Jenna Ward has taken a big step closer to a second Drak title with an almost flawless race on the rocky low river that managed to trip up most competitors on Saturday, 1 February 2020.
“I had an absolute ball on the river today. It was flawless, which I can’t complain about!” she gushed.
“I had the intention of getting away on my own today, so I was going really hard at the beginning,” she explained.
“The second stage is a long one. There is a lot of flat water so we will have to pace ourselves,” she added.
She took the first stage by a minute and a half clear of Dusi champ Christie Mackenzie, with the Haw siblings Tamika and Bianca finishing alongside Hilary Bruss in the chasing bunch.
Mackenzie had a great start, but ran aground allowing Tamika Haw and Ward to get ahead early on in the stage.
“I didn’t want to get ahead of myself as it was pretty much single file at the top. Jenna just managed to get further and further away from me at the front,” said Mackenzie.
She staged an impressive charge back in the final ten kilometres of the stage, and managed to halve Ward’s lead.
The race had been scheduled to start under low level rules, but rain in the mountains added just enough water to the river system to enable the big field to start at the traditional start at Castleburn.
Summary Of Results:
N3TC Drak Challenge Day One:
1.Jenna Ward 2:04:36
2.Christie Mackenzie 2:06:11
3.Tamika Haw 2:11:15
4.Bianca Haw 2:11:25
5.Hilary Bruss 2:11:25
6.Bridgitte Hartley 2:12:13
The N3TC Drak Challenge canoe marathon takes place in Underberg on 1 and 2 February 2020. More information can be found at www.drakadventure.co.za
Photo 1 Caption: 2018 winner Jenna Ward took her chances well to take a sizeable lead in the women’s race on the first stage of the N3TC Drak Challenge in partnership with FNB on Saturday, 1 February. Photo: Anthony Grote/Gameplan Media
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