Record entries for Berg
2011-06-15
A DELUGE of entries for the 50th edition of the Windhoek Berg River canoe marathon has seen the number of athletes entered surge past the 1986 record of 305 paddlers, with 312 entered by the time the race officials closed the normal entries for the race. At this stage 37 of the 334 paddlers are from the Paarl Canoe Club. Race stalwart Paul Marais, who will be setting off on his fifteenth race, was the entry that pushed the race tally into new record territory, closely followed by another paddler from a famous canoeing family, Louw Malherbe (the son of legend Jannie Malherbe who won the race three times in the first four years that it was held). “The response has been unbelievable,” said race committee chair André Collins. “There is every reason to believe that the final field for the 50th anniversary race will be around 350.” A massive contingent of Gauteng paddlers has entered the race, many of them from Dabulamanzi Club in Johannesburg where a hard core group of Berg enthusiasts has been training through the harsh Gauteng winter. There are also international entries from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the USA. Defending champion, Hank McGregor, lodged his entry on the final day for normal entries, while perennial contender, Graeme Solomon, just missed the cut-off and had to settle for a late entry. Late entries will still be taken until 8 July, but Western Cape Canoe Union secretary Laura van Heerden has urged paddlers not to leave these too late. “We can’t guarantee late entries will get their merchandise in time for the race if they leave their entries till the last minute. “I know a lot of people will enter after the Swartland marathon, but the earlier they enter, the better the chances of getting their kit on time and in the sizes they prefer,” van Heerden added.
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