A Marathon With A Difference

By Liezel van der Westhuizen

This week I take part in what is considered to be the world’s most prestigious canoe (or rather, kayak) race. The Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon is a canoe race between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.

The Dusi is run along the Msunduzi River (more commonly referred to as the Dusi / or Duzi river.) This race doesn’t just consist of paddling the entire distance, but also includes running whilst portaging certain parts of the race. Portaging is the practice of carrying canoe/kayak over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water.

The first day is 45 km which includes roughly 15 km of portaging/RUNNING with the canoe, with shorter portaging sections on day 2 and 3. Day 2 is also 45 km and ends with a 10 km stretch on flat water on the Inanda Dam. Day 3 is 35 km of clean cold water let out from the dam. There are several sections with large rapids, particularly on day 2 and 3.

Competitors have a choice to either compete in a K1 or K2 canoe. So this week #myjourney sees me paddling and RUNNING over 3days

Enjoy your Journey