Well done to the top 100 finishing Gauteng paddlers at the FNB Dusi after day 2 – in the ever shifting positions – who has made it into the Top 100 or dropped out of it ready to make up time on the tough day 3!! ….. and one thing that hasnt changed is that the last finisher is still Mike Howard, at 6pm last night with his bad knee and all – jeez guys I guess if he can do it – we all can!? Still the 7th Grand master and still 77th K1! after a 10h40 hour day!
There were STILL 77 K1’s that finished but from first day’s 447 K2’s, only 436 crossed the finish line and STILL 26 Ladies boats K2 and K1 combined….WELL DONE TO OUR GAUTENG LADIES – who are still in the race …. with only 26 LADY BOATS at this event please recognise and admire the women who take it o – we KNOW its tough – too tough for MANY MEN and these strong brave adventurous women are out there recording their names in the annuals!!!
Holly Spencer and Daniela Afonso (DABS) – a 4h37 hour day, K2 161 – moved up 20 places to finish as 10th Finishers (YESTERDAY K2 181, 9th Female finishers in 4h14…!!!) which means they dropped a place in the ladies race, but made up 20 places compared to the men!?Sonja Bohnsack, (DABS) with KZN partner Merrill King dropped to 13th ladies from 12th Female Finishers on day 1, finishing in 5:08 as K2 236 (Day 1 was K2 225 and these MASTER age category ladies took some strain against the men on Day 2 – Well done ladies! )
Siseko Ntondini and Sbonelo Khwela (SOW/KZN) dropped to 4th in the hard tough tight finisher visible on the Day 2 Finish video posted on Facebook/GautengCanoeUnion to finish in 3:03 while the winners time was 3:04 so they’re RIGHT THERE on the edge!
Loveday Zondi and Thando Ngamlana (SOW) were K2 6, in 3:11 and Richard Cele with Nhlanhlayakhe Cele are the next Gautengers in the finish line up in 3:18 as 7th K2 so they’ve both made up some places from Day 1!Zonele Nzuza (Sow) and our first Dabs paddler Piers Cruickshanks 3h18 as 11th K2 (also made up a place from Day 1) and its clear to see Day 1 was tougher and longer as the times have all been longer than the first day.
I was unable to find our 20th K2 finishers from Day 1 – Richard Fly (CEN) and Peter Jacobs (KIN)….so they may have had issues or admin and we have heard of a couple of Dusi guts withdrawals – a war story to be told no doubt!Alistair Jackson and Robert Crichton (Dabs) from 37th K2 on day 1, they are now lying in 28th in 3h31 and have moved into position in front of Alex Roberts and Shaun Maphanga (Dabs/FLO) who are the next Gautengers in the finish results, still lying in position as 2nd Sub Veterans – finishing in a time of 3h38!
Mark Garden and Kelvin Byres are the next Gauteng finishers as they were on first day, finishing in 3h37 as 37th K2 – same position as yesterday and still 1st Veteran age category finishers! !Moving up from 48th to 44th K2, are Sowetans in 3h44 – Simnikiwe Ntondini and Chazani Gumede while the Under 18 team who with with them yesterday have been passed by Centurions Raymond Rorich and Michael Kirkby K2 49 so Top 50 an improvement from 53rd on Day – finishing in 3h46 still as 3rd Sub Veterans while the the Under 18 youngsters are just behind them finishing in 3h50 as 50th K2 and still as the 4th Under 18 finishers!
The Fraser boys, from JCC, Stuart and Andrew have moved up to 56th overall (were 63rd K2 after Day 1) , passing Father and son ERK Stewart team, finishing in 3h47, with Dabs’ Andrew Hall and KZN’s Paul Hatfield finishing next (from Gauteng) 3h49, SM3, K2 59 a huge improvement from K2 70 on Day 1!
Michael-John Robb and Ian Stephen Wilson are still there finishing in 4:09, 76th K2 finishers, with the top K1 Gauteng finisher, Warren Cooper (VIC) still the 2nd K1 finisher overall, after 4:01 hours of work!
New mentions in the Top 100 now include Tommy Booth and Pieter Engelbrecht (ERK) after 4h20 finishing as K2 83, and as 7th Sub Veterans, followed by Doug Jewson (Dabs) with Gavin Payne (ERK) who finished in 4:01 this second day, as K2 84, and SV8, and right behind them Lona Magadla and Sibusiso Chwayi (SOW) finished as K2 85, 14th Under 23 (Day 1 was 15th Under 23, so they moved up in their age category however dropped from K2 81).
Day 1’s 95th finishers crossed the line on Day 2 as K2 87th, Mkhonzeni Gumede and Sinenhlanhla Ludidi – in 4h10 and Andrew Cairns (Dabs) has moved into the Top 100 finishers as K1 4, V1, after a 4h08 day.
Roger Stubbs and Collen Gibbs moved up from K2 99 to K2 95, but dropped to 6th Veterans (from 5th on Day 1) finishing in a time of 4h17, and the father and son combo of Michael and Liam Stewart (ERK) clinched the Top 100, finishing in 4h44, K2 96, having dropped from K2 57 the previous day – so some admin took place there – more war stories!!!
and that brings us to Top 100! Still going strong