After a satisfying win in the 50-Miler just over a week ago Banji and I were able to follow it up with another great weekend of racing.

On Friday evening at the Alex Wasps night race we raced a 20km flat water race on Midmar dam. The race consisted of 4 x 5km laps with 3 x 300m portages. By the final portage the front group was down to 2 boats including ourselves and Wayne Wilson/Paul Rabinovics. Banji and I ran this last portage hard opening a small gap by the put-in which we were also slowly able to stretch over the final 4.5km paddling to the finish.

On Saturday morning was the Dash and Crash, a race that starts with a 3km lap of Camps  Drift and then bashes down the first 8km of the Dusi canoe marathon course. With consistent  rains the river was running at a good level making the weirs and rapids a lot of fun.

At the Ernie Pierce weir it was great to see 2 or 3 of the Valleys ‘Change a life’ crews still in contact with the leaders. Banji and I went over the first weir in the lead but it was Wilson/Rabinovics who set the pace to and over the Commercial road weir.

With the Gauteng crew of Payne/Robberts still in the mix it was a 3 boat sprint into Mussons rapid. Banji and I took the lead again from here to the finish with Wilson/Rabinovics hot on our tail. Payne/Robberts took an unnecessary swim to allow one of the ‘Change a life’ crews through for a very impressive 3rd place.

Sunday was the toughest of the races, the Campbell’s to Dusi Bridge race which covers 2/3 of the Dusi day 1 course. A unique race where you start on the road with your boat on your shoulder and run for the first 2.5km before getting into the river for the first time. There is probably about 10km of portaging up some VERY steep hills and through a lot of thick bush.

With Banji and I focusing more on our paddling than running training we were not really expecting too much from this race. It was a big surprise when only Ngidi/Zondi had caught us at the top op 2nd Guinea fowl. We ran down Geoff’s road together to start the longest paddle of the day through to the Finger neck portage. Ngidi/Zondi are known more for their running ability so it did not take too long to get away from them on the water. We were able to open up enough of a gap over them to have stress free runs over Finger neck as well as the dreaded Cabbage tree portage. Over the line we came in a satisfying 1min ahead of Ngidi/Zondi. The very close end sprint for 3rd place was taken by Turton/Razmussen from 50-Miler 2nd place finishers Graham/Birkette.

With Banji back down in KZN training together has become so much easier. We have already logged up a good few quality sessions together in both flowing and on flat water.
We are very thankful to Mike Arthur who was kind enough to spend over an hour with us yesterday offering us the valuable technical advice that we so desperately need at this time of the year.
The picture below is of Bunji and I at the end of our awesome paddle/run session on the Umhlanga lagoon this morning.

Earlier on in the week we popped into Popes Canoe Centre to take a look at our new boat for Dusi which they were busy making for us. We have gone for the Reagle II which is basically the high line Eagle (Reagle) which has now also been slim lined. The 50-Miler was the final of our testing paddles in the new shape and the Reagle II passed with flying colours. It has the same feel as the normal Egale on the flats but in the rapids it just seems to cut through the waves so much faster without sacrificing any of the stability. Another huge advantage is for the back paddler while running, with the wings removed the back paddler can now see so much more while negotiating the tricky portages.

The 50 Miler is is probably the most serious of the pre-Dusi races. The 2 day race covers almost 2/3 of the full Dusi course.
After a good week of training together Banji and I started the race knowing that it was going to be a good test to see how well we paddle together in a ‘proper’ river!
Soon after the start 3 boats broke clear of the rest of the field. The boats included Jason Graham and Andrew Birkette, Piers Cruikshank and Jacq Theron and ourselves.
Theron/Cruikshank set the pace from the start at Mission rapid through to the Dusi bridge portage. After the portage Banji and I took a turn at the front and lifted the pace slightly. At the tricky Bell rapid section Theron/Cruickshank badly damaged the nose of their boat and we never saw them again.
Running over the 2nd Saddle portage Graham/Birkette stuck to us like glue and it was their fumbling with splash covers at the put-in that allowed us to brake clear. We paddled hard through the confluence and by gauging weir we had opened up to about 1min 15sec over them. We opted for the safer portage around the weir while they chose to shoot and closed us down to about 40sec.
By the finish of day 1 just below Marianey Foley we were in the lead by 45sec from Graham/Birkette.
In the woman’s race the surprise combination of Pitchford and Hodson crossed the line 1st with Mediema and Kime hot on their tail.

50 Miler day 2:
On the 2nd day Banji and I went off 1st in elapsed time and had a brilliant paddle across the dam to the dam wall portage. The 20min on the flat water allowed us to open our lead from 45sec to just over 2min. We had a good but slightly bumpy run down Tops needle rapid, through Side Chute rapid and Umzimnyati rapid by which stage our lead had opened up to 2min 34sec. With only 18cumecs in the Umgeni river the water was crystal clear but their were lots of rocks making the lines pretty technical.
Banji suggested that we shoot Island 1 and 2 which are largest of the shootable rapids on the Dusi course. We had a clean run through both and enough adrenalin to carry us all the way through to the bottom of Five Fingers rapid.
At the bottom of Mango rapid and left with only 45min of flat water paddling we were finally confident that we had the win in the bag. At this stage however fatigue was beginning to set in and we had to dig deep to maintain or speed into the slight head wind which cooled us slightly on the way to the finish.
Our 2nd day was far better than our 1st day with the boat cutting much smoother trough the water as a result of a finding a more comfortable rhythm.
The new combination of Birkette and Graham did well to comfortably hold on to their 2nd place showing that they too will be serious contenders for the Dusi title come January 2010.
In the ladies the superior running ability of Mediema and Kime broke them clear of Pitchford and Hodson at the Pump House weir portage which is an hour from the finish. They held on to this lead to win the woman’s race.

Watch an action re-play of each days racing via GPS tracking!
Day 1
Day 2

Race results:
Men
1. Ant Stott and Michael Mbanjwa NAT-SOW 4:20:21,  2. Andrew Birkett and Jason Graham UKN-NGW 4:28:59,  3. Piers Cruikshanks and Jacques Theron DAB 4:36:02,  4. Lance Kime and Kwanda Mhlophe(U18) NAT/STC-LEM/STC 4:38:16,  5. Michael Patrick and Chris Birlkett(U21) RHO-UKN 4:39:27.

Women
1. Abby Miedema and Robyn Kime INT-US 4:54:56, 2. Hillary Pitchford and Jen Hodson NAT-DAB 4:56:29, Abby Adie and Lindi-May Harmsen NAT-MIL 5:11:03.

Post race article

Michael Mbanjwa (Banji) and I once more jumped in the boat together to do the 2 day Vaal River marathon as part of our Dusi preparation. At close to 40km per day it’s quite a tough one.
About 8km into day 1 at the Visgat weir Hank and Len got a bit of a gap over us. We worked hard to close them down at the same time getting some clear water between ourselves and the 3rd placed boat of King and Basson. We spent most of the day working with Hank and Len to gradually open the gap over the 3rd boat.
Theron and Cruickshank who badly holed their boat after about 5km and had to stop for repairs had a stormer of a day. After loosing about 3min they came flying through the field to finish only 40sec behind us along with 3 other boats.
Day 2- In the elapsed time start we went off 1sec behind Hank and Len. It did not take long at all for the 2nd group to make contact with us after starting 40sec later. Almost immediately as the group caught us 6 boats become 4, the front group was comprised of Hank/Len, Myself/Banji, Theron/Cruickshank, King/Basson.
The pace varied throughout the day with most of the flat out racing being done in and around the rapids. When it came to the end sprint all 4 boats will still together. It was Len and Hank who took the win from Theron and Cruickshank, Banji and I were content with 3rd. King and Basson had to settle for 4th after being stuck on the outside for the 90 degree turn into the final sprint.

Michael Mbanjwa and I teamed up on Sunday to compete in our first race together this season. Banji came down from JHB on Thursday so we were able to do 3 training sessions together before the race. Popes Canoe centre has provided us with an awesome new boat. It is the Reagle (high line eagle for rivers), but he has now taken off the wings allowing it to slice almost effortlessly through the water, especially through the rapids.

The race started off with a 6km paddle on Albert Falls Dam followed by a 3km portage down to the Umgeni River and then a 21km down river section.
By the time we got to the portage the front group was down to 3 boats. Ourselves, McGregor and Jenkins, Arthur and Stubbs. McGregor and Jenkins set off like rabbits up the first hill so I was more than happy to have Banji at the back of my boat to push me along!
For the next 12km the 2 lead boats stuck together right up to the Cascades section of rapids. It was here that I made a serious error on one of my lines allowing Jenkins/McGregor an immediate 50m advantage. Over the next 9km to the finish line they stretched that gap to 40 seconds. Arthur and a slightly off colour Stubbs hung on for 3rd a few minutes further behind.
Although 2nd Banji and I were very happy with our race and just how comfortable we felt in the boat together. There are now just over 2 and a half months until Dusi so with a lot of hard work together I’m confident that speed in the boat will continue to improve.

After a tough world champs I decided that I would make enjoyment the priority for this years Fish River Canoe Marathon. To ensure that I had no chance of racing I decided to team up with two of my loyal sponsors in a K3! Owen Hemingway of Pope’s Canoe Centre and Yann Leclezio of Matelec filled the other two seats in the boat.

Owen has designed an awesome new K3 Yeti which is basically an extended, high-line Accord so it is very stable. I was very impressed with the boats handling, the rudder responds at the same speed as a standard K2 making it really easy to control through the rapids. As a result we had perfect runs through Keith’s flyover, Salt pans rapid and over Cradock weir.

There were over 40 K3’s entered in this years race and judging by the amount of fun that we had I have no doubt that this category will be massive in future river races!

Len Jenkins was the clear winner of the race claiming his 5^th title as well as smashing the race record. Germany’s Max Hoff was 2^nd and Hank McGregor 3^rd.

Link to the official Fish River Canoe Marathon site here.
Fish River Canoe Marathon race report here.

Big thanks to:
Shaun- for paddling his guts out with me!
MATelec- for making it possible for me to pursue my dreams.
Tropitone- keeping the sun burn at bay as well as for making life easier.
Nelo- for another perfect flat water boat.
Julia Thomas- for her endless hours of physio on my aching and injured muscles.
Neil Cunningham- for his extremely generous chiropractic expertise.
Steve Jordaan and Rob McLean- for putting the perfect marathon tour together.
Marcus Melck- for his paddling and technical advice.
My friends and family- for all of their amazing support!
My girlfriend Sue- for putting up with my training routine and exhaustion.
The Big Guy upstairs- for continuously guiding and protecting me.

The Race:
Jeepers that was a tough one! As we pulled away from the start line the pace of this years world marathon champs was just mind blowing. The first 1.5km to the first turn was one of the hardest of my life. Every boat was just so so fast and the attacks and surges of maximum speed where non stop all the way to that first turn. Shaun’s positioning was brilliant and we eventually settled into a good position at the front end of the pack. Our heart rates at this stage were still through the roof and we did our best to try and relax slightly before the first portage. This is world champs though so you can’t expect to come into this race and not have to go through scary amounts of physical pain.

After the first run we were fortunate to get into a four boat break away. The chasing pack was made up of a lot of extremely strong crews and not once were we able let the pace drop off in fear of being caught. The four leading boats were made up of ourselves, the top Spanish crew, a Czech and a Portuguese boat. All four boats took their turn to do the work at the front and as a result ensuring that the pace of the race was as fast as it possibly could be.

The chasing group at times almost made contact with us. It was the other South African crew of Van der Walt and McGregor who had basically rejoined our group before the Spaniards put in another hard burn to shake them off again.

Our four boats continually worked well together and were all faultless through the first six laps and six portages.

We hit the 7^th and final portage at a cracking pace and ran it faster than our little legs ever thought possible. The Spanish and ourselves got a slight gap on the other two boats on that last portage and the Spaniards led us out to the final turn. We turned round those last buoys to line up for the final 500m straight to the finish line, the Spaniards still in the lead. 300m to go and Shaun and I put the hammer down. The boat immediately responded and we slowly edged past them by about half a boat length. Within the next 100m they had pulled themselves back up to level with us. Our muscles were burning and cramps were kicking in all over our bodies. 100m to go and they edged ahead. Too fast, too strong, too good for us on the day, the Spaniards cross the line first about half a boat length ahead of us. Gold to Spain, silver to South Africa and bronze to the delighted Czechs. Van der Walt and McGregor do well to claim 5^th spot. Both South African boats in the top 5, that has got to say something about the standard of our paddling back home!


Official results.
Race video from official site. (click on ‘on demand’ on the live stream tv screen, then on K2 senior part 1 and then K2 senior part 2)
In the press.

This morning it was Brandon who followed in his older brother Grants footsteps to claim the Junior World Marathon title. Brandon raced a brilliant race and powered his way to the front after the last portage and held off all other contenders to claim the victory.

This afternoon it was Grant who raced a clever race in the U23 category in what seemed to be very fast paced and tactical race. In the energy sapping final sprint Grant too managed to hold off fellow competitors to claim the U23 World title! Two more gold’s for the Van der Walt household, well done!!!

Yesterday our masters once again showed us youngsters how it’s done in the K2 races by adding a few more medals to the South African medal tally.

Watch the races live on the internet! Link to the official World Champs site, start lists, start times and results. (Portugal is 1hr behind SA time)

Tomorrow is the first of the senior races where Shaun Rubenstein and Len Jenkins will be carrying our medal hopes in the K1 section. Bridgette Hartley and Mish Eray are our ladies K1 representatives and will be sure to impress.

Shaun is looking the strongest that I have seen him in many months and that K1 gold is definitely within his grasp. Multiple World Marathon champion Emilio Merchan from Spain is looking solid after his K2 1000m world title in Canada last month. Manuel Busto from Spain is also back in the mix this year and will be aiming to add another win to his impressive list of world marathon titles.

After a full day of rest today my body is chomping to go and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s final training session. Inspired by the gold medals that the South Africans have already bagged along with the excitement of tomorrows men’s K1 race my nerves are beginning to tingle ever so slightly!

An added bonus for me tomorrow is the arrival of my father and my brother-in-law John. This is the first international event ever that my dad has been able to join me for so I will be doing my utmost to ensure that I make his trip to Portugal worthwhile!

This evening Shaun and I had one of our final K2 training sessions together before the big day. The boat was really feeling smooth although the wind was almost blowing us away and the waves were crashing over the deck of the boat! During our interval session we both felt extremely powerful and controlled. We practiced a few portages and our take-out, running and put-ins were pretty slick. Lets just hope that we can reproduce that on Sunday!

I will be doing two K1 sessions tomorrow, resting on Friday and then training on Saturday, the day before our K2 race on Sunday.

The masters did pretty well in their K1’s today picking up 1x gold, 2x bronze and a few 4^th and 5^th places.