Having ticked off the majority of the river marathons in South Africa, Israel\u2019s Ron Benjano has confirmed he will tackle the epic Berg River Canoe Marathon from 5 to 8 July, hoping to check the Western Cape odyssey off his list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 240 km race from Paarl to Velddrif on the West Coast will be unlike anything the first-year computer-science student from the University of Cape Town has done. Despite this, it\u2019s a challenge the 26-year-old said he couldn\u2019t let slip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was paddling a race in Scotland and met a South African who said one is not a paddler until one has paddled the Berg!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a race that has always been on my to-do list because I\u2019ve paddled the Dusi, the Fish, the Drak Challenge and the Orange Descent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am really looking forward to the race, even though I have no idea what to expect!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Benjano comes from a sprinting background and has competed on the international stage for sprint canoeing. Since being in Cape Town he\u2019s also expanded his repertoire to include surfski paddling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having such a wide array of skills will help Benjano, however he\u2019s going to have to find inspiration to tackle the four days of paddling coming up in July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am not really too sure how you prepare for 240 km of paddling!\u201d he said. \u201cI am training with the Orka Squad here and there are a lot of paddlers there that have paddled a lot of Berg\u2019s so I will be asking them for advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMentally I just know that I\u2019ve got to keep going and it\u2019s important that I just continue paddling when I\u2019m out there, but I think that some races I\u2019ve done in the past will help me in preparation for this one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The weather on the Berg plays a crucial part in the paddling experience over the four days and for Benjano he understands that he\u2019s going to have to keep a close eye on the forecast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have heard that it can get very cold on the water, so I am going to have to prepare for that and make sure that I have enough warm clothing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are a lot of challenges and it\u2019s one of the toughest races there is, so I am really looking forward to taking on this challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFour days of paddling is a long time but if I prepare well then I will be ready for the race,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2023 Berg River Canoe Marathon will take place from Paarl to Velddrif from 5 to 8 July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more information on the Berg River Canoe Marathon, and how to enter, please visit www.berg.org.za <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Having ticked off the majority of the river marathons in South Africa, Israel\u2019s Ron Benjano has confirmed he will tackle the epic Berg River Canoe Marathon from 5 to 8 July, hoping to check the Western Cape odyssey off his 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