McGregor clinches eighth SA marathon title

World Marathon Champion Hank McGregor increased his status as one of the top canoeists on the continent when he won his eighth South African Marathon K1 title in Benoni this past weekend.

The Durban-based paddler overcame icy conditions and altitude to beat Jasper Mocké and under-23 world champion Andy Birkett to win the K1 title on Saturday, before teaming up with Mocké to win the K2 title on Sunday.

“It is tough racing at altitude for us coastal guys,” he told SAInfo.

“You can’t just go out like a bull in a china shop and you need to conserve your energy and keep the heart-rate down, so I am really happy with my performance this weekend.

“It was a really high quality field and so I knew that tactically I had to be on point, and I think I managed to outsmart the others, which gave me the edge.”

The win has earned McGregor a spot in the South African team for the Marathon World Championships in Oklahoma City in September and he says that will be his main focus going forward.

“I have been doing a lot of surfski training recently and so marathon hasn’t been the main focus for me, but with the Worlds in September I will be focusing a lot more on marathon paddling and portaging as well,” he said.