The 2014 edition of the Berg River Canoe Marathon has delivered unquestionably one of the most exciting and hard-fought men’s races of the 240km four-day epic held in many years. Berg novice Andy Birkett was pushed to the line to hold off Western Cape ace Graeme Solomon, claiming his maiden Berg title. In the women’s, Abby Adie faced less resistance as she stormed to a convincing win over the finish line in Velddrif. Going into […]
Tag Archives | canoeing
A Freshman’s Guide to K2 Paddling
Kayaking Etiquette… Isn’t that an oxymoron? Change. It’s synonymous for any paddler due to the nature of our watercourses and comes standard with the time of the season. Whether you embrace or shun it, is irrelevant. How we react is what makes our sport so exhilarating, as every day on the water is unique. K2 paddling is very different to K1: the handling, turning and tactics. Adjusting to these differences however, is not easy. It […]
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Birkett clinches maiden Drak Challenge title
Andy Birkett snatched a sensational maiden title at the N3TC Drakensberg Challenge Canoe Marathon on 19 January. A mistake by triple champ Hank McGregor in the closing stages of the race gave Birkett the edge to cross the finish line first. It was lucky number four for Abby Adie as she held off the competition to claim her fourth women’s title. Racing on a low uMzimkulu River Birkett (EuroSteel) and McGregor (Kayak Centre/Team Jeep) started […]
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Magnetic Maritzburg scoops 2017 Canoe Marathon World Champs
South African canoeing received a major boost with the announcement by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) that the 2017 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships will be hosted at Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg. The announcement came at the ICF Board of Directors meeting in Lima, Peru on the weekend, and follows a long application process driven by the Natal Canoe Club (NCC) to host the flatwater marathon world title decider at the home of the Dusi […]
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Surfski duo dominate Ozzie Gladwin 2013
Hank McGregor and Jasper Mocké powered to an impressive victory in the Ozzie Gladwin on Sunday. Abby Adie and Anna Adamová dominated the women’s race to finish a strong 21st overall. “We didn’t know what to expect. We’re up against pure Dusi crews here and I said to Jasper just before the start we have to try and stay in contention and hopefully catch up on the water, but we seemed to dominate the portage […]
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Top quartets set sights on SA K2 Marathon Champs
This weekend will see the country’s best K2 canoeing crews converge on the Vaal River for the CMH East Rand Vaal River Canoe Marathon, the decider of the 2013 South African K2 River Marathon Championships. Andy Birkett, triple Dusi winner and U23 Flatwater Marathon World Champ, and his partner Sbonelo Zondi, 2013 Dusi darling, start their 2014 Dusi campaign as they battle it out for this weekend’s title. “I haven’t spoken about our goals much […]
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10 Questions With Martin Dreyer
Paddling, adventure racing, mountain biking, even professional fishing, Martin Dreyer has done it all. The 44-year-old has won the Dusi Canoe Marathon seven times plus seven Non-Stop Dusi wins, the gruelling Land Rover G4 Challenge and he holds the record for the Freedom Challenge mountain bike ride across South Africa. For the last few years he’s been giving back and helping youngsters from the Valley of a Thousand Hills in KZN realise their potential through […]
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Defending champs in prime position after Hansa Fish opener
Not even jet lag could stop defending champions Hank McGregor and Grant van der Walt from winning Friday’s 48km opening stage of the 32nd edition of the Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon. They have set up a commanding lead of more than four minutes over the nearest rivals while Abby Adie and Anna Adamová claimed the early advantage in the women’s encounter. With fellow title hopefuls Andy Birkett and Cam Schoeman forced out of the […]
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Capsizing: When A Swim Is Not Cool
River paddling and mountain biking share three mutual characteristics. To excel in these sports an athlete is required to successfully navigate, while maintaining their stability which fulcrums on their weight displacement and is influenced by their power-to-weight ratio. Ineffective maneuvering leads to a loss of stability culminating in capsizing which is generally referred to as “swimming”. As inviting as swimming may sound, paddlers rarely opt for a casual swim in rocky or freezing rivers. This […]
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Brit makes Berg history on debut
History was made on stage one of the 52nd edition of the Berg River Canoe Marathon yesterday as former Junior and Senior World Marathon Champ Ben Brown became the first British paddler to claim a stage of Western Cape’s premier canoe marathon since John Fowler in 1979 whilst KZN-based Jenna Ward took the early lead in the women’s title race. Brown, making his first ever appearance at the 240km race, combined perfectly with experienced veteran […]
