{"id":63523,"date":"2014-07-08T13:37:00","date_gmt":"2014-07-08T11:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/63523\/canoeists-tough-it-out-in-training-races\/"},"modified":"2014-07-08T08:46:38","modified_gmt":"2014-07-08T06:46:38","slug":"canoeists-tough-it-out-in-training-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/sports-news\/2014\/07\/08\/canoeists-tough-it-out-in-training-races\/","title":{"rendered":"Canoeists tough it out in training races"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the wake of the highly successful inter-provincial SA Marathon, held at Homestead Dam, in Benoni, recently, the Ekurhuleni Kayak Club, with support from the metro’s sports department, immediately launched the next event.<\/p>\n

The club recently hosted a 21km training race, as well as a 31km Berg River Marathon training race.<\/p>

<\/div>\n

These were aimed at assisting paddlers as they move into the race season, as well as preparing for the first major A-Grade river races of the year.<\/p>\n

\"Cloudy,<\/a>
Cloudy, windy, overcast and choppy conditions greeted the paddlers as they streak across the dam for the Berg training race held at Homestead Damn recently.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Roy Clegg, a member of Germiston Lake-based Victoria Lake Canoe Club, won the 31km Berg River Marathon training race, in a time of two hours and 26 minutes, in the first Veteran age group.<\/p>

<\/div>\n

The overcast skies and chilly winds brought choppy water conditions, causing a number of paddlers to withdraw before finishing the long, tough marathon event.<\/p>\n

Second place went to Mike Barry, from Benoni, who finished only a couple of seconds after the winner.<\/p>\n

Emmarentia Dam’s Mark Shuter took third place, with Boksburg’s Malcolm Stothard in fourth.<\/p>\n

Lynn Morris was the only woman to finish the 31km race, coming home in three hours, six minutes.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The lone woman who finished the tough Berg training race at Homestead Dam, Lynn Morris, recorded a time of three hours and six minutes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The winner of the 21km training race was Soweto’s u-23 Siseko Ntondini; he finished in one hour, 51 minutes.<\/p>\n

Dabulamanzi Canoe Club’s Cornelis Human was in second place, only seconds behind, and Benoni’s top paddler, Michael Stewart, finished third, with his u-16 son, Liam, in a time of one hour, 55 minutes.<\/p>\n

The Berg River Marathon, which first took place in 1962, is the longest race in South Africa and calls for competitors to cover 240km over four days.<\/p>\n

The race stretches from Paarl, through the Cape Winelands, winding past scenic mountain beauty to the West Coast.<\/p>\n

This race frequently takes place in the harshest Cape winter conditions, with rain, sleet, snow and freezing winds.<\/p>\n

Local clubs throughout South Africa have stepped up to the plate to assist those few hardline canoeists who make the annual trek to the Western Cape in mid-winter, by providing training races like these to help toughen them up and train them.<\/p>\n

\n