Three world-class canoe marathons
South Africa is blessed with three world-class canoe marathons, each offering the canoeist a supreme challenge along with genuine camaraderie in a field that features not only those competing to win, but also those who come to compete with themselves and the river, to see whether they can stay the course.
Fish River Canoe Marathon
The Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon was first held in 1982 when 77 competitors took part. A steady climb in entries led to a record field of 1 564 in 2000, ranking it among the five biggest canoe marathons in the world.
One of the main attractions of the event is that it is held in Cradock, a central location that makes the race accessible for participants from all over the country, not to mention those who travel from overseas. The Fish River Canoe Marathon takes place every year during the September school holidays – which sometimes means it happens in October!
Another plus for the paddlers is that the river is artificially regulated, guaranteeing them challenging and exciting rapids, fast-flowing water and testing weirs.
As with many long-distance events, people competing in 10 or more editions of the Fish River Canoe Marathon are recognised. While the Comrades Marathon has the much-prized green number, the Fish has the equally sought-after “Coelacanth Award”. The “Fish Eagle” award has been introduced for those paddlers completing 20 or more events.
The event has regularly been awarded the South African Canoeing Marathon Championships, another indication of its standing as a fine, well-loved event. As part of the SA Grand Prix Series, it also attracts the cream of South African canoeing talent.
The Fish has also been ‘twinned’ with Australia’s famous Avon Descent, billed as the “World’s Greatest Wild Water event” and previously won by South African star Wayne Volek in 2000. The twinning agreement sees the winners of the two events being flown to take part in the twin event.
Berg River Canoe Marathon
The Control Instruments Berg River Canoe Marathon has been contested since 1961. It is an extremely tough challenge, taking place over four days and covering an astounding 228 kilometres, making it the longest race in South Africa.
Compounding this is the fact that it takes place in winter – the weather can be a fierce opponent, not to mention the tricky nature of the river. The water tends to be fast-flowing, but the channels are narrow, and overhanging trees give another angle to the test.
Testament to the challenging nature of the race is the size of the entry – about 250 starters only in 2001. Graham Monteith is one of the perennial stars of the event, competing 24 times to date and always challenging for a top finish. Andre Collins and Giel van Deventer, however, have been there eight times more than Monteith, each notching up an amazing 32-year run.
The Control Instruments Berg River Canoe Marathon forms part of the Hansa Grand Prix, the sixth leg of the 12-leg competition. But the challenge is only for the brave, the extremely well-prepared – or the very foolhardy!
Dusi Canoe Marathon
World-renowned conservationist Ian Player, brother of golfing great Gary, is credited with the idea for the Hansa Powerade Dusi Canoe Marathon between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, first contested in December 1951. Only eight men took part that year, and Player won a drama-filled contest, suffering a bite from a night adder along the way, in six days.
The next three Dusi marathons were contested on a non-stop basis, but in 1956 the race was changed to its present three-stage format. In recent years a non-stop Dusi has again reared its head, but that remains a challenge for the elite paddlers; the three-stage marathon is the event that attracts the top paddler and the average club canoeist alike.
The race today draws a field of over 1 000 contestants, but one name stands above the rest. Graeme Pope-Ellis, the King of the Dusi, has an amazing 15 wins to his name, a mind-blowing achievement when one considers that the event alternates between K1 and K2 races from year to year.
The Hansa Powerdade Dusi Canoe Marathon presents a stiff challenge. In the words of founder Ian Player: “No man who has done the 110 gruelling miles can ever be the same again. The memory of the rapids, the steep hills and torturous paths, the aching backs and dry mouths, the burning sun and cold mist and rain, will forever remain in the mind.”
Brad Morgan
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