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Download full results HERE In perfect weather on Sunday 22nd July, the Peninsula Canoe Club annual K2 Mini-marathon was raced off over 21.5 km on Zandvlei and through the canals of Marina da Gama. As this was also the first K2 race of the season and coming on flat water before the start of the Breede River K2 season, this was an ideal opportunity for paddlers to try out various doubles combinations that will ‘do battle’ in weekends to come. As with the Spier Eerste River race held the day before, the turnout was disappointing – especially as the weather was perfect and the water, though low, was mostly weed-free. – as only 26 canoes took part though, being a K2 race, the arithmetic shows that 52 paddlers took part. The course, 3 laps just over 7 kms of the vlei and the Marina da Gama canals, which included a 100m long portage, saw paddlers take off on a mirror-like surface, watched over by the two ‘resident’ Fish Eagles on their specially constructed perch at the northern end of Zandvlei and motivated by a Marina resident on Thibault Canal who was pumping out loud music for the canoeists to get into their paddling rhythm with
The top crew of Ernest van Riet and Heinrich Schloms (Maties/Paarl), recently selected to represent South Africa at the World Canoe Marathon Championships in Spain in September, set the pace and easily cruised home 3 and a half minutes ahead of 2nd laced Etienne Rawlinson and Marius Harmsen (Milnerton), whilst the Sub Masters crew of Garth Watters and Rob Hart (Peninsula), did well to take the 3rd spot just under 30 seconds off the pace of Rawlinson/Harmsen. In the senior women’s race, Bianca Beavitt and Lindi-May Harmsen (Milnerton), both included in the S.A. team to the World’s in Spain (Bianca as an U23 K1 paddler, Lindi-May as a Senior Women’s K2 paddler), were in a class of their own to take 1st whilst the Peninsula crew of Megan Kelly and Catherine Treasurer were 2nd and in 3rd position was the Women’s Veteran crew of Liz Hart and Lisa Scott. One thing that the K2 season also brings out is the teams of mixed doubles and Sunday’s race was no exception with sister/brother combination of Marisa and Michael Pretorius (Milnerton) taking 1st place, engaged couple, Richard Fly and Letitia Steenkamp (Maties) 2nd whilst the father/daughter combination of Rob and Shannon MacLean were 3rd. 3 singles canoeists also took part in this event – Sean Rice, Graeme Solomon and Ommond Sivertsen (all Peninsula), Rice, in a surf-ski managing to hang onto the slip of van Riet and Schloms to home in 1:23:01, Solomon 2nd in 1:26:05 and Sivertsen, 3rd in 1:45:28. Results – Marina da Gama K2 Mini Marathon. Senior Men 1. Ernest van Riet/Heinrich Schloms (Maties/Paarl) 1 hour 22 minutes 34 seconds. 2. Etienne Rawlinson/Marius Harmsen (Mil/Mil 1:29:07 3. Garth Watters/Rob Hart (Pen/Pen) 1:29:30 Senior Women 1. Bianca Beavitt/Lindi-May Harmsen (Mil/Mil) 1:35:27 2. Megan Kelly/Catherine Treasurer (Pen/Pen) 1:48:15 3. Lis Hart/Lisa Scott (Pen/Mil) 1:30:37 Juniors 1. Marisa Pretorius/Michal Pretorius (Mil/Mil) 1:42:18 Veterans 1. Chris de Waal/Frohann Visser (Mil/SSW) 1:30:00 2. Mark Torrington/Fred Creswell (Pen/Pen) 1:36:43 3. Adrian Good/Dave Hitchcock (Pen/Pen) 1:46:34 Veteran Women 1. Lis Hart/Lisa Scott (Pen/Mil) 1:30:37 Sub Masters 1. Garth Watters/Rob Hart (Pen/Pen) 1:29:30 Mixed Doubles 1. Marisa Pretorius/Michael Pretorius (Mil/Mil) 1:42:18 2. Richard Fly/Letitia (Maties/Maties) 1:44:53 3. Rob MacLean/Shannon MacLean (Pen/UCT) 1:45:38 Novices 1. Kevin de Klerk/Ryan Powter (?/WSK) 1:52:05 |
