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Durban - The paddling community is hailing Andrew "GI" King and Devlin Fogg as "legends" for completing the gruelling task of carrying their canoe the entire distance of the Hansa Powerade Dusi route in sweltering and humid conditions.  The Powerade Race For The River team of Andrew King (left) and Devlin Fogg run out of Pietermaritzburg alongside conventional participants in the Hansa Powerade Dusi (Sam Thompson/Gameplan media)
While the pair is loathe to be swamped by this praise they agree that it was a lot tougher than they had expected and have urged the canoeing community not to forget the reason why they undertook the arduous record-setting task.
The team behind the Powerade Race For The River set out to raise awareness for the ecological challenges being experienced in the uMsindisi and uMngeni valleys, and the critical work being done by the Dusi uMngeni Conservancy Trust (DUCT) to clean up these river systems.
"It was way harder than we expected it to be," said King. "If it wasn't for our support crew and the response we've received from the paddlers and the public I'm not sure how we would have managed, but they kept us focused and got us to knuckle down and carry on."
 The Powerade Race For The River team of Andrew King and Devlin Fogg (centre) get a warm welcome from the residents of the Inanda dam valley on Day Three of the 2010 Hansa Powerade Dusi. (Sam Thompson/Gameplan Media)
The pair completed the trek from Pietermaritzburg to Blue Lagoon in Durban in 25 hours, covering over 135km on the road over three days.
"We took a lot longer than we expected, especially around Inanda Dam," said King. "We didn't realise the distance we had to cover to get around the dam. It's 4km across the dam on the final day, but took us 17 to 18km on the road."
The pair acknowledged the effects on their bodies after carrying a canoe for this length of time. "It was probably the only thing we didn't anticipate in the lead up to the race, but we began to feel the effects of the compression in our joints early on," said King. "Luckily for us, we had vast quantities of Powerade to help our bodies cope and to replenish lost electrolytes."
King and Fogg received a great deal of support throughout their journey to Durban with people acknowledging their efforts to raise awareness and support for DUCT.
 From left - Dusi icons Michael Mbanjwa and Ant Stott join the crew of Andrew King and Devlin Fogg behind the Powerade Race For The River on Intersite Avenue in Springfield Park en route to the finish of the Hansa Powerade Dusi. (Sam Thompson/Gameplan media)
"I bumped into Hank McGregor in Umhlanga on Sunday and he came running up to me and said we were legends for doing what we did, and that means so much coming from someone with his stature!" said Fogg.
 DUCT spokesperson Andrew Booth (right) joins Powerade Race For The River team of Andrew King (right) and Devlin Fogg on the outskirts of Windsor Golf course mere meters from their finish of the Hansa Powerade Dusi. (Sam Thompson/Gameplan media)
They were greeted at the finish line at Blue Lagoon in Durban with a heroes welcome from thousands of supporters and admirers, amongst them Coca-Cola's Head of Integrated Marketing and Communications, Lanya Stanek.
 Coca-Cola's Head of Integrated Marketing and Communications Lanya Stanek welcomes home Andrew King (left) and Devlin Fogg of Powerade Race For The River at the finish of the Hansa Powerade Dusi. (Sam Thompson/ Gameplan media)
"Their achievement is staggering," said Stanek. "I hope the paddling community can pick up on their passion for keeping the river systems free of pollution. That will change the personal challenge for these two ultra-athletes into a movement that will benefit everyone who lives in these valleys forever."
"I hope people continue to use the DUCT hotline as we didn't set out to make this a three day thing, as the efforts for the river need to continue," said Fogg.
The Dusi uMngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT) is thrilled that the race has created a powerful new platform for the NGO to operate from, as it encourages each and every paddler and river user to use the DUCT hotline (033 345 7571 ) to report any incidents of river pollution.
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