Vaal River Marathon 2011 - 6th Place

Catching up with race organiser Peter.

Last minute changes before selling 'The Rush' K2

Paddling past Vaalower 10km into day 2

After long discussions and decision making we finally decide to take part in the 55th running of the BSI Steel Vaal River Marathon this year. I partnered up with my fellow training partner and K2 sprint partner PW Basson for the two day river race. We were very fortunate to have Knysna Racing Kayaks send us up a NEW K2 'The Rush' to race in. It is arguably one of the best river K2's ever made. After only being launched last year it has taken the market by storm.

So with our equipment in order we made our way up to the Vaal where i have the most amazing family who are always willing to accommodate us. We couldn't have had a better venue to stay at, right on the river banks on a section of day 2. Dennis and Gisele hosted us like kings and made us feel very honoured to be staying there. They cooked some amazing food and ensured we had a good nights rest. The next morning we made our way to the start of day 1 just below the Vaal Dam. The hype was huge with almost all the top marathon paddlers out to compete for the 2011 title. Having never done this race before it was going to be quite challenging navigating my way down river. Having come off a sprint season we knew not to worry about being up there for the start of the race. From the word go we were in control and pulling the front bunch for the first few kilometers then settled onto diamond. Unfortunately we got squeezed back on the first portage allowing three boats to get away. We put down the hammer and some lucky decision making through some channels we managed to catch them again. We stayed together for just over an hour when another weir proved to be a problem with not knowing where to go we fell back and just lost touch of the front bunch. We worked hard trying to catch up but they worked even harder to keep us off. We were then caught by a chasing bunch of three and finished the day 1minute 50 behind the leaders in 5th place

Day two proved to be just too far for us as the cramps settled in early and fatigue started to hold us back. We pushed through it for some time until everything gave in. The guys around us raced a perfect race and did well to work us off. We held on to cross the line 6th place. Disappointed with not finishing in the top 5 but happy none the less as we hadn't had the time to put in some distance training.

2011 Fish River Marathon

This past weekend we took a road trip to Cradock where the all famous Hansa Fish River Marathon takes place. This year was the 30th Anniversary of the Hansa Fish and promised to be a good one as the race entries topped over 1700 entries making it a record entry for the 30th Fish.

We arrived on the Tuesday before race day to get settled in at camp and scout the river for any changes. I was very fortunate to have Knysna Racing Kayaks sponsor us a new Boat "The Rush" K2 as well as a new paddle. The combination of the two just made paddling on the fish that much more pleasant knowing i have trusted equipment to take me down river.

Race day came sooner than expected and all preparation had to be done as the nerves began to sinc in. The Fish has a Le man start with all the boats lined up on the waters edge and all the paddlers about 100m back making it a mad dash to get in and have a clean start.

The gun goes and its frantic pushing to get through to our boat only to have the paddle next to me inform me that my partner had run back to get his shoe??? Confused, i carried on jumped in and realized he wasn't joking. Zaren had lost his shoe in the mud and some how convinced himself that it was a good idea to go back and get it after reaching the water already. So the start wasn't what it should be but we put the hammer down in hope to catch most of the field before the dam wall portage. I had worked so hard across the dam and most of the portage that with 200m left to reach the river put in i had to walk. The sprint across the dam and most of the run had just killed me. I thought this was the end, from here on its a social race. But what is SOCIAL? This is river racing and anything can happen so keep racing. We were probably around 30th position when we finally climbed in the boat. The entire day from there on went smoothly and with no further mistakes to finally end the day in 13th. Disappointed but happy with the work we had done to catch up.

Day 2 was always going to be a tough day. We started on our own in elapsed time with a group of 5 boats hunting us down. Everything was going well until i lost steering 5km down river. It took some time to reach the river bank and fix the problem and by then the chasing group of 5 had passed us. Unsettled and annoyed we went off in a flat sprint trying to catch the back of the group. Through doing this we had used up too much energy and only lasted another 10km with them before we fell back and just tryed to hang in there for the rest of the day. Fortunately we had created a large gap so we could paddle quite conservative. We finally ended the stage in 18th overall. A long day day out and many lessons learnt.

The overall victory went to Hank Mcgregor and Grant Vd Walt winning there 3rd consecutive title. The surprise of the day was Tom Schilperoort and Jasper Mocke finishing in 2nd place having just come off a very successful international surfski tour.

The Hansa Fish is famous for its after party and boy what a party it was. They had the brilliant band of "Good Luck" on stage and rocked right on into the night.

1st on Podium for 1000m K2

All Africa Games 2011 - Mozambique

Last week we as the SA canoeing team set off to compete in the 2011 All Africa Games being held in Chidenguele Mozambique. Having never been to Mozambique before but heard so much about the place I was really excited for what lay ahead. After arriving in Maputo we spent a few hours at the athlete’s village where all the other sports events are being held. The organizers had built brand new stadiums with state of the art equipment and a bunch of flats for everyone to stay in. It all stuck out like a sore thumb as everything else around was pretty run down and not well looked after since the closing of the war. Unfortunately the canoeing was being held 300km out of Maputo in a town called Chidenguele so we were unable to watch any of the other sports compete. I say unfortunately but in actual fact it was amazing. We were staying in a resort right on the Nhambabale Lake with excellent accommodation and great restaurant facilities. We were only 3km from the beach so on our off days we would go spend a bit of time playing in the waves and soaking up the sun.

Race day – Having expected the worst with rumors going round that the course hadn’t arrived, that there were not enough boats, we were quite pleasantly surprised to see a perfectly straight 1000m course and boat racks full of the worlds leading boat manufacturer’s boats made by Nelo. The racing started off well with Bridgett Hartley winning the 500m K1 and K2 with Tiffany Kruger. She then went on to win the 200m K1 event as well, making it a triple Gold. Nick Stubbs had the hardest race of the games having finished second to Tunisia. Calvin Makoto then went off to win the C1 1000m in great style and followed it up by silver in the 200m C1. After having been sick for a week already I had saved just enough energy to make sure I would make it on to the water for racing. Myself and PW Basson went on to win the 1000m K2 after making it straight through our heat to the finals. The 200m speedster Greg Louw went on to win the 200m K1 event with Shaun Rubenstein and Mike Arthur also winning the K2 200m. Of a possible 11 Medals the SA team won 7 Golds and 2 Silvers.

Killing Time on the Water

Hungarian F1 Grand Prix

This past weekend we had the opportunity to go to the Hungarian Grand Prix as the Hungaroring Race track is only about an hours drive away from where we training. Fortunatly we have a spare car so 4 of us set off getting all the neccessary goods. The weather didnt seam to play part so we baught ourselves 2 big umbrellas, some blankets and food to last us a week. Tickets cost R1000 for the most basic tickets but its once in a life time experience so we had to do it. We sat up on a hill where we had a view of half the track. PW and Chrisjan had been there the year before so finding the place was easy. The race was really cool but not being able to see the cars pit made it difficult to see who was where. Jensen Button took the lead from the start and completely ran away with it to win with Vettel in 2nd and Alonso in 3rd. After the race everyone cramps up against the gates that lead onto the track to have the opportunity to run down the finish straight and stand in front of the medal ceramony. Everyone goes crazy trying to get there first and so we followed. PW got the whole shot beating everyone with Greg in second and myself and Chrisjan following. It was amazing to be less than 20meters from the podium and fighting with photographers to have a spot on the pit wall. Definatly a mememorable experience.

2011 World Champs & Olympic Qualifications

So its been a while since i last put up a post but here i am. Iam back in Hungary for a 3week training camp then the forth and final week will be race week. We are staying in Dunavorsany about 2hours drive from Szeged where the World Champs is being held. The team is split up with just the K4 staying here and the rest in Solnoc. Its nice and quiet here which allows us the time to work on all the little things to be better and faster. The sun finally came out today which made training alot more pleasant. The next 3weeks we will just be eating, sleeping and training. We train 4 times a day with rests inbetween and eating. Its hard but we love it. Its our lives

2011 Pick n' Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour

Over the weekend Cape Town had set place for the Pick n' Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour. It is the worlds largest cycle race having 35 000 cyclests on the roads of Cape Town. Having the day off I went out to support friends and family along the way. The weather had played its part with clear skys and a slight sea breaze to help along the way. I spent most of the time in Camps Bay cheering them on with there last 10km to go.

New Running Shoes

For some time now i have been struggling with my running but thought it was just a fittness thing and tryed to push through. After seeing my physio she discovered my shoes had passed there sell by date and i was due for a new pair. Unfortunatly the flat shoes had now created a few problems and i needed to take it chilled for a little while. Thanks to the support of New Balance i finally got myself a new pair of shoes.

New Balance 760

Clanwilliam Training Camp

Yesterday i returned home from a 9day training camp in Clanwilliam on the Bulshoek dam. We couldnt have asked for better weather the entire time we were there. I recently swopped my ML canoe for a L as ive picked up a bit of muscle over time and was starting to sink the ML. The camp was going to be a good test if the boat worked for me or not. Over 1000m time trial i set my PB times 3times in a row on different occasions. This for one shows me that the boat is working for me and secondly but most importantly that my training is paying off. It was a tough camp but my body handled it well and keeps improving. My coach Zoltan and I are working closely together in improving every last bit we can to be on top. He says he can see it and i can definatly feel it. Today i went for physio with Alison Thomson Physiotherapy who are always looking after me and keeping me in one piece. Iam now feel loose and ready to take on the next weeks hard training.

Nagal Dam K4 Training Camp

Last week thursday the whole sprint squad made our way to Nagal Dam in Pietermaritzburg for a 3day K4 training camp. There were 11 of us who had flown in from around the country and the others were all PMB locals. Having squeezed into a kombi which only seated 8 it was an interesting ride up to the dam catching up with everyone and throwing the odd churps at each other as usual. The house we stayed in is an old building with 6rooms and hollow wooden floors. Its a perfect venue for training camps but unfortunatly when individuals(Patrick) get up at 6am for breakfast they wake up the entire house just by walking down the passage. The floors are noisy and theres no way of keeping quiet.

Over the 2days we had 32 different K4 combinations racing 1000m with 2 boats at a time. It was only the athletes and the K4 coach Zoltan Bako. It has to be said that it was the most pleasant training camp in a long time. We all got along and did what we needed to. We all still unsure as to who will be in which K4 as Zoltan is having a second camp in Feb but by invitation only.