Prior to the 2023 Dusi Canoe Marathon, the organizers have decided to discontinue the reverse order start that has been in place for several years.
The elapsed time paddlers in the front of the race will now depart before the ‘B’ Batch, which would typically leave Inanda Dam early on the last morning of the race.
On Day 3, both male and female elapsed time paddlers will begin at 07:00.
Men in K1 who are within 60 minutes of the leader and women in K1 who are within 60 minutes of the leader will start simultaneously.
They will be followed at 8:05 by ‘A’ Batch, which will only consist of K1s.
The remaining batches will be distributed at five-minute intervals.Steve Botha, the chairman of the Dusi organising committee, stated that the decision to implement a reverse order start at the 2023 Dusi was not made lightly.
“The reverse order start allowed those who had completed the race to follow it via live streaming and live coverage, but since there was no live coverage, we decided to alter it back.
“Since its creation, the reverse order start has been a topic of passionate dispute. While its execution was exceedingly successful, it presented its own unique problems to paddlers, seconders, and the event safety crew.
We determined that a change was necessary to reduce the logistical difficulties we experience.
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