East London paddlers Josh Fenn and Nikki Birkett scooped the plum singles crowns at the Scottburgh to Brighton surfski marathon, Fenn winning the race on debut, while the local crew of Brett Hadiaris and Hamish Lovemore cantered home to take the overall line honours at the end of the tough 46km race.
Fenn started the race in a three-ski bunch with seasoned local racers Gene Prato and Bevan Manson, and produced his trump card coming in to the beach checkpoint at Amanzimtoti.
“I managed to get onto a wave just ahead of the other two at Toti and got out just before them and then managed to hold that gap the whole way to the finish,” said Fenn.
“From Toti home it was all about trying to keep a steady pace and not blow!” he added.
Having started half an hour behind the singles, the leading double ski crew of Brett Hadiaris and Hamish Lovemore clocked an overall time fourteen minutes quicker than the leading single and took the overall line hours, despite getting hammered in the surf at the start in Scottburgh.
“We got caught sleeping and took a wave on the head at the start,” said Lovemore.
“It was a tricky start and we had to do some catching up after that,” confirmed Hadiaris, adding that the marathon paddle was part of their preparations for the PE to East London marathon together later in the year.
“We just felt so strong today, right the way to the finish,” said Hadiaris, adding that they had been treated to multiple sardine shoal sightings and the associated dolphin pods during their paddle.
In perhaps the days stand-out result second overall went to the husband-and-wife crew of Hank and Pippa McGregor, on her Scottburgh to Brighton debut, earning a place on the podium and closing out the mixed double category spoils ahead of the siblings Jenna Nisbet and Jason Ward.
The women’s singles title fell to the on-song Nikki Birkett, wife for former marathon world champ Andy Birkett, earning her a top twenty finish overall, and completing an impressive haul for the East London raising party.
Birkett, who has been concentrating on training with her husband for the upcoming Berg River Canoe Marathon, said that the race had been a steep learning curve for her.
“We have been doing a lot of time in our K1s and not much time in the sea, so I had to concentrate hard, and I was racing in a new ski,” said the Team Euro Steel/Epic star.
“It was tough out there and hard work,” she added. “There were nice little bumps to work with, which was fun, but it is a long way.”
The Scottburgh to Brighton is run as a Sea-and-Sand Marathon as beach runners take on the paddlers for the bragging rights to reach Brighton beach first.
Ncedisani Phungula was the first runner to reach the finish, a minute clear of Nkosiyethu Mhlongo, but not quick enough to prevent that paddlers from claiming the unique race-within-a-race title for 2021.
The race brought down the curtain on the well supported Winter Surfski Series as the sport of surfski paddling enjoys a resurgence, despite the challenges of the lockdown.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
Singles
1.Joshua Fenn 3:16:07.87
2.Gene Prato 3:19:41.01
3.Bevan Manson 3:19:52.07
4.Kyle Friedenstein 3:22:10.76
5.Daniel Jacobs 3:22:23.47
6.Ian Black 3:24:02.96
7.Paul Marais 3:24:22.35
8.Jason Ekstrand 3:28:54.00
9.Nic Burden 3:32:12.08
10.Brendon Thompson 3:36:02.89
11.Lee McGregor 3:37:35.05
12.Rowan Matthews 3:39:40.94
13.Shaine Mcalister 3:42:20.96
14.Quinton Rutherford 3:43:02.21
15.Joe Terblanche 3:46:21.57
16.Luke Steenkamp 3:47:42.04
17.Bruce Pender-Smith 3:48:16.36
18.Nix Birkett 3:48:20.90
19.Russell Seymour 3:48:54.57
20.Benjamin Maehler 3:49:49.84
Women
1.Nix Birkett 3:48:20.90
2.Sharon Armstrong 4:25:26.81
Doubles
1.Hamish Lovemore/Brett Hadiaris 3:02:43.48
2.Hank McGregor/Pippa McGregor 3:06:07.81
3.Shane Millward/Carl Folscher 3:23:28.86
4.Brent Chiazzari/Trenton Lamble 3:25:10.61
5.Bryce Hatton/Marc Stanton 3:29:51.59
6.Vernon Vogt/Barry Lewin 3:30:12.45
7.Zoog Haynes/Lance Howarth 3:30:59.69
8.Colin Simpkins/Joshua Simpkins 3:34:57.82
9.Gerhard Moolman/Luke Symons 3:36:33.92
10.Jenna Nisbet/Jason Ward 3:41:57.24
Beach Run
1 Ncedisani Phungula 3:46:47
2 Nkosiyethu Mhlongo 3:47:50
3 Ewoud Grobler 3:50:02
Women
1 Megan McKenzie 6:45:00
Short Course
1.Lungelo Shange 1:25:20.86
2.Dominic Furby/Robert Butcher 1:26:34.68
3.Gary O’Connor/Luke O’Connor 1:28:51.22
4.Thubelihle Banda 1:30:38.54
5.Senzo Ngcobo 1:30:56.50
6.Butch Murray/Jorg Wellinger 1:34:48.38
7.Tayla Isaac/Sarah Jones 1:34:56.55
8.Guy Searle 1:38:26.07
9.Kwanele Mngoma 1:38:41.35
10.Clint Sheppard 1:41:01.00