BLUE LAGOON, Durban – “Everyone earned their medals out there today.”
2017 Dusi Canoe Marathon men’s champion Andy Birkett said that with sobering sincerity, after a mighty, midday slog that included a 13km run, with no water on much of the route to Durban.
It was the most brutal of final days, as the national drought, soaring temperatures in the valley, and the effects of two tough days took their toll on those who braved the final leg from Dusi Bridge to Blue Lagoon.
Some boats, upon hearing that there would be no water release, were left untouched at the start of the third day, their owners just not up to the task of an extended run over Burma Road and beyond, before eventually paddling the final leg.
“We knew it would be tough,” Birkett half-smiled.
“By the time everyone got to Pumphouse, I am sure they were all broken. If we knew that there would be no water release on day three, I think a few of us would have taken it a bit easier on day one and saved our legs for today.”
Hindsight is bliss, but it was surely grim yesterday, as the toll of the torturous trek was felt at the finish. And yet, somehow, Birkett still didn’t miss a beat. He charged out of the blocks, at 11am, and somehow went at much the same pace that he has hammered away at this week.
“My training was different this year, as I had a running coach for this first time. That came in very handy,” he admitted.
For Birkett, it was a seventh title on the river, and put him alongside another Dusi legend in Martin Dreyer. Again, he brushed off any comparison to those from a different era.
“This race is bigger than anyone. I am really stoked to win seven times, but I am not here to chase any records.”
#dusi2017 no water. Lutho. Niks. If you see men in tights, carrying boats, walking or jogging to Durban, don't be alarmed. It's still a race
— lungani zama (@whamzam17) February 18, 2017
As he celebrated yet another triumph, Abby Solms was toasting her maiden singles women’s title, oblivious to the physical strain of it all.
“I enjoyed myself out there! I enjoyed the fact that there was a lot more running, and I felt really good.”
It wasn’t a sentiment shared by many, but Solms lives for miles on the road. Behind her, Christie Mackenzie, still juggling matric school books with her training schedule, usurped a wilting Bridgitte Hartley, to claim a famous second-place. It won’t be the last we hear of the Epworth product.
The men’s race had effectively become a race for second and third, given Birkett’s cushion and his experience. Sbonelo Khwela, roared on by his fanatics at every corner, charged past Hank McGregor on the run, and never looked back.
“I saw that he was trying some funny business at the start, but I told myself that it was a long day of running, and I just had to pace myself,” Khwela explained.
This time, there was no shortage of liquids – and need for emergency Lemon Twist on the route – and he finished strongly, as his dream to win the singles title is deferred to 2019, at least.
McGregor, who was dreading the long run, was also passed by Thulani Mbanjwa into third, and some wondered if it is the last we see of the paddling marathon superstar in the upper echelons of this race.
“I would never say that is the last we are seeing of Hank,” Birkett warned.
“We say that every year, and then he comes back even stronger. Even in the world championships, he comes back every year. So I am sure he will be back.”
Birkett, brimming with confidence and contentment, will most certainly be back.
“This was my first ‘old-style’ Dusi, with very little water. It was quite a challenge, and a new experience. But I was happy that I was able to adapt,” he said.
At 26, and with a seemingly limitless supply of passion for this annual trek, the image of Andy Birkett, alone and well ahead of the pack, may be something to get accustomed to.
His rivals already call him a machine, or animal, depending on which day of the Dusi it is. With him on the line, it seems that it is a race for second these days.
Part-animal, part-machine, Andy Birkett is the modern King of the Dusi.