Dusi favourites in impressive win
5 December 2005
Hank McGregor and Martin Dreyer emerged from a day of high drama as winners of the Land Rover 50 Miler Canoe Marathon, in the process setting themselves up as hot favourites to take the Hansa Powerade Dusi title in six weeks' time.
McGregor, the defending K1 Dusi Champion, and reigning "Dusi Duke" Dreyer, started the 38-kilometre final stage from Inanda Dam to Durban in a fascinating three-boat tussle that included Len Jenkins and his new partner Michael Mbanjwa, and the surprise overnight leaders Shaun Biggs and Loveday Zondi.
The three crews raced across Inanda Dam together at the start of elapsed time, but once they reached the Umgeni river, which was running at a testing medium level, mistakes in the rapids were to play a major role in the outcome of the race.
Went wrong
Jenkins and Mbanjwa made the early break, and worked hard to get a one-minute lead by
the time the leaders got to Little John rapid. However, it all went wrong for them at the tricky Graveyard rapids, where a misjudgment cost them their hard-earned lead.
It was to get a lot worse for the pair as they made another mistake shooting the tough Island One and Island Two Rapids that left them with a mangled K2, forcing them to withdraw from the race.
McGregor and Dreyer then took control of the race and shot the Pumphouse Weir successfully, while an error by Biggs and Zondi saw them get stuck on the weir.
"We knew that was our chance," said Dreyer. "When Hank turned and saw that they were stuck on the concrete of the weir, he put the hammer down, and we were able to finish with a four-minute lead, though I think they slowed up at the end."
Nearly came unstuck
With the victory in their hands, Dreyer and McGregor nearly came unstuck at the Mango Rapid, the very last rapid of the race, before the last hour of flatwater
into Blue Lagoon in Durban.
"The rapid has changed completely, and we didn't see the concrete foundations of the bridge pillar, which is now right in the middle of the rapid, which gave us a big scare," said Dreyer.
While the duo won handsomely, they also sounded an ominous warning to the other elite crews with Dusi aspirations. "We are slowly getting better and better," said Dreyer.
"I am still trying to get used to Hank's raw power. He likes to dominate, and be the first to every obstacle. I am a lot more conservative, and tend to keep at one pace all day long."
'We are at least a month behind'
The duo has also not been running as much as they would have liked in their training, which is a critical part of the Dusi Marathon. Dreyer is battling to shake off a calf injury, while McGregor has been heavily committed to a skippers' course that he has enrolled in. "We are at least a month behind where we'd like to be," said
Dreyer.
The win adds another tick to McGregor's list of the major South African races that he wants to win. Now, all that stands between him and a completed list is the Hansa Powerade Fish Marathon.
The women's race was completely dominated by the World Marathon Championship silver medallists Alexa Lombard and her Cape clubmate Donia Kamstra. They finished the first stage with a four-minute lead, despite two swims on the tricky technical river, but they put in a sublime performance on the final stage into Durban to win by 18 minutes from Carol Joyce and Laura Thompson.
Lombard vs Miedema
While Kamstra has elected not to race the Dusi in January, Lombard has confirmed that she will paddle with the only woman who has matched her in the famous three-day race, Abbey Miedema.
Brett Binnekade and Warrick MacNicol wrapped up victory in the junior section, made easier by the withdrawal of Stephen Bird and Cam Schoeman on the final stage.
The irrepressible "Dusi King" Graeme Pope-Ellis and Dave Rawlinson won the Masters title with a staggering top 20 finish overall.
The race was held on a technically demanding medium river on both days, which resulted in an abnormally high number of damaged and wrapped kayaks. Of the 580 boats that started the race, 56 boats did not finish the first day, an attrition rate of 10 percent, with a similar percentage expected from the second stage, where scores of destroyed kayaks were in evidence.
RESULTS
Men
1. Hank McGregor/Martin Dreyer 4:43.37
2. Shaun Biggs/Loveday Zondi 4:47.50
3. Kelby Murray/Jason Graham 4:54.41
4. Kevin White/Scott Maynard 4:56.49
5. Wayne Volek/Wayne Thompson 4:57.34
Women
1. Alexa Lombard/Donia Kamstra 5:19.34
2. Carol Joyce/Laura Thompson 5:37.27
3. Susan Chapman/Debbie Lewis 5:52.01
4. Kate Frost/Hillary Pitchford 6:14.21
5. Jeanette Walder/Michelle Eray
6:16.57
Source: Canoeing South Africa
| 
