02 November 2016

Jeep Warrior Meerendal results in series cliffhanger Finale

Submitted by: Viv Quann
Jeep Warrior Meerendal results in series cliffhanger Finale

WESTERN CAPE, 1 NOVERMBER 2016 – Over 4000 visitors pitched up to watch the highly-entertaining, nail-biting seventh edition of the 2016 Jeep Warrior OCR series, powered by Reebok, at the hilly Western Cape’s Meerendal Wine Estate. With more than 3000 athletes taking part over the 2 days, the results and seeding from this penultimate race in the series has created a cliff-hanger for the Jeep Warrior Series Final Championship in the Black Ops Elite race in Pretoria this month.

Jeep Team OCR athletes, Thomas Van Tonder and Carina Marx, took part in the Black Ops Elite event, after having just returned from competing in 3 very tough competitions in the World OCR Championships held in Canada. Despite this, these two human machines secured 2nd place podium in the pro-event, the super-tough Black Ops Elite. In the men’s Black Ops Elite race, Claude Eksteen took the podium in a time of 01:28:46, with Van Tonder second (01:28:55) and Marius Smith third (01:36:05). As race winner, Eksteen gets a R10 000 prize purse plus gets to drive a Jeep Renegade until the next Jeep Warrior race in November. 

There was international competition from OCR Team Sweden in the Black Ops Elite race. The Jeep Warrior Series is considered one of the toughest in the world, and this reputation is getting around as we see more and more international OCR athletes training in Jeep Warrior events.   It would be great to see how guys like John Albon and Ryan Atkins (2016 OCR World Champs 1st and 2nd place) would do in a Jeep Warrior Black Ops Elite race. Maybe it’s time to think about a Jeep Warrior World Celebrity Athletes Invitational Event. Food for thought.  

In the women’s Black Ops Elite race, the unbeatable Hanneke Dannhauser (Reebok) took the podium in a time of 01:53:45, with Carina Marx in second (02:00:25), and Sabrina Daolio third (02:10:04). The series ranking by SASeeding takes your top five race results of the eight Jeep Warrior races in the series. Hanneke Dannhauser is top of the log with a full 20 000 points (5 wins/5 races) with Trish Bahlmann on 18 082 points, Carina Marx with 14 980 points. Dominique D’ Oliveira has 14 529 points. Currently, Thomas Van Tonder leads the men with 19 699 points, followed by Greg Avierinos with 16 450 points and Bradley Classe with 16 447 points.

A win gets you 4000 points, so you can see the cliffhanger emerging.   END ### 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. Use the hashtag #BeBrave to join the Jeep Warrior social media conversation. 2016 Final - Jeep #Warrior8 Legend MX, Pretoria 19 Nov – 20 Nov   EDITOR’S NOTES A BRIEF HISTORY OF OCR Today’s obstacle course racing has evolved from military-style bootcamp training courses that were used to prepare recruits for combat. One of the world’s oldest competitive OCR events is the notorious Tough Guy Challenge, which takes place every year in Staffordshire, England. Started in 1987, the race claims to be “the world's most demanding one-day survival ordeal”. Held in in the middle of the British winter, Tough Guy’s 15km course is designed to resemble a World War One battleground, with 25 obstacles featuring steep hill climbs and cliffs, freezing water pools and muddy ditches, fire pits, rope bridges, nets and barbed wire fences. In 2010, OCR truly became an accessible sport to everyone, not just the super fit.

This was in part due to the launch of the Spartan and Tough Mudder obstacle races in the USA that catered to a range of fitness abilities. Both races soon gained mass support and sponsorship, with over a million Americans registering for and participating in OCR in 2011. In 2014, the first OCR World Championships took place in Ohio USA. It was won by the UK's Jonathan Albon, who went on to successfully defend his crown in 2015.

ABOUT THE JEEP WARRIOR SERIES
The Jeep Warrior Race is South Africa’s oldest and 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.

Issued by Hot Salsa Media on behalf of Jeep Team South Africa: For more information or high resolution images, contact Viv Quann at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Sports Range