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There are six women paddlers entered for Saturday's Stihl Non-stop Dusi, two of them, Debbie Germiquet and Alice Rawlinson, paddling together as the only all-woman crew in a field of 70 K2s and five K1s.
Germiquet won January's Dusi Canoe Marathon mixed doubles race with her husband Marc, coming 51st overall in nine hours seven seconds while Rawlinson of Wits University came in two minutes later in second place with her partner Malcolm Stothard. There is one standout entry among the K1s, the first time this category has featured in this race which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
This is Dusi K1 and K2 champion Hank McGregor, who is attempting to beat all opposition on Saturday. Should he succeed, he stands to win R10 000 in prize-money and another similar amount for beating the K2 entries.
 
The first paddlers are expected at Kingfisher Canoe Club at Blue Lagoon soon after 12.30pm and spectators are welcome, refreshments and food will be available in a marquee. There is a special treat in store for the top paddlers at the prize giving after the race who will receive their medals and other awards from Dusi founder Ian Player, who will be flown in specially by helicopter from his farm in the Midlands.
Among the leading K2 pairs are Graham Bird and Stu Rawlinson, Alice's brother, who were third in this year's Dusi Marathon and must therefore have a good chance of pulling off victory in the absence of Ant Stott and Wayne Thompson and McGregor's partner, Martin Dreyer. Michael Mbanjwa has teamed up with Michael Stewart in an attempt to get his own back on the river that robbed him and partner Len Jenkins of his first Dusi victory and Dabulamanzi paddlers Brandon Collyer and Jacques Theron are another pair in contention for the R20 000 K2 winner's cheque.
With the rivers flowing strongly after good rains upcountry and most of the feeder dams full to overflowing, race organiser Ray de Vries is confident that the water releases from the various dams will have to be cut back.
Nigel Tatham of the race organising committee said: "Paddlers are in for the best water that we have had for any Non-stop Dusi and I am holding out hopes for a course record, which currently stands at an incredible seven hours 47 minutes set by John and Andrew Edmonds in 2000."
This compares with Bruce Fordyce's record "down run" for the Comrades Marathon of five hours 24 minutes over a 90km course which gives an idea of just how fast these paddlers run and paddle the 120km river route between Pitermaritzburg and Durban.
Tatham is also confident that with such a good river report more entries will be posted on Friday to swell the total to between 150 and 160 paddlers, the most ever for the event.
The race starts at 5.30am on Saturday from Camp's Drift, and, apart from the two check-points along the route where they have to beat the cut-off times, they can make their way to the finish at Blue Lagoon by any route possible with the support of their seconds.
Entry is still possible by calling Mary at 033 394 9994.
- This article was originally published on page 17 of The Mercury on February 03, 2006
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