PRESS RELEASE
Bubbly TV anchor and radio presenter Liezel van der Westhuizen and paddling partner, Greg van Heerden, will team up for the second consecutive year in the colours of The Unlimited for one of Africa’s big five events – The Unlimited Dusi canoe marathon in February next year.
Both from Milnerton Canoe Club in the Western Cape, the two paddling partners only teamed up nine weeks ahead of the 2012 race, but with one successful race in the bag and a couple of months to train together, they are convinced that they will better their finish time of 13 hours 22 minutes.
“I am always looking for new challenges and loved my first Dusi experience. It was awesome and I can’t wait to paddle in the beautiful Valley of 1000 Hills again. Gregg and I paddle well together and are looking forward to a more competitive race next year. Mostly though it is about enjoying the amazing scenery of the Valley of a Thousand Hills and getting out on the water,” says Liezel.
Liezel is currently the only Cape celebrity to set off as part of The Unlimited Dusi Charity Batch, which raised a record of R368 020 earlier this year for the official event charities, namely The Unlimited Child, the SPCA and DUCT (Dusi Umgeni Conservancy Trust).
5FM sports presenter Sias du Plessis – affectionately dubbed Ginger by morning show host Gareth Cliff – will also be back with a new paddling partner Ryan Thompson in support of The Unlimited Child, a non-profit organisation focusing on early childhood development through educational toys and caregiver training. For more information, visit the website at www.theunlimitedchild.co.za or www.theunlimiteddusi.co.za