Words by: Gameplan media
Pietermaritzburg – 2014 Dusi Canoe Marathon winner Sbonelo Khwela, formerly known as Sbonelo ‘Eric’ Zondi, is looking forward to dusting off his portaging cobwebs for the first time in the new KwaZulu-Natal river marathon season at the Natal Canoe Club’s recently rebranded Umpetha Challenge.
Darren Goddard / Gameplan Media
The Shongweni based EuroSteel athlete is already well into his stride in his preparations for next year’s iconic three day race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban in February however much of his focus thus far has been on the paddling side of things.
“None of the top guys have been training running with the boat yet, that only really starts in November, so the Umpetha finishing with Campbell’s portage is definitely going to be tricky!” said Khwela.
“Getting back into portaging this early is a good thing though, it reminds you of what Dusi is all about and how tough it is to run with the boat and makes you train harder when you do start training for portaging!” added the Computershare Change a Life Academy ambassador.
The race starts at Camps Drift in front of the NCC clubhouse and then covers the first 16km of the Dusi route before paddlers make their way up to the unique finish venue for a paddling race – on top of a hill.
“It’s quite unusual to finish with a portage,” laughed Khwela. “Even though we don’t normally finish a paddling race on a hill, it is still an important part of the race!”
“If you don’t make sure you run well, you can easily lose a couple of positions on the run.”
Khwela first announced his elite river marathon racing arrival in 2013 when came agonizingly close to a historic K1 Dusi victory however disaster struck just kilometers from the finish when he fell out at Pumphouse Weir before then soaring to victory earlier this year with K2 partner Andy Birkett (EuroSteel).
His victorious efforts with Birkett helped heal many of his 2013 wounds however the will to achieve Dusi success in his K1 still forms a strong driving force for Khwela.
While leaving nothing to the imagination as far as his goal for next year’s Dusi is concerned, Khwela was however non-committal when it came to his aspirations for the upcoming Umpetha Challenge.
“I’m focusing on winning the Dusi next year so any results in the pre-Dusi races are just a bonus for me.
With solid support from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport and Recreation, the Umpetha Challenge offers R36 000 in prize money, with a massive R6000 going to the first K1 home.
“There is good prize money so I’m sure some of the guys will already be pushing quite hard!”
“I’m not sure about Lance (Kime) – with him being in the Western Cape – and I haven’t seen Len (Jenkins) for a while now but I’m sure Andy (Birkett) and Bungee (Thulani Mbanjwa) will be there so it will still be a very tough race!”
The Umpetha Challenge takes place from Camps Drift to Bishopstowe Hall on Sunday 19 October. More information can be found at http://natalcc.co.za/umpethaHome.html
