The ''Berg River Canoe Marathon'' takes place annually in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
's
Western Cape Province
The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabi ...
over a distance of some 240 km from
Paarl
Paarl (; ; derived from ''parel'', meaning "pearl" in Dutch) is a city with 294,457 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is the largest city in the Boland, Western Cape, Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni ...
to the small harbour of
Velddrif
Velddrif (the name of the town) or Velddrift (the name of the farm on which the town was established), is a coastal fishing town in the Bergrivier Local Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa. The town had a population 12507 in 2015 and is locat ...
on the
West Coast. The three other notable South African
canoe races are the ''
Dusi Canoe Marathon
The Dusi Canoe Marathon is a marathon canoe race held over three days between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, South Africa. It is run along the Msunduzi and Mgeni Rivers over a total distance of . The race attracts between 1600 and 2000 paddlers ...
'', the Breede River Canoe Marathon and the ''
Fish River Canoe Marathon
The Fish River Canoe Marathon is a two-day event taking place on the Great Fish River, Fish River in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It covers a total distance of , from Grassridge Dam southward to Cradock, Eastern Cape, Cradock. The t ...
''.
The first
Berg River
The Berg River (also called Great Berg River or in Afrikaans: Bergrivier) is a river located just north of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is approximately 294 km (183 mi) long with a catchment area of and ...
marathon took place in 1962. It is usually run over four days, often in pouring rain during the wet winter month of July, when the Berg River level is expected to be at its highest. The water is fast-flowing, often through narrow channels choked with trees, low branches, and submerged obstacles. The course of the river is due north from Paarl to
Piketberg
Piketberg (also sometimes spelt Piquetberg in the past) is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa, located about 80 km east of Saldanha Bay. The original spelling of the name was "Piquetberg". The town is in the foothills of the Piketberg mount ...
and from there it meanders west across the
coastal plain
A coastal plain (also coastal plains, coastal lowland, coastal lowlands) is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and an upland area.
Formation
Coastal plains can f ...
to Velddrif.
On the day before the start of the race,
seeding time trials are held to determine the starting positions of the first 60 paddlers from a field of more than 200. It is the longest canoe marathon in the country and traverses scenic wineland countryside, with overnight stops at Zonquasdrift, Bridgetown (which lies on the upper reaches of the Misverstand Dam) and Zoutkloof.
The ''Berg River Canoe Marathon'' also makes up the final leg of the ''Two Oceans Peninsula Iron Man'', the first two legs being the ''
Cape Argus Cycle Race
The Cape Town Cycle Tour, formerly known as the Cape Argus Cycle Tour, is an annual cycle race hosted in Cape Town, South Africa, usually long. It is the first event outside Europe to be included in the Union Cycliste Internationale's Golden ...
'' and the ''
Two Oceans Marathon
The Two Oceans Marathon is a ultramarathon and half-marathon held annually in Cape Town, South Africa with the ultramarathon held on a Saturday in April and the half marathon held the next day on the Sunday. It was previously held on Easter w ...
''. For the 2010 race the winner's purse was set at R25 000.
Winners
Men
Women
External links
Official sitePast winners - menPast winners - women
References
Canoeing and kayaking competitions in South Africa
Canoe marathon
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