Preview to the Hansa Powerade fish 2009
Cradock – The 27th edition of the Hansa Powerade Fish gets underway at Grassridge dam on Friday morning, with a massive field that has left the race organisers delighted that the popularity of the two-day, 82km paddling race through the S
mall Karoo has bucked the current economic recession.
With the entry of over 1400 paddlers on par with other K1 championship years, the race, which is also doubling as the South African K1 river championships for 2009 has attracted a very strong field of competitive local and international paddlers.
Topping that list is the reigning “King of the Fish” Len Jenkins, who has not lost a K1 race since the turn of the new millennium, and looks to be in the sort of form after the world champs in Portugal last month to extend his unbeaten run to four victories on the trot.
His uncanny ability to portage fast, and maintain a relentless pace at the front of the race for three hours a day has made him a difficult man to beat.
He will be challenged by a very strong men’s field that includes Hank McGregor, Grant van der Walt and his schoolboy brother Brandon, both winners of gold medals at the recent marathon worlds, and a powerful team of visiting international stars.
The current 1000m sprint world champion Max Hoff has all the credentials to become the first foreigner to win the prestigious Hansa Powerade Fish K1 title, as he is racing this race for a fourth time, and has a competitive second in a K2 race to his credit already.
Hoff can justifiably lay claim to the title of the best men’s paddler in the world today, as he has blasted through the ranks of wild water, and after being headhunted by the German Olympic sprint team, to the top of the world rankings in a short space of time.
The likeable man from Cologne will be joined in the international team by fellow German wild water pro Tobias Bong, and two experienced river racers from the Czech republic Robert Knebel and Tomáš Slovák.
The women’s race looks wide open, with shrewd observers hinting at the first Eastern Cape Fish champion in more than a decade in Plettenberg Bay Olympic star Michčle Eray, who has completed a mercurial twelve months since her starring role at Beijing 2008.However she will be under pressure from a double Fish champion in Czech Republic ace and current European wild water champs silver medallist Katerina Vacikova. The lively red-head returns to Cradock for her third Fish desperate to prove that her wins sitting behind Micha Mruskova in 2006 and 2008 we no fluke, and that she can hold her own in a single.
The big field includes the first ever K4 to tackle the two day marathon. The race committee has bent the rules in allowing the lengthy craft to take part as it is part of a Breast Cancer Awareness and fundraiser drive being spearheaded by Durban paddler Grant van Greune. The race starts on national Breast Cancer Awareness day on Friday.
The pioneering four are hoping to raise enough money to build an oncology unit in Cradock. At present cancer patients have to make the long trip to Port Elizabeth for their chemotherapy treatments.
The fastest growing segment of the race is the snowballing K3 field. These unusual craft, which were originally morphed from normal double kayaks extended to accommodate a third cockpit in the middle, have snowballed in popularity since their formal acceptance by the race committee several years ago.
These craft are no longer considered a novice option, and some highly competitive crews have been listed in the record breaking field of 43 K3 that have been entered for this years race, including paddlers of the likes of multiple marathon world champs medallist Ant Stott.
The event will be preceded by the second African slalom championships, held on the Golf Course rapids just outside Cradock. The race committee together with slalom experts have modified 350 metres of the golf course rapids by dropping in thirty massive concrete blocks to alter the river flow and create the waves and eddies needed for top slalom competition.
This will also offer a new challenge to the big field of marathoners that will race through this stretch of water on Saturday.
Race bosses have gone to some lengths to warn paddlers that some of the more testing obstacles have changed since the big floods swept through the Fish river valley last year. In particular the lower stages of Soutpansdrift rapid and the testing Cradock weir will require extra concentration from the paddlers.
The race will formally started by popular local farmer Keith Collett, and his two sons Norman and Ted. The Colletts farm the lands through which the first hour of the race runs, and the rapid Keith’s Flyover is named after the concrete bridge over the river built straddling the rapid by Keith Collett.
The event, which is the biggest canoeing event in the country at the moment, also attracts a big following of locals and supporters from as far afield as Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth.
On Friday night race supporters will enjoy and added bonus with a top class rock double bill concert at the Cradock sportsfields featuring global hit rockers Prime Circle and rock outfit Southern Gypsey Queen. On Saturday night at the traditional post-race party, the band Third Degree will perform.
The weather forecast for the event shows that the cold front that has left the region shivering this week will ease, making for perfect clear warm racing conditions on the Friday, with the chance of rains moving in on Saturday afternoon.Other current news stories:
Preview to the Hansa Powerade fish 2009
Hansa Fish After party set to shake up Cradock with top class band line up
Womens race puzzler may favour Eastern Cape star Eray
Organisers warns paddlers of major changes to Fish river
International add spice to mens race at Hansa Powerade Fish
Junior World Champ ready to step into his brothers footsteps at Hansa Powerade Fish
Len Jenkins set to resume reign as "King of the Fish"
Eray targets Hansa Powerade Fish to end her best season ever
Louw brothers victory in Ireland fans Eastern Cape Fish hopes
Development paddlers set to star at Hansa Powerade Fish
Four more top internationals confirm for Hansa Powerade Fish
2nd African Continental Canoe/Kayak Slalom Championships
German world champs confirmed for Hansa Powerade Fish canoe marathon
History-making K4 to race for Breast Cancer in Hansa Powerade Fish
Plans for the new chute down Collett's Wier
Past news stories:
2008
2007
2006
