IN PICTURES | Spills and thrills at this year's Dusi Canoe Marathon

There was a lot of drama at the MyLife Dusi Canoe Marathon this year, with some competitors losing their canoes, some nearly drowning and some sustaining minor injuries due to the rocks along the route.

The race attracts between 900 and 1,600 paddlers from around the country and even abroad each year. It is the biggest canoeing event on the African continent and is held in February yearly to take advantage of the summer rainfalls.

Paddlers compete for the first prize for three days starting at Natal Canoe Club in Pietermaritzburg and ending where the Msunduzi River meets the far larger uMngeni River in KwaXimba. The search and rescue team assisted in preventing any drownings.

Thulani Mbanjwa and Musawenkosi Mtolo were leading on day one but on the second and third days Andy Birkett and his young partner Dave Evans took the lead. The final leg is a 36km stretch from Inanda Dam to Blue Lagoon in Durban where Birkett and Evans were crowned the champions of MyLife Dusi Canoe Marathon 2022. 

The women’s competition was won by Abby Solms and Bianca Haw ahead of pre-race favourites Jordan Peek and Christie Mackenzie. Solms won the gruelling competition for the third time, while Haw now has two titles to her name. This year marked the 71st edition of this spectacular event since its formation in 1951.

The amazing hills, mountains and the beautiful views on the race route including Inanda Dam, each year keep the paddlers and supporters of the game mesmerised. Some paddlers will rest for a few days and come back for a Non-Stop Dusi which takes place on Friday March 11 2022, marking a return to the traditional date slot in the KwaZulu-Natal calendar.