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The weather reporters got it right for the start of day 1 of the 2009 Swartland K1 90 kilometre canoe marathon, when, after a perfect Cape winters day on Friday - windless and warm - the heavens opened last night after an impressive stratospheric 'fireworks' display per kind favour of an electric storm that burst over the Mother City in the closing hours of Friday night and the early hours of Saturday morning. And so it was that paddlers and their seconds and supporters arrived at a muddy Skooltjie on the banks of the Berg River outside Wellington for the start of the first 42 kilometres of this race - now in its third year of running by the Peninsula Canoe Club of the Western Cape.
It was a 'Nelson' of a start as 111 paddlers took to the water , most for the 2 day marathon event and well and some who were only doing this first day's section. Under the excellent control of starter Richard Kohler, a rolling start of 50 seeded paddlers followed by the remainder of the field some 25 metres back, responded positively to the gun and immediately a front bunch of 4 paddlers, favourite, Hank McGregor (KZN), Pierre-Andre Rabie (Stellenbosch), Ernest van Riet (Stellenbosch) and Edgar Boehm (jnr) (Peninsula), powered away and dominated from then on. Boehm was shaken off before the front bunch reached Klei Rapid, although Dane Sanvido (Stellenbosch) had taken his place, but he was soon dropped by the leading 3 until, shortly before the big left turn that take paddlers down to Grensplaas, Ernest van Riet also exited the leading chevron. It was now down to just two paddlers - Hank McGregor, the world's top endurance paddler at this time, this race coming off the back of his incredible win at the annual Molokai Challenge in Hawaii where he didn't just dominate the international field - he simply blew them out of the water, and the rising, exciting star out of Stellenbosch, 19 year old Pierre-Andre Rabie. These 2, by the time they reached Grensplaas, were well out in front and McGregor was content to allow Rabie to lead him through the very tricky 'forest' section down towards Hermon Bridge, which consisted of several tree-blocks, debris-choked narrow channels as well as fairly long, open stretches where slip riding was possible. About 6 kilometres upstream from Hermon Bridge, Rabie miscalculated when getting out of his canoe on a steep bank before portaging around a massive tree block and McGregor made good of this and pulled away from the hapless youngster who had to stop and empty his canoe. McGregor cruised off on his own with Rabie vainly trying vainly to pull him in, but that isn't something easily done to McGregor, who went through the Hermon Bridge checkpoint 2 minutes ahead of Rabie and increased his lead over the final 15 kilometres to Zonqasdrift, to take 6 minutes out of the youngster, finishing in 3 hours and 6 seconds.. Ernest van Riet came in 3rd overall for the marathon, on the slip of Heinrich Schloms (Paarl), van Riet's former Matie team mate (and current K2 partner for the forthcoming S.A. Canoe Marathon Championships) - however, van Riet was given 3rd position, as Schloms was a '1 day' paddler but one who showed his phenomenal paddling class, when, after starting 5 minutes after the 2 day paddlers, fought his way through the field on a very tricky section of the Berg River to paddle in right up at the front. The leading woman paddler, Robyn Kime (Stellenbosch), although way out in front of other women paddlers competing, didn't exactly have a faultless paddle, taking 2 swims on her way down to Zonquasdrift, but so far ahead was she, that it made little difference to her final position - an excellent 9th overall in 3 hours 19 minutes 6 seconds. The second and third women home were the Veteran paddlers, Robyn Henderson and Lisa Scott (both Milnerton), in 3 hours 45 minutes 2 seconds and 3 hours 47 minutes 52 seconds respectively. In the U23 category, 1st was Pierre-Andre Rabie, followed by Robyn Kime (both Stellenbosch) and 3rd was Francis Steyn. In the Juniors, it was another clean sweep by the talented Development paddlers out of Paarl Canoe Club, under the tutelage of Development Coach, Wayne August - 1st being Joseph Williams, followed by Diviano Pietersen and 3rd, Emile Pienaar. Tomorrow's section, that which is also the full 48 kilometres that constitutes Day 2 of the famous Berg River Canoe Marathon - from Zonquasdrift to Bridgetown, starts at 10h00. Day 1 results: Top Ten 1. Hank McGregor - Kingfisher CC, KZN - 3 hours 00 minutes 06 seconds. 2. Pierre-Andre Rabie - Stel - 3:06:02 - 1st U23. 3. Ernest van Riet - Stel - 3:07:06 4. Edgar Boehm (jnr) - Pen - 3:07:11 5. Nick Longley - Pen - 3:12:43 6. Cornelius Human - OUT -3:12:43 7. Henri van der Merwe - Pen - 3:18:57 - 1st Veteran. 8. Hennie du Plooy - Mil - 3:19:06 - 1st Sub Veteran 9. Robyn Kime - Stel - 3:19:06. 1st Woman. 2nd U23. 10: Louw van Riet - Stel - 3:22:49 Women 1. Robyn Kime - Stel - 3:19:06 2. Robyn Henderson - Mil - 3:44:32 3. Lisa Scott - Mil - 3:47:52 Juniors 1. Joseph Williams - Paarl - 4:03:48 2. Diviano Pietersen - Paarl - 4:12:36 3. Emile Pienaar Paarl - 4:13:42 |
