THE DABS JOZI DUZI ASSAULT – SUNDAY 11 JANUARY 2015 – EMMARENTIA DAM
The Jozi Duzi Assault Dusi training event, replaced the old Dabs Dambusters with a new look and image as well as sponsored food and prize monies from Standard Bank & Adreach, with Lucozade breaking through the Hansa barrier to provide non alcoholic energy replacement refreshment!
It was certainly very hot on the 15 km main Dusi style event with an extremely steep although short portage, on a fabulous Gauteng summer day and the race attracted over 60 paddlers while less fit, or more social paddlers did a half event with short no boat portage, for recreational fun loving paddlers who just enjoy canoeing – The Jozi Jol…..
The Jozi Jol 6km with short no boat required portage brought in some unexpected finishers in attracting a group of over 20 paddlers – with Anton Fatti taking first place in 45 minutes, followed by Under 16 Brad Boulle, in 45 minutes and Liam Stewart who had done the tough Dusi event at ERK the previous day finishing 3rd as 2nd Under 16, in 47 minutes! There doesn’t seem to be any decent explanation for why Mohammed Patel, Sean Evans and Meyer Steyn chose the short easy option but it might have been a tough Saturday night!
Sarah Evans, Shelley Robertson and Lindsay Hopkins took the first 3 ladies positions, and Christopher Couve won the Stand Up Paddling category, finishing in 54 minutes!
SCARC’s Loveday Zondi ran away with the main Dusi training event giving rise to the suspicion that he has every intention of tackling the 2015 Dusi as a serious competitor, having won the previous day’s ERK Dusi training race with no competition, finishing in 1 hour 40, with Siseko Ntondini on his tail as first Under 23 in 1:41:54, (SOW) and Shaun Maphanga in 3rd place (FLCC) 2 seconds later, claiming his old age as the top Sub Veteran prevented him from outsprinting the youngster!
Mike Stewart (ERK) once again won the Sub Master category in 1:46, as the 10th K1, with Barry Painting (DABS)winning the Veteran prize in 12th place. Siyabonga Tyiki once again won the Under 18 junior category as 14th K1, and the first finishing double were Vincent Boulle with his son Jason showing him the way, in 17th position overall, and a time of 1 hour 55 minutes.
Top Master was James Tutton (back to KINGFISHER) in 2 hours, and Hardus Theunissen (FLCC) repeated his ERK victory from the previous day to take the SGM prize as 36th K1 leaving the GGM win to Mike Howard. (JCC)
As always it is a pleasure to see ladies striving to keep pace with the men especially on these really tough endurance events, they make it look so easy and it has to be really really tough – well done to Morgan Ziervogel (JCC) who was the ONLY female K1 the previous day, winning the ladies race as K1 32, in 2 hours 11 minutes, as well as Lynn Morris (DABS) as 44th K1 and Alexandra Jensen (DABS) as 47th K1 finisher.
A bunch of paddlers hopped onto the lake to particate in the few hundred metres dedicated to “ANYTHING THAT FLOATS” which generated much laughter and enjoyment for the spectators – with no paddles, hands only sprint out (also won by Loveday Zondi making it a Hat Trick of a weekend,) with a dead draw between Jason Boulle in a guppy and Tom Ngcobo while Meyer Steyn struggled to get his floatable wheeled trolley bin to stop sinking, Lisa Price swam to shore, some idjit tried to ride a pool noodle, and a couple of clever ladies floated merrily around on a blow up mattress, surrounded by young children in their guppies!
With our Dusi potentials well and truly tired out, and likely to be much stronger and fitter and ready for next weekends two day serious river race, the social recreational paddlers sunkissed and cheerful, and spectators all laughed out, the weekend closed on a merry note!
Jennie Dallas
GCU PR
082 857 857 1