6 December 2004

The Land Rover 50 Miler ended in thrilling fashion on Sunday, with both the men's and women's titles being decided in sprint finishes. Victory in the men's race went to Ant Stott, while Alexa Lombard snatched the women's honours.

Stott went into the second leg of the race with a slim one-minute lead over Jenkins, after the demanding first stage held in soaring temperatures on low Umsindusi and Umgeni Rivers.

The traditional second stage from Inanda Dam to Durban had to be reshaped after the water release from Inanda Dam was cancelled as a result of the drought gripping kwaZulu-Natal. Instead, the field of around 700 paddlers raced a 30-kilometre race in equally hot conditions around Inanda Dam.

Side-by-side
Stott was caught by Jenkins on the one-kilometre portage, 20 minutes into the final stage. They then paddled together for the majority of the stage, and with the finish line in sight 300 metres away, they were side-by-side.

Stott broke for the end sprint first, and in the ensuing scrap for ascendancy, the paddlers had to stop paddling twice after clashing paddles.

With 50 metres to the line, Stott appeared to gain the upper hand, but as they crossed the line side by side, Jenkins raised his arms to claim the victory. However, the timekeepers were unanimous that Stott had won the race by 10 centimetres.

'One hell of a race'
"It was one hell of a race", Stott said afterwards. "We worked together well in the heat, and it was always going to come down to an end sprint."

The women's title also provided an atmosphere-charged sprint showdown, between Cape clubmates Alexa Lombard and Abbey Miedema, which Lombard won by half-a-boat-length.

"I caught Alexa early on, and we worked together for most of the stage, but in the end sprint she was really, really strong, and I couldn't stay with her", Miedema said afterwards.

Battled back
Lombard had to battle back into contention on the first stage after taking a swim at the tricky Finger Neck rapid, allowing Miedema to get away from her. Lombard caught the defending K1 Dusi champ just before the Confluence rapids, and made her break when Miedema ran aground in the shallow channels close to the first stage finish.

The wins for Stott and Lombard secured victory in the Hansa Grand Prix competition, which crowns the best all-round marathon athletes over the entire calendar year. Stott came from behind to pip Shaun Rubenstein by a solitary point with his K1 victory in the Land Rover 50-Miler.

Rising Gauteng star David Gerber took the junior title with a hard-earned fifteenth place overall, with another Ekhuruleni Kayak Club star, Michael Mbanjwa, taking the under-21 honours with a very impressive sixth-place finish overall.

Michaelhouse scholar Stephen Bird excelled by making the top 20 on his way to winning the under-16 class.

Fastest time
The fastest time on the final flatwater stage was posted by reigning Berg champion Jacques Theron, who blasted through the field from his overnight eighth position to claim a spot in the top five.

The race was dogged by fiercely hot weather condition in the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Temperatures of 49 degrees were recorded in the early afternoon on Saturday as backmarkers limped home to the overnight stop, the vast majority of them "blown" with exhaustion and dehydration.

Summary Of Results

Men

	With his win in the Land Rover 50-Miler, Ant Stott won the Hansa Grand Prix title, awarded to SA's best marathon athlete of 2004

	Stott, Dreyer rule Dusi 2004 Ant Stott, King of the Croc 2004 10 years: a canoeing success Canoeing, rafting & kayaking in SA

	Canoeing South Africa