canoe

In a bit of a stress detox. Lots of thoughts; some patting on the back... some dark... some self flagellation. I am remembering my promise to be kind to myself. I am so thankful for all the support and love. I always knew this was Berg was going to be the epic challenge; I think the odds were never in our (mine and Dave's) favour, but we gave it a good try. That's all we could do; just try. It would have been a flippen awesome fairy tale ending, but then again this is real l

Many years ago, David Waddilove set the Freedom Challenge Extreme Triathlon in motion. After running from Cape Town to Durban, he turned West and ran the Comrades Marathon from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. The very next day he began a mountain bike ride and portage over mountains, through farms, along cattle tracks and gravel roads across South Africa back to Paarl, and then he paddled along the Berg River to finish his return journey in Velddrif, on the West Coast. I hope to

A month ago, I was living a peaceful life in a garage in Durban North, nestled between a surfski and a paddle ski. The only girl in the...

Last weekend I flew to Durban, without the canoe, and travelled by car, without the canoe, to Pietermaritzburg. My aim for the weekend was three-fold. Each task had to be successfully accomplished before taking on the next task. If I failed to accomplish any of the three tasks, I would not be able to get a late entry for the Dusi: 1. I first had to pass my river proficiency test on the Umgeni River. If I passed that, then: 2. Two hours later I would be allowed to padd

I am making the most of my journey, and living in the now. Given that the objective of my 12x12Challenge is to encourage African women and girls to take on new, and daunting, challenges – physical, emotional and psychological - I chose the Dusi as it was guaranteed to push me out of my comfort zone. Why? Well…until last year, I had never paddled – professionally, or recreationally. I had only stirred. And, as I have learnt over the past 5.5 months since I took up my new sport

I have a couple of tough challenges set up for 2022. The Iron Man, the Comrades marathon, the Race Across South Africa, the Sky Run, and Everesting the Westcliff steps, to name a few. However, the two that scare me the most are the Duzi and Berg River Canoe marathons. I am not a paddler.... I am a stirrer! Having never paddled before, I now intend to fulfil a dream and paddle the 120km Dusi Canoe marathon in February 2022 and the 240km Berg River Canoe Marathon in July 2022.