Dusi Canoe Marathon
You cannot call yourself a paddler until you've done the Dusi in Pietermaritzburg. Simple as that. Nor can you call yourself a Dusi Rat until you’ve shot (or attempted to shoot) the Ernie Pearce Weir, tackled all the rapids the Umsindusi and Umgeni Rivers can churn at you and slogged along the portages - some up to 8 km and most full of mud, thorns, dongas and rocks - that the rule books says you must run.
You might break your boat at Tops Needle or take a swim at Confluence. There’s the long slog across Inanda Dam and the decision to paddle or portage Burma Hill.
The 120 km, three-day canoeing event through the sweltering Umsindusi Valley will blister, bruise and chafe your body and batter your boat. But it’s the ultimate canoe race in South Africa - it’s got to be done.
Nagle Dam Trail Run
The area around the Nagle Dam near Pietermaritzburg is very hilly, with some climb sections kicking in at a gradient of 40%, but the contour tracks and a good gravel road provide respite to runners between the ascents and descents. Some of the best contouring paths meander along the dam’s edge, but beyond the water line, footing can be expected to be tricky, especially on river crossings. The vast majority of trails is however doable by most runners.
Both long and short courses start together at the shady Msinsi picnic site near the dam wall, with runners following gravel roads or sections of tar for the first 3 km to separate the field. The courses split at the weir. Grading is considered intermediate to difficult.