Hank McGregor demonstrated why experience trumps youth on Thursday (16 May), surviving a comedy of errors to extend his Berg River Canoe Marathon lead over Joshua Glyn-Cuthbert to two-and-a-half minutes after a chaotic Day 2 that saw the 48-year-old veteran swim twice, navigate tree blockages and take wrong channels before finally asserting his authority.
The 11-time World Marathon Champion and 14-time race winner appeared in complete control early in the 46km stage from Zonquasdrift to Bridgetown, paddling alongside the young Stellenbosch University student until Train Bridge at the 30 km mark before making a decisive break.
What followed was paddling drama at its most unpredictable.
Mistakes threaten dominance
“It was a tough day out,” McGregor admitted after finishing. “It started well, but then I made one or two mistakes. Firstly I took the wrong channel and came across a tree block, and Josh was gone… he never followed me down that section.”
The Team Euro Steel paddler’s troubles multiplied rapidly.
“I actually paddled back up the channel and then came across more tree blocks, and eventually ended up swimming. I managed to gather my thoughts, but there was a lot of pulling myself towards myself. There was nobody around so there was no point being too vocal, but inside I was releasing a lot of frustration.”
McGregor caught Glyn-Cuthbert roughly 10 minutes later, only for both to encounter another blockage requiring a portage.
“I just managed to run under faster than he did and when I was putting in I swam again. I managed to use my surfski skills to get into the boat in deep water, but obviously it is then full of water so I had to pump for the next couple minutes.”
Veteran class prevails
The frustration fuelled McGregor’s decisive move. “From then I just put my head down and said ‘I am tired of making mistakes, it’s time to open a gap now,’ and I managed to get away with about seven km to go. So the day was a solid finish for me, but I made some stupid mistakes.”
Despite the chaos, McGregor’s lead makes it highly unlikely the world’s most successful marathon kayaker won’t secure his 15th Berg River victory and extend his record as the oldest winner.
Behind the top two, significant changes reshaped the standings. KZN’s Jeremy Maher stormed from seventh to third, sitting 10 minutes behind Glyn-Cuthbert. Tom Lovemore, the 2024 champion, climbed from sixth to fourth and remains in podium contention.
Msawenkosi Mtolo suffered the biggest setback, slipping from third to fifth. Paul Marais surged from 11th to eighth in an impressive recovery.
Dill dominates women’s race
Neriyah Dill tightened her stranglehold on the women’s race, adding 22 minutes to her overnight lead. She now enjoys a commanding 34-minute advantage over former champion Christy Shrimpton.
After finishing second and third in 2024 and 2025 respectively, Dill appears destined to complete her podium full-house with victory.
Friday’s Queen Stage presents the brutal test, a mammoth 75km from Bridgetown to Zoutkloof including the dreaded Misverstand Dam wall portage.
The mass start format creates big groups across the dam, making time gains desperately difficult. McGregor will need cleaner paddling to maintain his advantage.
