Durban trio in massive canoe race

For Durban brothers Duane and Jody Taylor and their friend Matt Elliot this year’s Hansa Fish River Canoe Marathon will be particularly meaningful, as the trio sets off in a pink K3 in tribute to the Taylor's mother who passed away in March after battling cancer for two years, strengthening the families commitment to supporting the Pink Drive initiative.

It has been a relatively difficult time for the Taylors but they have felt that this year is the year that they were going to make a big effort and do something that they could remember their late mother by.

“We battled in the past because our mum was diagnosed only two weeks before the Fish in 2011 but this year we really felt that we were going to do it properly in honour of our mum.
“It’s not only her but a friend of mine’s dad also passed away fairly recently from cancer so we have been training quite hard and are letting people know that this really means a lot to us,” Jody Taylor mentioned.

The Taylors have been involved in a few events where they have donned pink kit in support of the Pink Drive and it started when their mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and they made the decision that the Hansa Fish in 2011 would be the beginning of their support for the cause.

The brothers have been involved in the Comrades as well as the Dusi Canoe Marathon where they wore pink in personal support of the cause and in 2013 they were hugely unfortunate to lose their mother to breast cancer so they will once again paddle in support of the Pink Drive.

“We have been really involved in the Pink Drive,” Duane Taylor said. “This year the Pink Drive has come on board and are going to brand our boat as a way of helping to spread to word to wider reaches.”

The drive is something that a number of people are getting involved with and although it centres itself on breast cancer Taylor believes that they are also doing a lot to pass the word around about other forms of cancer.

“The focus on breast cancer is how we came across the Pink Drive and supporting something so close to us was really important to us.
“It is such a brilliant initiative and it is really catching on around the country and assisting in the whole awareness campaign and I think there were guys who swam the Midmar Mile in pink costumes which shows how it is spreading.
“It is a huge thing for us and the way in which they are promoting free breast cancer testing is great.
“The medical costs involved in cancer are huge and for people to be tested for free means that hopefully more women will go and be tested,” he added.

The awareness of cancer and the issues that come from the disease is something that Jody Taylor feels is important to note and with the whole Pink Drive catching it early and dealing with it is something that they want people to take seriously.

“It is so important for us to spread to the message that women, and men, must go and get themselves checked.
“The importance of check-ups is something that we can’t stress enough,” Jody said. Being involved in an event that promotes the Pink Drive so extensively will help the Taylors do their little bit for awareness.“We just really keen to do our little bit and if that adds to the trend that has already been created then that is really great.“The people down in Cradock do such a fantastic job and helping them out is just a small bit of what we have been trying to do,” he explained.

The Hansa Fish River Canoe marathon takes place on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 September.

(File Photo:Gallo Images)

-ECR Sportswave