October 6 (ANA) – Stage one of the 2017 Fish River Canoe Marathon ended in a stalemate on Friday with the men’s and women’s races dishing up a spectacle right to the finish as Stuart Maclaren and French star Cyrille Carre, and Bridgitte Hartley and her Serbian partner Krisztina Bedec, take the slightest of leads into the second and final stage.
The guaranteed water release from the Grassridge Dam draws paddlers in their thousands to the Fish River Canoe Marathon every year and the big water and technical paddling is what often determines the difference when the crews reach the Cradock Sports Complex on Saturday.
The pair of Maclaren and Carre were the surprise package of the day, matching the defending champions Greg Louw and Andy Birkett stroke-for-stroke, and then shading them in the final sprint to earn them the stage victory.
“I have never been in this position in my life before [leading the Fish River Canoe Marathon],” Maclaren mentioned after their stage win. “Cyrille was incredible in the back of the boat and despite this being his first big river race he was so strong.
“We are not putting any pressure on ourselves going into tomorrow, we have got nothing to lose but you can be sure that we are going to put Andy and Greg under a lot of pressure!”
The ladies race followed a fairly similar pattern to the men’s race, however Hartley and Bedec managed to eek out a slender one and a half minute lead over the chasing Jenna Ward and Anna Kožíšková with the Under 23 pair of Kyeta Purchase and Kerry Segal finishing in third.
“It is great to have finished today in first,” Hartley said. “We would have been happier if our lead was a bit bigger but it’s great that there is such an exciting race for the ladies title.
“Usually there is a break away early and then you are on your own but it was awesome to be racing Jenna and Anna today.
The Hartley and Bedec combination has had some time to gel but Bedec was the first to admit that it took time for them to iron out the creases.
“We struggled a bit in training but we came together well today and we didn’t shake or anything which was great!”
The second and final stage will take paddlers from Knutsford to the finish at the Cradock Sports Complex on Saturday. More information can be found at www.fishmarathon.org.za.
Results:
Overall
1.Stuart Maclaren/Cryille Carre (FRA) 2:42:02
2.Greg Louw/Andy Birkett 2:42:03
3.Murray Starr/Adrian Boros 2:43:36
4.Hank McGregor/Lee Furby 2:48:44
5.Alan Houston/Andrew Houston 2:48:45
6.Jasper Mocké/Sbonelo Khwela 2:48:46
7.Thulani Mbanjwa/Banetse Nkhoesa 2:48:47
8.Siseko Ntondini/Kiko Vega (ESP) 2:49:52
9.Jacques Theron/Bryan Leroux 2:49:53
10.Jakub Adam (CZE)/Simon van Gysen 2:49:54
11.Clinton Cook/Hamish Lovemore 2:51:49
12.Kenny Rice/Tom Lovemore (U23) 2:53:22
13.Alex Roberts/Wayne Jacobs 2:53:25
14.Brandon Orpwood/Jarryd Gibson (U23) 2:55:03
15.Trenton Lamble/Steve Woods 2:56:44
Women
1.Bridgitte Hartley/Krisztina Bedec (SER) 3:05:21
2.Jenna Ward/Anna Kožíšková 3:06:22
3.Kyeta Purchase/Kerry Segal (U23) 3:15:50
4.Kirsten Penderis/Robyn Owen 3:16:46
5.Christie Mackenzie/Nikki Russell 3:19:11
Under 23 Men
1.Kenny Rice/Tom Lovemore 2:53:22
2.Brandon Orpwood/Jarryd Gibson 2:55:03
3.Nick Notten/Mark Keeling 2:56:54
Under 18 Boys
1.Alex Masina/Stewart Little 2:57:07
2.Joshua Fenn/Matthew Fenn 3:03:04
3.Hamish Mackenzie/David Evans (U16) 3:03:06
Under 16 Boys
1.Hamish Mackenzie/David Evans 3:03:06
2.Gustav Smook Jnr/Zanenhlanhla Mbala 3:16:42
3.Luc van der Westhuyzen/Samuel Butcher 3:17:22– African News Agency (ANA),
