Gounden back at the Dusi

59-year-old paddler who struggled ‘to get rid of the bug’ returns to race his 23rd marathon this week

VETERAN paddler Sivi Gounden is set to return to the Dusi Canoe Marathon which starts at the Natal Canoe Club in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday.

With 22 finishes to his name, Gounden called time on his Dusi career in 2017, but he struggled to make a clean break from the biggest canoeing event on the continent.

As he edges closer to his 60th birthday this year, Gounden says he feels the need to rekindle the ‘spiritual journey’ which only the Dusi can provide.

“It is hard to get rid of the bug. There is always a calling to the Dusi. My old partner Ken Holden and I are ready to head back to the river,” Gounden said.

“I thought that I was done with it because I wanted to focus on triathlon races. But with my 60th birthday on the horizon, I had to make a comeback,” Gounden said.

He may not be as fit as during his younger days but he remains in great shape. Last year he finished the 70.3 Ironman in Durban.

“The body feels great. I maintain a reasonable level of fitness. When I’m not paddling, I’m cycling, running or swimming. When one gets older you do get a bit slower, but you have to manage that,” he explained.

Gounden was born and raised in Shallcross and took up paddling in the mid-1980s after a football injury while he was a university student.

“I couldn’t have a football career so I went into managing the likes of Shallcross Sporting and Glenridge Blues,” Gounden said.

“I took up paddling because I thought it would be easier on my knees, not realising that there was some running involved too, but I managed to adapt quickly.”

Gounden lives in Pretoria, where he is chairman of Holgoun, a holding group with interests in the mining sector.

He recalled his first Dusi in 1986 when he joined a pioneering group of black paddlers.

“I’m very proud to have raced with the likes of Robert Lembethe, Simon Mkhize and Neville Ephraim. Sadly, they are all late now, but they contributed tremendously to the race,” Gounden said.

Water releases and urbanisation have changed the look and feel of the race, which ends at Blue Lagoon on Saturday.

“I think in those days it was more of an adventure race. Seconding spots were few and far between, so you had to fend for yourself.”

It is a different event these days but the old traditions of the Dusi remain.

“The race has evolved but the feeling is still there. You still have to show respect to the river and the conditions,” he said.

“Ken and I will be paddling together for the seventh time. We know the river well and we are looking forward to getting back into the race,” Gounden concluded.