Underberg - The organising committee of the Hansa Powerade Drakensberg Challenge is determined to do justice to the SA K1 Championship status that has been awarded to the race of their race by hosting the best event ever.

Early indications suggest that a new record field is a strong likelihood, as a steady flow of early entries has exceeded the number of entries by the corresponding time last year, when a record 850 paddlers entered the two day race from Castleburn, high in the Garden Castle mountains, to the Early Mists Farm close to Coleford.

The race hosted the SA K1 Champs very successfully in 2005, when the elite paddlers gave their unanimous approval to the suitability of this race to determine the countries best river racers.

After a hot and dry spell over the December holidays, the key catchment areas have been receiving good rainfalls, and the Umzimkulu has been flowing full and fast for the past fortnight.

The race is wholly reliant on rainfall, which creates an exciting element of uncertainty about the exact race levels each year. The race has enjoyed exceptional full river levels for the last four years, and the organising committee is optimistic that another full river will be on offer for the national championship decider on February 24 and 25.

“There’s every indication that we will have close to 1000 paddlers this year,” said race organising committee head Tex Turton. “We are passionate about making sure that each paddler’s experiences is the best possible, no matter how big the race gets.”

Turton and his team have spent several weeks during spring clearing wattle trees that have grown into the river, particularly in the demanding Valley of a Thousand Rapids section that makes up the first half of the first day.

Len Jenkins and Carol Joyce are the defending champions in the men’s and women’s divisions, and while Jenkins is non-committal, Joyce is sticking to her commitment to the women’s K4 crew training aiming at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

“I’d love to be there,” said Joyce. “I may well be on the bank watching but I have taken a decision that the K4 is my top priority and I will stick to that, no matter how much I’d love to be on the river,” she said.

Organisers will close entries on Friday 16, a week later than published on their entry form, due to a conflict of information published on an on-line entry facility.