Graeme pope ellis biography of martin luther

Graeme "Pope" Pope-Ellis (born 26 July 1947 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, died 17 June 2010) was a South African canoeist best known for his 46 consecutive year Dusi Canoe Marathon career, having won the race a record 15 times.^[1]

Personal life

Pope-Ellis grew up along the banks of the Msunduzi River on a farm in Ashburton, just outside Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

He attended Alexandra High School in Pietermaritzburg and completed his first Dusi in 1965, aged 17.

Dusi career

Pope-Ellis completed the Dusi Canoe Marathon, arguably the world’s most prestigious canoe race,^[2] 46 consecutive times between 1965 and 2010.

He also hold the record for having won the race 15 times. Pope-Ellis has become synonymous with the race and has been affectionately named the "Dusi King".^[1] Pope-Ellis won his first Dusi in 1972 with K2 partner Eric Clarke and became the first person to win the Dusi in a single canoe in 1981.^[3&