet, blistered hands, tendonitis as well as in floods where the river spreads across the farmlands and paddlers wander around barns and trees looking for the river course.
The attraction of the race for this challenge hunter, is being with the same old challenge hunters every year – canoeists who started out with home made boats and paddles made from broom sticks – the real tough men of the world – legends in their own time who started the race and still do it – more than 50 times – including Jannie Malherbe, Andre Collins, Giel van Deventer and the sense of achievement once the 62, 46, 75 and 56 km are over.
