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| 13 February 2012 | ||||||||||
Pietermaritzburg – Top contenders for The Unlimited Dusi canoe marathon Hank McGregor and Len Jenkins have made a last minute change to their set-up for the three day race that starts at Camps Drift on Thursday morning, seeking to get the best out of their K2 combination that will line up against a very strong field in the seeded A batch. Team Best 4 Kayak Centre's Hank McGregor and Len Jenkins have made a late switch which they feel could help give them the edge they need to claim The Unlimited Dusi canoe marathon title. (Kelvin Trautman) The duo has tasted success together in the past, and initially started training with Len Jenkins sitting in the front of the boat and taking charge of the steering and tactical control of the craft. However they won Friday night’s race in the Varsity College Marine Surfski Series with McGregor sitting in the front cockpit, triggering speculation that they might have juggled their set-up for the three day race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. McGregor confirmed the switch in plans, saying that they were both highly experienced athletes and are were looking at ways to get more out of the boat. “It just seems to work better this way,” said McGregor. “We are both experienced paddlers who have done well in this race in the past, but after the Inanda dam to Durban race we both felt that the boat just needed a little extra ‘something’. We tried swapping around and it seemed to work, so we will stick to me sitting in front for the race,” he added. He also confirmed that, if needed they could revert to their original set-up in the boat. “Len and I have the same leg-length so we could, if we decided it was necessary, swap seats in the boat.” Jenkins solitary Dusi win came in 2001 when as an upstart Under 21 paddler he dismantled virtually every record in the book. His U21 Day Three time still stands as a class record. The pair will be very powerful racing on flatwater. McGregor won the world marathon championships K1 title in Singapore in October, showing in the process that he is the fastest marathoner on the planet, and Jenkins has managed to forge very fast combinations with numerous other elite paddlers in the past. It will be their running however that will decide whether they have a chance of holding the Player trophy aloft in Durban on Saturday afternoon. In that department, the Dream Team of Thulani Mbanjwa and Sbonelo Zondi have the upper hand. The pair born and raised in the Valley of a Thousand Hills are peerless when it comes to running with the boat, and can be expected to try and set up a lead on Day One of the race that in turn could well set up their overall victory.  Team Best 4 Kayak Centre's Hank McGregor and Len Jenkins have made a late switch which they feel could help give them the edge they need to claim The Unlimited Dusi canoe marathon title. Their running ability might also be crucial if the race comes down to one last roll of the dice at the notoriously tough portage over Burma Road on Day Three. Little has been seen of the defending champions Andy Birkett and Jason Graham, who look in top condition, and every part the lean, sinewy athlete that won the race in the golden Graeme Pope-Ellis years.  Team Best 4 Kayak Centre's Hank McGregor and Len Jenkins have made a late switch which they feel could help give them the edge they need to claim The Unlimited Dusi canoe marathon title. Their meticulously constructed Dusi campaign has taken a leaf out of the old-style campaigns, where flying under the radar and not giving too much away before the big race was a prime tactic. At 33 years of age Graham was the partner of choice for 2011 and 2010 champion Birkett, despite urging the talented athlete to look for a younger partner. “I like to call him “Gramps” and yes he was the guy I wanted for the race in 2012, despite what he has been saying about his age,” said Birkett. They key for this unlikely combination is the amount of pleasure they derive from the training and racing together. “Paddling with Gramps is always fun,” said Birkett. “That’s key for us. If we are relaxed and enjoying ourselves we have the ability to do well.” The pairing of Maritzburg College Old Boys proved to be formidable in their handsome victory in 2010, and have changed little in their planning and preparation for the defence of their title this week. What will be a factor is the pressure that the so-called Big Three will experience from the rest of the seeded crews, where the race for the top five and top ten medals is guaranteed to be ferocious and will almost certainly spill over into the race for the podium places. Olympian Shaun Rubenstein raced onto the podium in 2009 and has teamed up with Capetonian Steve Farrell for the race, bringing extra running strength to their combination. Since his impressive showing in the world marathon championships K1 race “Ruby” has been diligently putting together the pieces of a serious Dusi campaign and is hellbent on making the podium.  Olympic sprinter Shaun Rubenstein and his partner Steve Farrell will do everything in their power to upset one of the 'Big Three' of this year's The unlimited Dusi canoe marathon and clinch a prized podium place. Another Capetonian completes what is the strongest Cape challenge for many years. Jasper Mocké announced his arrival as a serious K2 river paddler with a superb Hansa Fish second place with fellow surfski ace Tom Schilperoort. He has teamed up with Underberg hardman Craig Turton for the race in a combination that is a serious wildcard. Outside of that expect the class of the Cele brothers Nhlanhla and Richard, Under 23s stars Lance Kime and Kwanda Mhlope, Lucas Mthalane and Mmeli Cele, Mark Mulder and Dave Chaplin, Gautengers Piers Cruikshanks and Mike Stewart, and Cam Schoeman and Shaun Griffin. It has the makings of a thriller – a race where places will be made and lost by fleeting errors or moments of inspired brilliance. The Unlimited Dusi canoe marathon from Camps Drift, Pietermaritzburg to Blue Lagoon, Durban takes place on 16-18 February 2012. More info can be found at www.dusi.co.za |
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