WATCH: Thunderous chanting from Maritburg College schoolboys marks start of Dusi Canoe Marathon

The thunderous chanting of Maritzburg College schoolboys’ voices echoed through the air in Pietermaritzburg at the start of the Dusi Canoe Marathon on Thursday morning – only for it to be drowned out by the boom of a cannon that got each batch official underway.

Not three hours later and Day 1 was all over for the top paddlers. Reigning champ and race favourite Andy Birkett won the opening leg in a time of 2:40.43.

He finished a little over 5 minutes ahead of Sibonelo Kwale‚ who was hoping to become the first ever black winner of the solo K1 category. The start of the race as typically frantic‚ with thrills and spills a plenty. The race is over three days and finishes at the mouth of the Umgeni River in Durban.

- TMG Digital/The Times