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If the performances over the weekend are anything to go by, we are in for a fascinating SA marathon championships in just over a week.
Gauteng and KZN held their respective marathon championships over the weekend, with both the Eastern and Western Cape having held theirs the weekend before.
It appears that all is well with the discipline of marathon paddling on the northern side of the boerewors curtain.
No less than 117 K1s (across all age groups) completed their races at the GCU championships.
Unfortunately for the locals, it was two "out of town" boys who managed to grab the top steps of the podium in the men's race, with Uli Hart pulling one over his K2 partner Hank McGregor.
Their fortunes were short lived the next day in the K2 event, when they ran out of talent going into one of the portages, and ended up testing the temperature of the Roodeplaat dam.
The men's U23 category is going to be hotly contested at the SA champs, with three of the top five overall placings at the GCU champs coming from this age group (Uli Hart, Luke Salmon and Sam Butcher). If you throw Matt Fenn and Jeremy Maher into the mix, you will have a recipe for ultra-excitement.
The events at the other provinces did not attract the same number of competitors, but some outstanding performances must have given the selectors a rough idea of who might fight their way into the national team to tour Croatia in September.
At the Western Cape Championships there were only two decent men's performances, with Uli winning his home event, closely followed by Nick Notten. And in KZN, Hamish Lovemore had a reasonably comfortable victory in the K1.
The results of the showdown in the women's races are going to be difficult to predict. Eastern and Western Cape, as well as KZN have some serious contenders. Kira Bester and Melanie Van Niekerk are serial front group contenders, but they will have their work cut out against Eastern Cape's Nix Birkett and a rampant Jade Wilson, as well as the KZN trio of Saskia Hockly, Christie Mackenzie and Jenna Nisbet.
With the U23's starting with the seniors, the front bunch of both the men and the women are going to be frenetic for the first portion of the race.
The younger age groups, as well as the ballies, produced some interesting provincial results as well, which will translate to a riveting national showdown.
Georgia Singe appears to be in a league of her own in the U18 K1, and, as reigning world champions, should be an outright favourite in the K2, together with Holly Smith.
As things stand, the SA marathon championships will be covered by a live stream. At this stage I cannot inform you of the extent of the coverage. This will be divulged at a later stage.
Entries for the event are open on the CSA portal.
Those wishing to be considered for national team selection will need to tick the appropriate boxes (no need to complete the forms on the selection document) when they enter the event. The nomination process closes on the 10th of June (next Monday), so don't procrastinate and end up in tears. Get busy now.
The SA Canoe Polo championships, that I reported on in the last newsletter, was used as a selection event for the ICF World Championships, to be held in Deqing, China in October, from the 15-20 October. The selectors have deliberated on performance, and have selected the following senior men's team to represent the country:
- Kyle Buchler
- Neil Burger
- Chris de Bree
- Kyle Hardy
- Luke Hoets
- Ruhan Marx
- James Truby
- Clive Whitton (Coach)
- Don Wewege (Manager)
Only Kyle Hardy and Luke Hoets remaining in the team from 2 years ago.
Canoe polo is an amazing, and fun discipline, and a superb way to introduce people to paddle sports. It teaches skills that benefit almost all of the other disciplines.
The Cape Point Challenge organisers have displayed some forward thinking, and requested that I provide a small punt for the event:
"Get ready to mark your calendars, because the countdown to the 2024 Cape Point Challenge officially begins tomorrow! We're thrilled to kick off what promises to be an epic, enhanced event for paddlers and their families alike with exciting news.
To celebrate this milestone, we're excited to announce that entries to the 2024 event will open at last year's fee of R2200. This early-bird offer is our way of showing appreciation for the continued support and enthusiasm of our participants.
A time for change:
In response to the growing number of participants and the invaluable support of their families, we've made some exciting changes to this year's event. We're delighted to unveil a new venue for the registration and prize-giving ceremony: the Fish Hoek Beach Sports Club (FHBSC). The collaboration between the Cape Point Challenge and FHBSC is instrumental in ensuring the ongoing success and growth of our event. We thank Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club and their members who, since the race’s inception, pulled out all the stops to help build this iconic event to what it is today.
The new finish venue at FHBSC offers ample space and a family-friendly atmosphere for our prize-giving ceremony. To add to this, FHBSC is rolling out the red carpet for all paddlers, their families, friends, and supporters. Expect a day filled with delicious food from vendors, entertainment for kids, live music, and a memorable after-party.
Support for Juniors:
We're also thrilled to announce that Cape Point Challenge is a beneficiary of the Canoe Athlete Support Fund (CASF), a fund designed to provide financial assistance to junior paddlers. For the 2024 Cape Point Challenge, over R100,000 has been ring-fenced by the fund to support junior paddlers. As a result, juniors will enjoy a discount of R1100 per entry, bringing the early bird entry fee down to just R1100 for them.
We can't wait to see you all at the 2024 Cape Point Challenge. Get ready to paddle, celebrate, and create unforgettable memories at one of South Africa's most iconic events!
The 2024 Cape Point Challenge will take place on 14 December.
Important dates:
- 1 June 2024 - Early Bird entries open
- 30 September 2024 - Early Bird entries close
- 20 October 2024 - Qualifier #1
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