Fish River Canoe Marathon
Encyclopedia
The Fish River Canoe Marathon is a two-day event taking place every October on South Africa
's Fish River
in the Eastern Cape Province over a distance of some 81km, from Grassridge Dam
southward to Cradock
. The two other notable South African canoe marathons are the Dusi Canoe Marathon
and the Berg River Canoe Marathon
.
The Fish River marathon first took place in 1982 with 77 competitors. It was the brainchild of Cape paddler Dave Alexander and a local Department of Water Affairs engineer, KO Bang. By 2000 competitor numbers had grown to a record 1564, placing the race among the world's five biggest canoe marathons. The K-3, developed in South Africa, is a recent addition to the canoe sprint kayak class which previously consisted of the K1, K2 and K4. The K3 is particularly well suited to the Fish River with a relatively rock-free river bed and easily negotiable weirs. Demonstrating this in 2009, Matt Bouman, Herman Chalupsky and Andrew Birkett paddled their K3 to a 5h 9m finish, coming in just outside the top 10 overall. The 2011 overall winners were Hank McGregor/Grant van der Walt with a time of 4:40.38 for the 2-day event.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's Fish River
Great Fish River
The Great Fish River is a river running through the South African province of the Eastern Cape, it originates east of Graaff-Reinet and runs through Cradock, just south of this the Tarka River joins it...
in the Eastern Cape Province over a distance of some 81km, from Grassridge Dam
Grassridge Dam
The Grassridge Dam is a dam on the Great Brak River, near Hofmeyr, Eastern Cape, South Africa and is the starting point for the Fish River Canoe Marathon. The Dam was constructed in 1923 .- References :...
southward to Cradock
Cradock, Eastern Cape
Cradock is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, in the upper valley of the Great Fish River, by rail northeast of Port Elizabeth. The town is the administrative seat of the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality in the Chris Hani District of the Eastern Cape. The estimated population...
. The two other notable South African canoe marathons are the Dusi Canoe Marathon
Dusi Canoe Marathon
The Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon is a canoe race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, South Africa. It is run along the Msunduzi River, which is more commonly referred to as the Dusi river. The 2006 race attracted roughly 2000 paddlers and two to three thousand seconders, helpers and supporters...
and the Berg River Canoe Marathon
Berg River Canoe Marathon
The Berg River Canoe Marathon takes place annually in South Africa's Western Cape Province over a distance of some 240km from Paarl to the small harbour of Velddrif on the West Coast. The two other notable South African canoe races are the Dusi Canoe Marathon and the Fish River Canoe Marathon. ...
.
The Fish River marathon first took place in 1982 with 77 competitors. It was the brainchild of Cape paddler Dave Alexander and a local Department of Water Affairs engineer, KO Bang. By 2000 competitor numbers had grown to a record 1564, placing the race among the world's five biggest canoe marathons. The K-3, developed in South Africa, is a recent addition to the canoe sprint kayak class which previously consisted of the K1, K2 and K4. The K3 is particularly well suited to the Fish River with a relatively rock-free river bed and easily negotiable weirs. Demonstrating this in 2009, Matt Bouman, Herman Chalupsky and Andrew Birkett paddled their K3 to a 5h 9m finish, coming in just outside the top 10 overall. The 2011 overall winners were Hank McGregor/Grant van der Walt with a time of 4:40.38 for the 2-day event.
External links
Winners
| Year | Class | Winner | Time | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | K2 | McGregor/ Van Der Walt | 4:40:38 | |
| 2010 | K2 | McGregor/ Van Der Walt | 4:43:26 | |
| 2009 | K1S | Len Jenkins | 4:51:16 | |
| 2008 | K2 | Lucas Mthalane | 5:55:59 | |
| 2007 | K1 | Len Jenkins | 4:57:39 | |
| 2006 | K1 | Scott Johnson | 5:43:15 | |
| 2005 | K1 | Len Jenkins | 4:59:27 | |
| 2004 | K1 | Maynard Scott | 5:27:34 | |
| 2003 | K1 | Len Jenkins | 5:04:31 | |
| 2002 | K2 | Willis Russell | 5:17:28 | |
| 2001 | K1 | Len Jenkins | 5:00:22 | |
| 2000 | K1 | Eben Mocke | 5:47:03 | |