Ready to race!

With only 5 days remaining until race day the nerves are starting jingle a bit. This year promises to probably be one of the most exciting national marathon trials in the history of South African paddling. The racing takes place on the Keurbooms River in Plettenberg Bay.
I have been feeling really solid in my boat over these last 4 weeks and am now confident in saying that I am 100% race ready. I am expecting some of my toughest races ever in the K1 trail as well as in the K2 trial where I will be teaming up with Shaun Rubenstein.

The K1 race is going to be a hugely heated affair. Shaun raced his last marathon in 2006 where he was crowned World Champion so in theory is undefeated. Another previous World Champ Hank McGregor has just come off a good win in the worlds most prestigious ocean race the Molokai Challenge where he tore apart the world class field. Len Jenkins recently placed 5th in the 5000m World Cup race in Poland where he managed to pip a handful of paddling legends to the line. Current K2 marathon World Champ Cam Schoeman has just returned from a very successful 5 week tour of the European circuit and is hungry for a good K1 result. The confident young Lance King form Cape Town will also be chomping at the bit at the thought of being able to race with the big guns. He is most surely excited to get racing after his 2nd place finish in the SA championships last year. World class junior paddler from previous years Grant Van der Walt has now joined the senior ranks and somehow managed to find form way beyond his years. He won the SA senior surf ski title a short time ago and is really flying on the flat water. After my bronze in the K1 and gold in the K2 World Champs last year I will be doing my utmost to ensure that I am in with a shot at being one of the first 2 boats to cross the finish line on Saturday. At the World Championships in Portugal in September each country is only allowed 2 boats on the start line.

The K2 trials will be held on Sunday. Shaun and I will have to race well in order to attempt to beat crews like the Louw brothers, Hank/Grant, Cam/Stu Waterworth and Solomon/White.

I will be flying to Port Elizabeth on Thursday morning and then taking on the 2hr road trip to Plett.