10 February 2016

2016 Jeep Warrior Series Opener sees over 7500 participants

Submitted by: Megan Hodson
2016 Jeep Warrior Series Opener sees over 7500 participants

JOHANNESBURG, 10 FEBRUARY 2016 – Perfect weather greeted over 7500 eager ‘warriors’ to the first event of South Africa’s largest OCR series, the 2016 Jeep Warrior Series, which took place from 6 – 7 February, at the Hakahana Trails, Pretoria.

The series consists of 8 events with three prized elite categories, all involving mud, challenging obstacles, adventure and fun for all fitness levels and ages, from amateur to professional athletes. The categories are Rookie Elite (15 obstacles over 5km), Commando Elite (22 obstacles over 10km) and Black Ops Elite (30 obstacles over 15km). 

Opening the series, Jeep Team sponsored competitor, Thomas van Tonder, defeated fierce competition and a brutal course to claim the men’s Black Ops Elite title, with Trish Bahlmann winning the Women’s Black Ops Elite event. The toughest of the three distances is the Black Ops Elite, which meets World-OCR racing standards and attracts South Africa’s top OCR athletes. Black Ops Elite is also the only event in South Africa that doubles as a qualifier for the OCR World Championships.

Last year’s Black Ops Elite series winners, Claude Eksteen and Hanneke Dannhauser, both fell victim to one of the toughest obstacles on the day – Breaking Point - a long sequence of ropes, rings, chains and monkey bars that tests upper body strength and co-ordination.

Eksteen had set a blistering pace from the start, leading the Men’s race by an impressive 1m40s ahead of 2nd placed, Thomas Van Tonder, until Breaking Point proved true to its name, with Eksteen unable to complete the obstacle. This gave Van Tonder the break he needed to secure victory in 1h38m. Michael Joubert (2013 winner) finished 2nd in 1hr45m, with Greg Avierinos 3rd in 1hr50m.

Black Ops Elite Men’s winner Thomas Van Tonder said: “This was no easy race so I’m so stoked to take the win. The course was definitely one of the harder courses I’ve experienced in the Jeep Warrior Series, with the rain the night before adding to some real slippery running.

Just as I thought we were heading back to the finish, the route went back up the hill for the last long climb towards the wrath of Mud Monster - another obstacle that can make or break your race. It was then onto Breaking Point – I arrived just as Claude [Eksteen] was on his first attempt. He almost made it through, but fell on the last few bars. I gave it a shot, but underestimated this beast of an obstacle… failing on my first attempt. After a good rest to regain my grip strength, and with the verbal motivation from my family supporters, I got through on my second attempt, and then on to the finish.”

The Women’s race was close and just as tough from the start, with Hanneke Dannhauser, Trish Bahlmann, Dominique D‘Oliveira and Michelle Meyer leading the pack. In a similar scenario to the Men’s race, Dannhauser missed the Breaking Point bell by millimetres, leading to her eventual disqualification at not being able to complete the obstacle.

This opened the field for Trish Bahlmann to claim her Black Ops Elite win in 2h20m. She was followed by Dominique D’Oliveira in 2nd in 2h24m and Michelle Meyer 3rd in 2h32m. This was Bahlmann’s second Black Ops Elite win since the Jeep Warrior series inception.

Said Trish Bahlmann, “I am overwhelmed, I’ve been working so hard towards this, so to win in the first race of the season is incredible. Well done to my fellow Warrior Women as the competition was fierce out there, and I had to dig deep to conquer Breaking Point- an obstacle that got the better of me many times last year. Bring on the next race!”

Shane Howarth, Head of Sponsorship at Jeep South Africa, said: “It was great to see the number of enthusiasts that supported the first Jeep Warrior Race of the year. It continues to demonstrate the popularity of obstacle course racing in South Africa and why the Jeep brand is involved in an activity that allows participants to experience a sense of adventure. And adventure is what driving a Jeep is all about!”

Round 2 of the eight-part series takes place from 12 – 13 March at Emerald Casino in Vanderbijlpark, Johannesburg. To find out more and to enter, go to the Jeep Warrior website - www.warrior.co.za.

JEEP WARRIOR #1- HAKAHANA - RESULTS

BLACK OPS ELITE (± 16KM TRAIL RUNNING with ± 30 OBSTACLES)

MALE

1. Thomas van Tonder - 01:38:10
2. Michael Joubert - 01:45:56
3. Greg Avierinos - 01:50:19
4. Louis Smit - 01:50:48
5. Jay Deysel - 01:53:23

FEMALE

1. Trish Bahlmann - 02:20:15
2. Dominique D’Oliveira - 02:24:17
3. Michelle Meyer - 02:32:12

COMMANDO ELITE (± 10KMS TRAIL RUNNING with ± 22 OBSTACLES)

MALE

1. Anrich Zimmermann - 00:42:11
2. Brandon Hulley - 00:45:59
3. Werner Du Preez - 00:53:59

FEMALE

1. Nikki Caromba - 01:12:43
2. Carika Van Blerk - 01:17:53
3. Christie Els - 01:17:59

ROOKIE ELITE (± 5KMS TRAIL RUNNING with ± 15 OBSTACLES)

MALE

1. Joshua De Jager - 00:24:56
2. Torin Torrente - 00:25:51
3. Liam Marshall - 00:26:37

FEMALE

1. Kirsten Avierinos - 00:42:18
2. Nadine Millar - 00:48:19
3. Surika Samwell - 00:54:44

Photo credits to www.zooncronje.com.

ABOUT THE JEEP WARRIOR SERIES

The Jeep Warrior Race is South Africa’s largest obstacle course race that spans eight events across four provinces.The series burst onto the scene in 2013 and immediately spearheaded the meteoric rise of obstacle racing in South Africa. It quickly grew to up to 9000 participants per event and remains at the forefront of the growth spurt in the new sport of obstacle racing with its larger than life obstacles and innovative courses to challenge South Africans.What makes Jeep Warrior Race so popular, is that anyone can participate - all you need is a pair of old running shoes and a great sense for adventure. To find out more, go to the Jeep Warrior website - www.warrior.co.za. To keep up with the action, like Jeep Warrior’s Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/thewarriorrace - or follow the event on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thewarriorrace.