Hank: I told Andy he is welcome to go and win the Dusi or the world champs, but the Drak is mine

THE Drak Challenge, which takes place this weekend in the picturesque setting of Underberg, along the Umzimkulu River is a firm favourite for professional paddlers and part-time punters alike.

For the recreational paddler, the race offers an enjoyable two-day trip through the stunning Midlands, but for the top athletes it is a chance to strut their stuff at the beginning of the season, and ahead of the major race in KwaZulu-Natal, the Dusi. The usual suspects are set to do battle again this year, with Andy Birkett aiming for a sixth consecutive title. He will once again be chased down by close rival, and recent teammate, Hank McGregor.

The pair teamed up for the Dusi last year, but in 2019, the alliance will be put on hold as McGregor looks to try and hold off Birkett’s unstoppable surge in South African paddling.

McGregor last won the title in 2012, before the Birkett barrage, but he admits he has issued a warning to his rival.

“I told Andy that he is welcome to go and win the Dusi or the world champs or anything like that, but the Drak is mine,” said McGregor, intimating the importance that elite paddlers put on the title of winner of the Drak.

The Drak is a race that is more about skill and guile than brute strength and stamina, which is why McGregor so prizes the race.

In the women’s race, there is a very famous name that is cropping up regularly at the river race, that of Olympic medallist, Bridgitte Hartley. She has already claimed the title at the Fish River Marathon, and finished on the podium a few times at the Dusi, but the Drak remains elusive.

“I would definitely love to win a Drak,” said Hartley. “Like the Fish, it is on my bucket list. I have won a Fish now and would really like to win a Drak as well. The Drak is definitely one of the most fun river races on the calendar, even if it is low, and the clean water is a big attraction.”