2024 Biogen Pete Marlin Surfski Race

The weekend consists of a singles race on Saturday and a doubles race on Sunday but organisers have the option to swap races in the interest of safety or more favourable downwind conditions.

The race is held annually to honour its namesake, Pete Marlin, a popular East London surfski paddler who tragically lost his life while paddling on the Umkomaas River in KwaZulu-Natal in 1988.

Marlin is described on the race website as a “charismatic, high energy, free spirit who loved wild places and adventures, which he found aplenty in the rivers and seas of the rugged and magnificent coastline of the Eastern Cape.”

He moved to East London where he joined a small group of intrepid, pioneering kayakers and paddlers who began to explore every river they could paddle in the Eastern Cape.

Following the tragic news of his passing, it was decided to honour him by holding a surfski event in the Eastern Cape.

Since then the Biogen Pete Marlin race has grown to become one of the country’s most prestigious and biggest surfski events on the calendar, attracting a large entry that always includes the who’s who of South African surfski racing, with over 250 paddlers entering each race over the weekend-long event.

The 2024 event also holds added significance, serving as the culmination of the inaugural Euro Steel TRPL Crown, with the first series champions set to be finalised over the weekend.

The 2023 event was designated as the South African championships with Hank McGregor and Kira Bester claiming the titles.

Both paddlers are expected to return to compete alongside a large contingent from the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, as well as inland ocean paddlers from Gauteng and a group of paddlers from Réunion, who are making the trip from the Indian Ocean island for the event.

Race Director, Charl van Wyk, is confident the 2024 event will continue to build on the success of previous years.

“Our aim every year is to make the Biogen Pete Marlin Surfski Race the best downwind paddling event in the country,” said Van Wyk.

“After the near perfect conditions we have enjoyed in recent years, we once again expect the country’s top elite men and women to plan the trip to the Border region for the Pete Marlin weekend.”

Van Wyk says the event is renowned for its unrivalled Eastern Cape hospitality, which attracts droves of recreational surfski fanatics who make an annual return for the weekend surfski festival to race alongside the top paddlers from across the country.

“The paddling is the excuse for their trip to the Eastern Cape but this event is far more than just a surfski race. The atmosphere and vibe throughout the weekend is what keeps drawing more and more paddlers back each year,” continues Van Wyk.

While the event will not be the national championships for 2024, the cream of South African ocean paddling community is expected to take part as they fight for the lucrative inaugural Euro Steel TRPL Crown titles.

The three-race series started in April at the Prescient Freedom Paddle around Robben Island in Cape Town, where McGregor and Josh Fenn won the men’s race and Pippa McGregor and Bester claimed the women’s victory. 

The second leg of the inaugural series was held in conjunction with the SA Championships in Durban in early July, with Uli Hart and Michelle Burn taking the honours.

Entries for the annual Biogen Pete Marlin Surfski Race are open. Paddlers can book their spot at the country’s biggest surfski event by heading over to the Canoeing SA entry portal and entering.

The entry fees for the Biogen Pete Marlin Surfski Race are R600 for singles and R400 per paddler for doubles. Enter before September 9 for a guaranteed custom-designed Biogen Pete Marlin Mocke race shirt.

Visit petemarlin.co.za for more information or follow the action via Facebook or Instagram.