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1900

Dusi legend Perrow remembered

Dusi legend Perrow remembered

Date: 2020-03-27

The Dusi Canoe Marathon has paid tribute to four-times champion Mark Perrow, who died in a plane crash on the weekend, hailing him as a great champion and a trailblazer for the sport

Perrow won his first Dusi with his Johannesburg club mate Neil 'Zims' Evans in 1992 and again in 1996. He went on to add a Dusi K1 Title to his CV in 1997 and then partnered Dusi Duke Martin Dreyer to win his fourth title in 2000

Widely acknowledged as a leading paddler in that era, Perrow's win in the early nineties was seen as a breakthrough, as no paddlers from outside KwaZulu-Natal has been able to enjoy any success in the Dusi, which was dominated by strong local Dusi specialists like John Edmonds and Kevin White.

"Winning the Dusi was a massive result in 1992," recalls fellow Joburg paddler Graham Monteith. "Neither Mark nor Zims were good runners so to be competitive they had to train really hard - training that took Mark out of his comfort zone."

John Edmonds shared a digs with Perrow in Johannesburg, and while they were archrivals racing the Dusi, they were close friends.

"Mark had this incredible ability to make everyone he met feel like they were a special friend. Just sheer enthusiasm and always ready to 'go for it!'

"There was always so much fun around Mark. But he was highly, highly competitive at the same time," recalled Edmonds.

Multiple world champ and Dusi winner Hank McGregor became close friends with Perrow when he moved to Ballito, and often spent long humour-laden days paddling surfskis or training together.

"Mark was an incredible athlete. He trained hard, had a natural rhythm and that feel for the water that is special. He put all that together. "He was such a positive guy. Ready to try anything. Nothing was too big a challenge," said McGregor.