Paarl – After tasting Berg River Canoe Marathon success for the first time last year, Bianca Beavitt will return to the gruelling four day event in 2016 looking to replicate her display in 2015 when the event takes place from Paarl to Velddrif from 13-16 July.

The Century City/Pink Lady star has had a busy start to the year and was a member of the successful South African team that took part in the African Canoe Sprint Championships in April and gave her a solid platform from which to launch into the Western Cape River season.

“We have been training really hard this season and after my sprints, I have started with a good base,” the 2015 Berg winner mentions. “We have been doing a lot of flat water paddling in the build up to the sprints and now ahead of SA Marathon Champs, so the base is definitely there after the huge distances we have been covering!”

The current drought that continues to plague much of the country has however added a spanner to Beavitt’s preparation mix.

“I am hoping that we can get a bit of rain before the race because we have yet to get on the river and have a look as it’s simply too dry!” explains a concerned Beavitt.

“The river can change so much so I always want to have an idea of what it is like before I race but we just haven’t had the chance, which is not ideal at all!

“We had also hoped to get on the river for a change of scenery after doing a lot of training on flat water and because we are running out of light to paddle our surfskis but unfortunately we have been unable to even see the river!” she adds.

Despite the environmental hurdle, the 26 year-old has put a lot of hard work into her preparation for this year’s Berg where she will not only look to defend her crown but also maintains that her focus is on improving on her last year’s overall effort.

“I raced against Abby Adie a few times previously and held my own, which gave me good confidence going into last year’s Berg as she was the strongest paddler from 2014.

“Last year’s win was then also really good for me from a river marathon point of view.

“This year I want to improve my place overall; I finished twenty-fourth so I will be pushing for a top 20 this time around even though I appreciate that the Berg is a race where there are so many different elements that can trip you up along the way.

With the four day event being one of the most gruelling races on the calendar potentially being made even tougher by the effects of the devastating drought, Beavitt understands the challenges of the race in both high and low water conditions.

“I don’t really have a plan when I go into the race, I just want to make sure that I can hold on as much as possible.

“I know that with the girls starting in their own batch on Day One, things aren’t as intense as day two will be once the testosterone of some of the guys comes into play as they really push for position.

“I haven’t really thought about what could happen if we don’t get a lot of rain between now and the race as that is something I can’t control so we will just have to wait and see and that take it as it comes.

“We might have to do a bit of a rain dance but we will just see what happens,” Beavitt chuckled.
 

The Berg River Canoe marathon starts in Paarl on 13 July and ends at Velddrif on 16 July. More information can be found at www.berg.org.za