Paddlers set for Fish marathon
7 September 2007
Organisers of the Hansa Powerade Fish River Canoe Marathon are preparing for another bumper entry, with the record of 1 739 entrants expected to be bettered. In addition, two new live music concerts are expected to attract more visitors than ever before.
Entries are still streaming into the race organisers' office says race chairperson Butch Louw. "The closing date for entries was a week later this year," he says, "but this doesn’t seem to have affected the flow of late entries.
'Everything is on track'
"Everything is on track for the race. There are already 1 450-odd entries received and processed, and we are anticipating an even bigger crowd of spectators and fans attracted to the new live music concerts."
Vodacom has joined the
event principally as the supporter of the two new live concerts that will add a new flavour to the popular two-day race, on 28 and 29 September.
Afrikaans music lovers will be well entertained at the Friday night concert, which will feature Blackie Swart, the Campbells and Chris Britz, while the Saturday night rock concert will be headlined by Cutting Jade, supported by Mattheus, Lonehill Estate and Glen Bester.
Popular venue
Into its 26th year, the Hansa Powerade Fish has become one of the most popular races on the canoeing calendar. It is the only race in the country that can guarantee a good water release, and Cradock is almost exactly equidistant from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
The 84-kilometre race also offers an exciting blend of fast flowing water, with a few challenging rapids and weirs, making it accessible to a wide spectrum of paddlers.
It has hosted the SA river championships more often than any other
domestic river marathon in recent years, underscoring its popularity as a championship racing format.
International drawcard
The Hansa Powerade Fish River Canoe Marathon has also caught on internationally. Since reigning world champ Manuel Busto of Spain raced to third place in 2002, a steady flow of elite and social paddlers have been eager to test themselves against the river, and the intense competition for which South African river racing has become synonymous.
Last year, the duo from the Czech Republic, Micha Mruzkova and Katerina Vacikova, won the women's title, marking the first time that an international entry has managed to wrest the Fish title away from the clutches of the local stars.
The German pairing of Max Hoff and Stefan Stiefenhoefer came within a whisker of snatching the men's title away from eventual champions Hank McGregor and Len Jenkins.
Stiefenhoefer has confirmed his entry for the 2007 edition of the race,
and will form part of the Team Hansa Powerade International, with another six elite Europeans eager to contest the K1 championship.
The Hansa Powerade Fish takes place on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 September. It starts at Grassridge Dam and ends in Cradock.
Source: Canoeing South Africa
| 
