DRAKENSBERG, KWAZULU-NATAL, 3 MAY 2017 – Saturday, the 29th April, saw Jeep Team trail runner, Christiaan Greyling, run the tough 62km Giant’s Cup Uncut Race at Ultra Trail Drakensberg, and win it by more than 50 minutes.   Giant’s Cup Uncut (GCU) is hefty 62km non-stop traverse of the entire Giant’s Cup Hiking Trail, a certified 5-Day hike, with 2400m of vertical climb and occupies an altitude window between 1600m and 2150m. The race started at the Sani Pass Hotel and finished at the Bushman’s Nek Hotel and is entirely on mountain trail, providing runners with a uniquely pure trail running experience. Greyling crossed the finish line in first place in a time of 06:41:39. Second place went to Ben Brimble in a time of 07:32:10, and finishing in third place was Landie Greyling, in a time of 07:50:19. 

Says Christiaan Greyling, “In every Ultra, you reach a point where you want to give up, or at least question yourself why you are doing this. These thoughts come regardless of your speed, preparation or talent. My race went arguably well, but again I learned how easy things can go pear-shaped in an Ultra. I ran the 62km GCU in a time of 6:41, followed by Ben Brimble in a time of 7:32. We ran together for the first 25km, but the technical downhill around halfway suited my skill and I got away from the quicker Ben Brimble. The lesson? Hydration and nutrition is the most important items on race day. My first mistake was to drink less because of the colder weather. I only suffered the consequences of this after 30km, but by then it was difficult to rectify.

The section from 33km to 46km had no river crossings, huge climbs and a baking morning sun. When I reached the Swiman hut (46km mark), I had to consume about 10 cups of fluid not to suffer from dehydration. Drinking water alone can further dehydrate your body as we lose both water and important minerals when we sweat. To counter negative thoughts, think positive thoughts of previous successes, future races, bible verses, or even a song or two.” 

Race Results – 62km Ultra

– Giant’s Cup Uncut MEN

Christiaan Greyling        6:41:39

Ben Brimble                  7:32:10

Ross Michaux               8:36:16 

WOMEN

Landie Greyling               7:50:19

Andrea Devine                10:34:14

Mmamapudi Kubjane       11:24:58 

 

OTHER JEEP TEAM NEWS OBSTACLE COURSE RACINGLESOTHO LUNGS NEEDED FOR THE ‘AIR UP THERE’ OBSTACLE RACE Over the past weekend, 29 and 30 April, Jeep Team OCR Athletes, Thomas van Tonder, Carina Marx, and Jay Jay Deysel travelled to Afriski in Lesotho to take on the Air Up There Obstacle Race.  Battle-Rush and AfriSki joined forces to bring OCR athletes the highest obstacle race in Africa. Taking place in the Maluti Mountains at an altitude of 3222m, the weekend races put the athletes’ legs, skills and lungs to the ultimate test in minus freezing weather. For Jeep Team’s Thomas van Tonder and Carina Marx, the two days of racing began on the Saturday with the individual 15km Obstacle Race. The race featured some 20 obstacles, 900m of elevation gain, and the crossing of freezing dams.  Thomas ‘BeastMode’ van Tonder, crossed the finish line in 3rd place, after missing an obstacle, and receiving a time-consuming penalty of 30 burpees. The race was eventually won by Bradley Claase, with second place going to Armin Botha. Rounding up the top 5 elite men were Claude Eksteen in 4th and Greg Avierinos in 5th place. 

Says van Tonder, “What a race. What a venue. The altitude sure does make a huge difference. It was a super hard race with 900m of elevation gain, and the water was so cold – it was like an intra-race ice bath! Well done to Brad on the win. He had a very strong run. I came in in 3rd place; I missed the spear throw and had a 30-burpee penalty. My Jeep Team SA teammate, Carina Marx, also took 3rd place, even after taking a big detour on the run. Well done to the Marx-Machine!” Jeep Team’s Carina Marx, finished 3rd overall in the women’s 15km race.

First place went to Trish Bahlmann. Crossing the line in 2nd was Catherine Robson, with Sam Gilchrist in 4th place, and finishing off the top 5 was Nikki Caromba. On Sunday, 30 April, the racing continued with a 1km Hill Obstacle Sprint in the morning, followed by the Team Obstacle Race in the afternoon. Jeep Team OCR SA, Thomas van Tonder, Carina Marx and Jay Jay Deysel, took on the Team race. The trio finished in third place behind race-winners Team AOT SupaMama (Durban), and second-placed Team KeyHealth Nevarest.  Results – 15km Obstacle Race (NO RACE TIMES AVAILABLE)Men Bradley Claase Armin Botha Thomas van Tonder Women Trish Bahlmann Catherine Robson Carina Marx    

Results – Team Obstacle Race Team AOT SupaMama Team KeyHealth Nevarest Jeep Team SA  INTERNATIONAL MULTISPORT Jeep Team’s Triathlon star, Mikaela Jonsson, has recently been selected to represent South Africa at the ITU Multisport World Championships Festival 2017 in Penticton, Canada.    Jonsson, who is studying and racing in the USA on a sports scholarship, will represent South Africa in the u23 Elite Women’s category as part of the South African Cross-Triathlon Team. The ITU Multisport World Championships Festival, taking place from the 18th to 27th August 2017, will see athletes from all over the world vying for four different multisport titles, including Duathlon, Long-distance Triathlon, Aquathlon, and Cross Triathlon. 

JEEP TEAM SURFSKIHansa Surfski Challenge After a brief break in the surfski season, paddlers returned to the Durban surf on 01 May for the start of the Bay Union Surfski Series. Jeep Team paddler, Barry Lewin, claimed a 5th place finish at his opening race of the season, the Hansa Surfski Challenge. Lewin completed the two-lap, 12km race in a time of 0:52:14.22. 

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