Stalwart men, women win Dusi
Andy Birkett and Matthew Fenn and Abby Solms and Jessica Behn did the expected on Saturday and wrapped up their 2024 Dusi Canoe Marathon titles, but for the men’s winners the stage from Inanda Dam nearly turned into a disaster.
It was Birkett’s 14th victory and he takes his “Crown Prince” title to within one win of the remarkable record of 15 by “Dusi King” Graeme Pope-Ellis in the 1970s and 1980s. Team My Life’s Msawenkosi Mtolo and Sbonelo Khwela ended 6min 14sec behind in second position in the men’s race, but will take heart from having kept the leaders under pressure throughout.
Stars of the final day were third-placed Bongani Ntinga and Sandile Mtolo with their blistering final stage. By recording the fastest time for day three — 5min quicker than Birkett and Fenn — they finally broke the deadlock for the race for the podium and relegate Banetse Nkhoesa and Siseko Ntondini to fourth.
In the women’s battle, Bridgitte Hartley and Hilary Bruss came second after losing 4min to Solms and Behn over the final stage to end 14min behind overall. Jenna Nisbet and Nix Birkett rounded out the podium 11min further back. This was Solms’ fourth victory, making her one of the most successful women’s Dusi paddlers. The late decision for the winner of the 2016, 2017 and 2022 races to team up with the matric was a masterstroke.
Behn, a pupil at Epworth School in Pietermaritzburg, is believed to be the youngest winner in Dusi history and is heading for a great future in the sport.
“I think each of my wins is pretty special in their own way, but Jess and my partnership was such a late decision,” Solms said. “We only decided mid-December — two months ago we would not have thought this could hap-* pen. For it to come together so quickly is unbelievable.”
While the women’s champions cruised uneventfully, Birkett and Fenn thought victory had slipped from their grasp when they got lost on a small portage around Five Fingers Rapid.
“We had a few mishaps on day one and two when we got some holes in the boat and took in quite a bit of water,” said Birkett. “So I thought maybe today it would go according to plan ... to have a conservative race and take no risks. Then at Five Fingers we heard it was a compulsory portage and we got so lost trying to find the river again.
“At one point we were bushwhacking, and I said to Matt, ‘We are stuffed, it’s race over’.
“We were literally leopardcrawling through the undergrowth and throwing the boat over the top. But Matt was determined and said, ‘I can see the water, so we can get there’.”