Florida canoeists prepare for Fish

At least 20 members of the Florida Lake Canoe Club (FLCC) used the opportunity to take part in the Trichard Spruit River Race near Secunda to prepare for the Fish River Marathon taking place in two months’ time, even though it was pretty tricky.

Jennie Dallas, spokesperson of FLCC and the Gauteng Canoe Union (GCU) says, “Paddlers from Gauteng flocked to the sleepy town of Secunda to test their skills and get their adrenalin pumping in preparation of the Fish River Marathon.

“The Fish River Marathon is an A Grade river race – a two-day event that is taking place earlier than usual from 27 to 28 September in Cradock in the Eastern Cape.

“To some the Trichard Spruit River Race is just like a storm-water drain run-ff, but to the canoeists it is another exciting adventure.

The experienced Craig Smith and Debbie Dixon, who take on the Fish River marathon regularly, were two of the 20 eager competitors from FLCC to take on the windy corners and sharp turns of the Tricharspruit. They succesfully completed the 18km event as the third age group winners in a time of one hour and 47 minutes.

“Numerous novices from FLCC who participated to gain some valuable river experience also managed to finish quite comfortably,” Jennie confirmed.

While it was a good day on the river for FLCC, other competitors were not so lucky as a number of them had to withdraw because of mistakes they made and damage to their boats.