McGregor going Downwind
Kyle Gilham
THE Durban Downwind is one of the few paddling titles in South Africa to have eluded Hank McGregor, something the six-time Canoe Marathon World Champion is eager to rectify tomorrow.
“The Durban Downwind is a race I’d love to win for sure,” said McGregor. “It’s going to be pretty tough, though. At this stage, conditions look like it’s going to be pretty flat, plus a lot of the local guys are in really good shape at the moment.
“Guys like Matt Bouman and Wade Krieger are both very fit, while Steve Woods and Luke Nisbet also showed at Thursday’s Scottburgh to Brighton that they’ve got the miles in them too.” The Durban Downwind is a 26km World Surfski Series race held between La Mercy Beach and Marine Surf Lifesaving Club.
McGregor added: “A local youngster or two may just put their hand up on the day as well, and I hear there will also be one or two Aussies on the line, which will add another element to the mix as well.
“But it doesn’t matter too much what conditions are like on the day, really. If you’ve got the right mindset then you’ll adapt accordingly.
“Local knowledge will help a bit if the wind does end up blowing, and then current and lines become a factor.”
In 2014 – his only previous appearance at the race – McGregor looked set to take the event’s inaugural title as he led from the start to 100m from the finish.
But a stumbling at the final hurdle – getting through the colossal surf before the finish line at La Mercy Beach – proved his undoing and handed Jasper Mocke the win instead.
Meanwhile, defending women’s champion Michelle Burn said she was excited to see how the race would unfold against some very strong competition.
Burn is set to be joined on the start line by fellow elite racers Nicole Russell, Hayley Nixon, Jenna Ward and Kyeta Purchase.
The pedigree of the five KwaZulu-Natal competitors speaks for itself, with all having bagged race crowns and podium finishes on both the surfski and marathon racing circuit during the past 18 months.
For eManzimtoti’s Burn, though, tomorrow’s clash represents a different challenge from many of her previous paddling tasks. The veteran surfski competitor said she was expecting only to watch the title race unfold rather than compete for victory herself.
“My focus has shifted a little and I was looking forward to giving the recent Ironman 70.3 in Durban a bit of a go, so I haven’t really paddled competitively since November,” she said.
“A silly knee injury I picked up a couple of months ago sadly ruled me out of Ironman, though, so when I couldn’t ride I thought I might as well paddle, and that’s when I decided to do the Durban Downwind.
“Unfortunately I then picked up a really rare virus and was really ‘man down’ for the last little while, so I really am not in great shape at all at the moment.”
Burn was, however, confident that a storm of action would unfold in front of her as Russell, Ward, Purchase and Nixon gave it their all.
“Hayley (Nixon) is very powerful and will be super strong, especially if its flat, while Nikki (Russell) is probably the most consistent of the four across all conditions, and her win at the SA Marathon Champs recently showed she has what it takes in flat condition too.
“Jenna (Ward) and Kyeta (Purchase) are obviously incredible paddlers as well, and I’m sure they’ll be right up there this weekend, but I think Hayley and Nikki go into the race as slight favourites.
“If for some reason the wind gods do bless us with some wind on Sunday, then perhaps my years of experience and technical skill will mean I stand a bit of a chance. But if there’s not much wind and it’s flat, like it’s expected to be, then I think I’ll just be watching from behind as the others battle it out ahead of me.”
Although most of the focus will be on the singles racing, Durban’s affinity for doubles racing is likely to draw a healthy S2 field as well.
Through the generous support of title sponsors FNB, the first 100 online entrants will receive a complimentary moisture-management race garment, and R40 000 will be up for grabs across all age and sex categories. All participants also stand the chance of winning one of the various sought-after Thule lucky draw prizes at the prize-giving.