Local paddlers take on the Dusi

Springs paddler Tye Wood participated in the Dusi Canoe Marathon recently.

Tye was partnered with Jonathan Nel, a canoeist from Boksburg, and together they finished 122nd in the K2 double, in a time of 11 hours 53 minutes.

The marathon takes place annually between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

It was started by Ian Player during the 1960s. At that time there were few dams and water bodies available.

Boats were also made of canvas and wood unlike the lighter carbon fibre of today’s race boats, and the dams’ water levels were lower.

Coupled with the boats being carried by the paddlers as they ran past certain points, it is dubbed the world’s toughest canoe endurance event.