Andy Birkett scooped his fourth N3TC Drak Challenge title as he out sprinted the reigning world champion Hank McGregor at the end of a riveting 65km canoe marathon that also entrenched Abby Solms as the race’s most successful paddler when she won her seventh women’s title. From the first stage start at Castleburn in the…
The 2017 N3TC Drak Challenge got underway in misty, rainy conditions on Saturday however the racing at the front of the field was white hot as Hank McGregor won an end sprint to the line against Andy Birkett while Abby Solms laid down a significant marker when she powered to yet another stage win at…
0 – the number of compulsory portages on the race 1 – the number of international winners of the race – Max Hoff (Germany) in 2007 2 – the number of weirs on the race 3 – the number of athletes to have won three consecutive titles – Abby Solms, Hank McGregor and Andy Birkett…
As the summer rains replenish water stocks throughout the Southern Drakensberg, paddlers from all over the country will be making the journey to Underberg to tackle what is expected to be one of the best N3TC Drak Challenge’s in a number of years when the race gets underway on Saturday. The small town of Underberg…
The competitive river racing year is set to get under way in spectacular fashion as a star-studded field of some of the planets top river paddlers square up to one another and the full uMzimkhulu River at the 2017 N3TC Drak Challenge in the Southern Drakensberg from 21-22 January. Into its 24th year, the 65km,…
Buoyed by a month of exhilarating paddling on the full uMzimkhulu River, entries are pouring in for this weekend’s N3TC Drak Challenge canoe marathon in the Southern Drakensberg. The steady rainfall since the New Year seems to confirm predictions that the lean two year La Niña drought have been broken, certainly in the mountainous Eastern…
When Kirsten Oliver completes the 2017 N3TC Drak Challenge on Sunday 22 January she will become the fourth paddler to reach the elusive milestone of completing the popular two-day race twenty times. The prospect excites the bubbly 38 year old Deputy Director of Conservation Projects at Wildlands, who rates the 65km outing as the highlight…
As the organising committee prepares to roll out the 24th edition of the popular N3TC Drak Challenge Canoe Marathon, schools and community organisations are poised to once again be the biggest winners at the event. The unique structure of the race, which has grown into one of the biggest on the national calendar, hinges on…
Consistently steady rainfall in the Southern Drakensberg has reassured canoeists that the end is in sight for the La Niña drought and boosted entries for the popular N3TC Drak Challenge on 21 and 22 January. Regular heavy rains have left the uMzimkhulu River between Castleburn and Early Mists Farm that is used for the annual…
As the recent rains in the Drakensberg get paddlers excited for the upcoming N3TC Drak Challenge, Sbonelo Khwela has decided to go about his business in a more discreet way as he eyes an improvement in his previous results with his marker set to break into the top ten at the popular two-day race from…
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