The annual Berg River Canoe Marathon kicked off yesterday in Paarl and paddlers are making their way to the Weskus.
Seventy paddlers are making the 240 km epic trek on the Berg River which is dedicated to Berg legend Giel van Deventer. Day one saw the participants leaving Paarl early on Wednesday morning and make their way to Zonquasdrift. After the 62 km of the first day, participants overnighted to get an early start. This morning (Thursday) paddlers set off from there to take on the 46 km of day two. Although this route is much shorter, the race to Bridgetown is seen as the technical day of the race, when the more skilled and experienced paddlers will be able to set themselves apart from the pack. Tomorrow paddlers take on a 75 km stretch to Zoutkloof. According to those in the know even though the distance is longer than day two, it is less technical and paddlers may find this “easier”.
The home stretch starts on Saturday with paddlers making their way to Velddrif and many locals of the West Coast Canoe Club will be glad to see the well-known lawns of the Rivera Hotel.
According to the organisers the recent rainfall means paddlers will have the assistance of a full river, a welcome advantage for some. This year many legendary Berg contestants are back, but the absence of Van Deventer will surely be felt by many returning paddlers. Oom Giel, who was the first paddler to complete 50 Berg marathons, passed away last year. David Evans, 2022 Dusi Canoe Marathon champion, is taking on his first Berg Marathon, while Jeremy Maher as well as Daniel Jacobs and Dyllan Farrell are also among the challengers for the top spot and the SA K1 Marathon Championship title. Former Berg River champ Hank McGregor also made a last minute entry on Tuesday. Three time women’s champion Bianca Beavitt is also back.
