Tommy starts training
Springsite Tommy Booth, a member of the Ekurhuleni Kayak Club based at Homestead Dam in Benoni, finished the nine miler 18km race on Rietvlei Dam at the end of July.
The race annually heralds the start of serious training for major races on the canoe race calendar and many paddlers who have been resting or hibernating through the early part of winter inevitably find their way back onto the water to obtain a decent seeding for the major A Grade Fish River event.
This event takes place in a few weeks and is a challenging 80km white water event.
Despite the presence of both crocodile and hippo at the Rietvlei Dam, the race never fails to attract a large crowd as the paddlers enjoy the five laps around the massive dam, with more than 130 paddlers on the water.
Tommy finished the race in a single canoe although most competitors raced in doubles. He finished in 43rd overall, as the fourth K1 (single) in a time of 1 hour 37 minutes.
Booth enjoys canoeing in a single and plans to do the A Grade Fish marathon in September on his own.
