Dusi Canoe Marathon announces starting overhaul

Ahead of the 2023 Dusi Canoe Marathon organisers have taken the decision to drop the reverse order start that they have implemented for a number of years.

This change will see the elapsed time paddlers at the front of the race head off first as opposed to the B Batch which would traditionally leave Inanda Dam early on final morning of the race.

Changes to Dusi start order

On Day three, the elapsed time paddlers, both men and women, will start at 07:00. K1 men within 60 minutes of the leading man and K1 women within 60 minutes of the leading woman to start concurrently. They will then be followed by A Batch, which will include K1’s only, at 08:05. The balance of the batches will follow at 5 minute intervals.

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“We had long and robutst discussions on the reverse order start ahead of the 2023 Dusi so it wasn’t a decision we took lightly,” Dusi organising committee chairman Steve Botha said.

“The reverse order start gave those that have finished the chance to follow the race during the live streaming and live coverage, however with no live coverage we took the decision to change it back.

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“The reverse order start has been a heated debate since inception. Whilst extremely successful in its implementation, it created its own unique challenges, for paddlers, seconders and the event safety team.

“We felt that it has to be changed in order to mitigate the logistical challenges that we face.”

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The 2023 Dusi Canoe Marathon takes place from 16-18 February and entries for the 2023 event are available via the event website .

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