McGregor and Zondi partner for Non-Stop Dusi

Zondi, who raced to Dusi victory with fellow EuroSteel star Andy Birkett earlier this month, had initially hoped to continue his journey with Birkett in the Non-Stop Dusi.

He was forced to change his plans when Birkett decided not to take part, leaving Zondi partnerless.

Zondi was preparing to do the marathon alone, when a last minute change of heart saw him get the ball rolling for the combination with McGregor.

"In the beginning my plan wasn't to do Non-Stop Dusi on my own. I wanted to paddle with Andy Birkett again but when he told me he wasn't going to race Non-Stop. Then I decided to do it in my K1," Zondi said.

"Even though I said I was okay doing it alone, I wasn't all that confident because it's a very long way. "I woke up during the night on Monday night and something just told me that I was making a mistake and that I needed to find a partner for Non-Stop."

He said he called McGregor, who replied on Tuesday saying he was happy to do the marathon with him.

"I'm really happy to have someone in the boat with me to talk to and to keep me motivated throughout the race," Zondi said.

The Non-Stop Dusi Canoe Marathon begins at Camps Drift,

Pietermaritzburg at 5.30am on Friday and finishes at Blue Lagoon, Durban.

(File photo:Gallo Images)

- Sapa