Cradock – Former world marathon champ Cam Schoeman won the annual pre-Fish race and in the process added a new dimension to the debate about which paddlers will be on the podium at the Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon in Cradock this weekend.
Cradock – Former world marathon champ Cam Schoeman won the annual pre-Fish race and in the process added a new dimension to the debate about which paddlers will be on the podium at the Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon in Cradock this weekend.
With the race doubling as the SA K1 River Championships for 2012, the cream of the country's river marathoners will be in the Eastern Cape for the big race, many of them fresh from highly competitive international and local competitions.
While some of the elite racers were away at the World Marathon Championships in Rome and others at the Sasol Lowveld Croc in Mpumalanga, a number of paddlers elected to head to Cradock last weekend for the pre-Fish that offers a complete dress rehearsal for the Hansa Fish on precisely the same water flow that will be released from Grassridge dam for the big race.
Ladysmith farmer Cam Schoeman came out tops in a keen three-way tussle for the pre-Fish title with on-form Durban paddler Mark Mulder and Cradock product Greg Louw, with seasoned Durban regular Barry Lewin shadowing them in fourth.
Schoeman hit the headlines in 2008 when he partnered Ant Stott to victory at the World Marathon Championships, after which that partnership was amicably shelved, and Schoeman focused on commitments to the national sprint squad and more recently on his farm.
This year, however, they joined forces again for a successful tour to Spain, and came tantalisingly close to winning the SA K2 title on the recent Breede marathon in the Western Cape.
Schoeman has a solid pedigree in the Hansa Fish. As a youngster he bagged a top 10 with Stephen Bird, before Bird emigrated to Australia and went on to represent his adopted country at the 2012 Olympic Games.
With the season unusually focusing almost exclusively on K1 races from mid-September until The Unlimited Dusi in February, the Hansa Fish has attracted even more interest from the elite racers desperate to add that title to their CVs.
The race for the podium is going to be phenomenal this year, said Schoeman. With the guys coming back from the world marathon champs, anyone who gets into the top 10 is doing really well.
Since 2007 I have been concentrating on my sprinting and have not been on a river, so this season I have made it a priority to get back into the river scene. I have the speed that I need on the flats but I have to make sure that I can stay in my boat!
Schoeman will take a lot of confidence out of the pre-Fish win, having edged out Cradock local Greg Louw, who unusually took a swim at Cradock weir, and the determined Durbanite Mulder. Ryan Louw was also in the reckoning along with Lewin throughout the race.
The women's race was dominated by Abby Adie. The Team Best 4 Kayak Centre star has been flying under the radar in her build-up to the Hansa Fish, and in seeing off the reigning ICF World Marathon Series champion Hilary Pitchford, she set down a marker for what is sizing up to be an equally competitive women's race.
Lewin said that serious Fish title seekers were wise to take advantage of the pre-Fish. A race like the Hansa Fish is won and lost on those small mistakes, so a chance to race on exactly the same water conditions is brilliant. The vibe at the pre-Fish is amazing, Lewin added.
The Hansa Fish takes place in Cradock this Friday and Saturday and will decide the SA K1 River Championships. For more information go to www.fishmarathon.org.za
