This yearโs FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon gets underway on Thursday, 18 February and the battle for the menโs Under-23 crown threatens to be as fascinating as the race for the overall spoils when the countryโs top stars of tomorrow go head-to-head from Camps Drift, Pietermaritzburg to Durbanโs Blue Lagoon.
Techpro Racingโs Damon Stamp and Louis Hattingh are eager to take up the challenge of overcoming USN duo Alan and Andrew Houston while Computershare Change a Life Academyโs Mmeli Cele and Khumbulani Nzimande as well as SCARCโs Thando Ngamlana and Siyabonga Tyiki will also have a close eye on a podium finish.
โHopefully we can win the Under-23 title and to finish in the top ten overall would also be great!โ explained a determined Hattingh.
โDamon (Stamp) finished eleventh two years ago so he wants to improve on that result whereas for me, this is my first Dusi ever, so I have no idea what to really expect!โ he added.
Despite Hattinghโs lack of Dusi experience due to his canoe sprint and flat water marathon focuses, his power on the water complements Stampโs river knowledge and running strength well.
โDamon will definitely be driving as he is a way better driver than me; I will just look to follow, thatโs my only job!โ chuckled Hattingh.
โUntil now we hadnโt paddled together since the Hansa Fish we did together when we were still Under-16 but after Damon asked me to do Dusi with him, we combined really well again right from the start!
โDamon had to go back to Stellenbosch for university at the start of the year but by then weโd done most of our long sessions in the K2 together and quite a few runs too so I donโt think that will affect us too much at all.โ
Stamp and Hattingh claimed a confidence-boosting win at the Hi-Q Challenge, a flat water Dusi seeding race at Albert Falls in January, where they managed to outsprint fellow Under-23 title hopefuls, the Houston brothers.
โIt was great to win the Hi-Q Challenge and 50 Miler went well for us in December too,โ said Hattingh.
โThe Houstons really run well and Iโm more of a paddler so it will be interesting to see how things unfold at Dusi.
โThere also isnโt much of a difference in our boatsโ weights so the low water level wonโt really benefit either crew more than the other.
โHopefully Damon knows a few sneaky lines on the water that we can take advantage of,โ he laughed.
With race week having arrived, training is a thing of the past and now the focus for many shifts towards ensuring all the finer details are attended to.
โNow itโs just about making sure our boat is setup correctly, our paddles are fine, our hydrations systems are working properly, etc.
โItโs about checking, double checking and triple checking everything!โ
The FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon takes place from Camps Drift, Pietermaritzburg to Blue Lagoon, Durban from 18-20 February 2016.