Getting ready for Fish River Canoe Marathon
Canoeists plan to do the major A-grade Fish River Canoe Marathon in September.
THE canoeing clubs are hustling to support the training on white water rapids for canoeists planning to do the major A-grade Fish River Canoe Marathon in September.
The river race season has kicked off despite lack of rains as the rivers bake and dry up in the heat of early Spring.
North-West University, based at Watuni Canoe Club in Vanderbijlpark, hosted a river race from Henley On Klip to Meyerton, a distance of some 22km, on August 17 to provide opportunity for paddlers to gain familiarity in the white water and gain experience, and points towards participating in the Fish River Canoe Marathon.
For some paddlers it will be their first A-grade river race with huge white water and rolling wave trains, while for others it will be a challenge to improve the time and enjoyment of the previous year’s Fish River Canoe Marathon achievement. For the K3 from Johannesburg Canoe Club (JCC) this is certainly the case, a regular K3 challenger on the Fish River, Mike Roy, Norman Andrews and Willie du Plessis have their own records they are ready to break.
The paddlers from the South, members of the JCC based at Wemmer Pan finished the 22km river race with no problems, making the most difficult rapid with comfort and ease, in a time of 1:41 minutes. They look forward to their next challenge.
