They say South Africans are the toughest of the lot, and if that is true then the 2018 SkyRun will undoubtedly be tougher than ever before, as it has it partnered with South Africa’s most technical outdoor gear brand, becoming proudly known as the K-Way SkyRun!

“Our team at K-Way are thrilled with our partnership with SkyRun!” Beams Caitlin Doney, Public Relations Coordinator for K-Way. “We believe there is perfect synergy with K-Way being a proudly South African brand, partnering with an authentically South African race. Athletes have to endure extreme elements and it’s going to be tough – but we are confident that our gear will make the journey easier.”

In previous year’s many of the K-Way athletes have dominated the podium positions at SkyRun, with Lucky Miya taking the crown in 2017 and running phenomenon Nicolette Griffioen maintaining a top 10 overall position until the 65km mark where she had to pull out due to health problems. “Lucky will be back to defend his title this year as will Nicolette and we are hoping for #1 podium positions for both of them,” says Caitlin. “After last year’s health scares, AJ Calitz, will also be back to prove he still has what it takes and we know he would love to be on the podium with Lucky!”

“We are honoured to have a brand like K-Way along on for our SkyRun journey,” says event organiser, Mike de Haast from Pure Adventures. “SkyRun is a super technical event and we have complete faith that the K-Way brand will be able to stand up to all of the tests and challenges that the SkyRun elements have to throw at it.”

To add to the excitement, this year’s K-Way SkyRun will now also be featuring a 38km night mountain run that will be the perfect entry level event for anyone who has a 100km SkyRun race on their bucket list. “We are limiting entries to 100 competitors and are very confident that we will be “running” a waiting list for this route as we do for our other routes over the SkyRun weekend,” says Mike de Haast. “But don’t be fooled by the distance, entrants will have 12 hours to complete the 38km, and will be running on the parts of the same route as our 100km runners.”

The races will be taking place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 November 2017.

Website – skyrun.co.za
Facebook – SkyRun
#Hellofarun
#SkyRun
#Gearupgetout

It is often said that sport has the capability to bring together a nation and change lives. The Change a Life Academy was started in 2008 when Martin Dreyer won his seventh Dusi Canoe Marathon alongside Thulani Mbanjwa. After four intense and vigorous months of training together, Mbanjwa became the first black person to ever win the race.

“Thulani lived in a very rural setting in the Valley of a Thousand Hills and did not have much of a support structure at the time,” says Dreyer. “His friends used to run barefoot with us when we trained twice a day.”

The following year my Change a Life Academy was started. “My goal was to try get ten of Thulani’s friends into the top 50 at the Dusi. I again, rigorously trained for four months down in the Valley of 1000 Hills, but this time I was able to provide them with a blueprint on how to win as well as additional support through supplements, clothing, and equipment.” Amazingly, all ten of the CAL paddlers finished in the top 356 out of 1 500 paddlers.

Three years ago, Dreyer started a mountain bike team and, earlier this year, he created a running team, which has subsequently been sponsored by Merchants. Merchants provides the team with everything they need to be successful, and has also sponsored a vehicle so that the team can travel to their required destinations.

Dreyer wanted to challenge the Merchants CAL running team and opted to focus on the gnarly Jeep Warrior Races, a series of eight obstacle course trail running races across the country. “Straight runs are too easy and we needed to up the ante in difficulty, to make it a proper challenge. It’s a tough goal for an athlete to complete the Black Ops Elite category, which is a 15-kilometre trail run race with 30 obstacles,” says Dreyer. He adds that the race organisers initially advised him to enter the athletes in the Commando division. “They said it normally takes a regular athlete a year before they are able to complete a Black Ops Elite race.

When none of the athletes completed the first two Black Ops Elite Warrior Races held in Krugersdorp and Ballito, Dreyer started questioning whether he had set the bar too high for the athletes. I organised with “Claude Eksteen, a seasoned OCR athlete and 2015 series winner, for my runners to train at his Obstacle Course Training facility once a week. With advice from an expert, their technique improved tremendously, along with their strength. As a result, three of my athletes finished the next Black Ops Elite Warrior Race in Pretoria in an incredible 9th, 10th, and 15th position overall.”

The athletes have since gained tremendous confidence and at the Warrior race at Meerendal Wine Estate in Cape Town, two of them amazingly cracked a top five overall, 4th and 5th and also 12th place.  “There is so much raw talent in the Valley of 1000 Hills. It just goes to show what providing a support structure, hard training and mentorship can achieve,” says Dreyer.

Kwanda Mhlophe, who came 4th at that Warrior Race in Cape Town, has been selected as the team captain. “My secret is to push my limits and test my mental power. I enjoy the unique obstacles, which are out of my comfort zone, and test my physical and mental capabilities. I'd recommend this event to others because it tests every person’s capabilities and boosts one’s self-esteem when you overcome an obstacle.” The Change a Life Academy supported Mhlophe in his sports management diploma, which he completed last year at Varsity College, to prepare him to take on a stronger leadership role within the Academy.

Hlelani Radebe came 5th in the same race. “I've grown to love this sport and it helps me persevere. I enjoy the challenge of the obstacles I come across. I would recommend it to other rural people because it is still new from where we come from and it’s not a typical choice of sport in the Valley of a Thousand Hills.”

Dreyer says it’s not always about winning, but rather participation for everyone. “There is so much discipline and hard work involved in this sport and it has really taught the athletes amazing life skills. They train twice a day and they are beginning to realise that what you put in, is what you get out.” He adds that the athletes receive food parcels to take home to their families, which gives them a sense of purpose and enables them to provide for their families. “This, in turn, gets the families to support that athlete to train and ensure they are eating healthy to maintain their training regime and races.”

“Merchants coming into the academy and supporting the running team has just given it wings. Now there is a team that travels around the country doing this national Warrior series,” says Dreyer. A group of 133 Merchants employees also participated in the Rookie division of the Cape Town Warrior Race. “It was humbling to see how the Merchants teams worked together, stuck it out and got to the finish line. It’s awesome that the company is providing this platform for its employees to be more active and participate in these races. It’s also great that they are aligning themselves through not only sponsoring the team but participating in the race as well,” he says.

“People and customers first is a message that you hear quite often, yet it’s a principle by which we live within Merchants. Our aim is to create meaningful and sustainable futures for our people and the communities that we serve. Our people have embraced the Change a Life Academy sponsorship, by actively participating in these races and improving their lifestyles,” says Jennifer Algie, People Director at Merchants. 187 Merchants employees will be taking part in the upcoming National series final Warrior Race taking place in Pretoria on the 19th of November.

13 SEPTEMBER 2016, JOHANNESBURG – It is less than a month until the world’s top OCR athletes fight it out at the third OCR World Championships from 14-16 October 2016 at the Blue Mountain Resort, Toronto in Ontario, Canada.

Jeep Team athletes, Thomas van Tonder and Carina Marx, have both qualified and have been in full Warrior mode ahead of the World Championship.

Both Van Tonder and Marx were on fire at the recent Battlerush OCR fundraiser, a gruelling OCR Training event designed to push athletes through tough individual obstacles that may be seen at the World Champs; and both won the Savage Beast race at The Beast OCR event this past weekend.

To have qualified for OCR World Champs, South Africans need to have achieved a Jeep Warrior Top 20 finish in an Elite category in their gender, or an Impi Challenge Top 20 finish in the Elite division in their gender.

Van Tonder, over in the past 12 months, has achieved three 1st places, six 2nd places, and one 5th place. Marx, over the same period, has achieved four 2nd places, four 3rd places and two 5th places. Both athletes are well qualified for the Championships but won’t know how they truly compare against the rest of the world until they are neck deep in mud in Ontario. 

The OCR athletes selected for Team OCR South Africa to go to World Champs is Thomas van Tonder, Bradley Claase, Michael Joubert and Claude Eksteen (not going) for Men; and Hanneke Dannhauser, Carina Marx and Trish Bahlmann (not going) for Women.

Joining van Tonder and Marx in Canada, is fellow Jeep OCR athlete, JJ Deysel, who was not selected for the SA OCR Team, but will compete in other races over the Championship weekend.

According to the event organisers, the OCR World Championships will put the world’s top athletes through the ultimate physical and mental challenge across a series of obstacles over a distance of approximately 13km and will marry natural elements with some of the most challenging obstacles in OCR history.

While the course will share some of the same terrain and obstacles our team will be used to, a significant portion of the course and obstacles will be new to athletes and unveiled only on race weekend.

It is the first truly-independent global Championship for the burgeoning sport of Obstacle Course Racing. It is a singular event created to unify, promote, and increase participation in the sport of OCR, while celebrating its strong and highly-versatile athletes.

Said Marx, “My OCR path started with my first Rookie (Jeep Warrior Race) two and a half years ago. It was love at first “mud”. I admired the Black Ops Elite ladies for their skills and toughness, even though they looked fairly soft on the outside. It was a dream and a goal of mine to get to that level. Two years later, I joined Jeep Team and selected for Team OCR South Africa, qualifying to take part at the OCR World Champs.”

Said van Tonder: “The Beast 6 was one of the best courses of The Beast Series so far. In this event, I got to run the 5km route with #StandWithStan amputee after our race, an incredibly humbling experience and a reminder of how blessed we are to be able to do what we are doing. This takes my BEAST winning streak to all 6 events. I’m so amped for the World Champs next month.”              

THE BEAST 6 RESULTS: SAVAGE BEAST

WOMEN

• 1ST - Carina Marx
• 2ND - Sabrina Daolio
• 3RD - Michelle Meyer  

MEN

• 1ST - Thomas van Tonder
• 2ND - Greg Avierinos
• 3RD - Clive Edwards  

BATTLERUSH OBSTACLE RESULTS:

3-km Scramble Course winners: Thomas Van Tonder, Carina Marx

Flying Monkey winners: Thomas Van Tonder, Michelle Meyer

Warped Wall winners: Thomas Van Tonder, Michelle Meyer

Spear Throw winners: Bradley Claase (new BR record 17.05m)

Grip Line winners: Thomas Van Tonder, Michelle Meyer

Devil's Ladder winners: Marius Smit and Thomas Van Tonder  

In other Jeep Team news:

Paddling – McGregor the Machine (sourced from Gameplan Media)

South African Jeep Team paddling icon, Hank McGregor, wants another K1 and potentially a K2 title at the ICF Canoe Marathon Masters World Championships taking place in Brandenberg, Germany from 16 to 18 September.

McGregor believes the German facility may well suit him better than the course in Gyor, Hungary where he won gold in the K1 event and silver in the K2 with doubles partner, Jasper Mocké.

“After all the years of racing international marathon championships, the German course is still one that I haven’t raced on,” the Euro Steel/Kayak Centre ace mentioned. “From what I can see, the course is far more open than last year’s.

“Also it isn’t on a river, which will suit me better, and if the wind picks up then the race might become a little like a surfski race, which again should benefit me.

“At about 210 metres, the portage is about three times as long as last year’s, so if you are not a strong runner then you might battle.”

“My partner, Jasper Mocké, is also in good form at the moment and came off a good win at the Breede Canoe Marathon recently, so if we can just make sure we remain fit and healthy then I think we should be in with a good shout in the K2 race as well.

“Having narrowly missed out on gold in the K2 last year in the end sprint, we have got more than enough motivation to rectify that this year and we are going out there to do our best and give it a proper shot,” added McGregor.

The world’s best marathon paddlers will gather to attempt to dethrone McGregor – who has claimed the global K1 crown a remarkable four times in the past five years – and with the majority of the challenge likely to come from Europe, McGregor understands the threat that the rest of the field poses to his crown.

“I can’t really single out any specific challenger but the Portuguese, Spanish and Hungarians always provide a really stern test.

“Andy Birkett will also be there and he has been going really well with his World Cup win recently, so the field is going to be incredibly strong and I will need to make sure I am in good shape and healthy so I can be in with a chance,” explained a confident McGregor. Source: With thanks to Gameplan Media 

Other paddling news:

Jeep Team Paddle Veteran and former South African Team Captain, Barry Lewin, recently led a group of experienced paddlers on an exploratory trip along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline from Cape Vidal to St Lucia.

Lewin is working closely with iSimangaliso Wetland Park to create an annual paddling event that will raise funds and awareness for the Wetland Conservation area from Cape Vidal to St Lucia.

Said Lewin, “We had such a great weekend away in St Lucia. I have been working with the Park to set up a race there in the future and am blown away by what we have right on our doorstep, Africa is amazing. We paddled from Cape Vidal to St Lucia on a nice NE with some great people.”

MTB

Jeep Team’s MTB athlete, Thinus Redelinghuys placed 8th in the ultra-marathon at Ashburton National MTB Series #6, which took place at Dulstroom at Dunkeld Country Estate on 3rd September.

The National MTB Series consists of seven events across 6 provinces over an eight month period.

The final event in the series takes place Rooiberg on 15th October 2016 at the Rooberg Golf Club.

#JeepTeamSA 

Editors’ Notes
Issued on behalf of Jeep Team SA by Hot Salsa Media This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For Jeep Team SA: Max Cluer:

Boilerplate:
Team Jeep was founded in 2001 with its first calendar year of racing in 2002. 13 years later the team continues to identify and produce world class athletes across its selected sporting disciplines. Its core ethos and focus has never changed and has always been based on helping the athletes achieve their goals and dreams by providing them with the right building blocks and teaching them the business of sport. 

Jeep Warrior Race South Africa Top 20 finish in your age group Top 20 finish in your gender in the Elite division

Impi Challenge South Africa Top 20 finish in your gender in the Elite division Top 10 finish in your gender in the Elite division

Warriors, are you ready?

South Africa’s largest, toughest and muddiest obstacle course race is coming to KwaZulu-Natal.

Jeep Warrior #4 of the Jeep Warrior Series is taking place at the Sugar Rush Adventure Park in Ballito from 16 - 17 July 2016.

Everyone is invited to take part in this epic obstacle course event – all you need is a pair of old running shoes and a great sense of adventure because you are going to get MUDDY!

There are four courses on offer that vary in intensity, catering to all fitness levels. 

For kids, there’s the 8 obstacles over 1km Warrior Bratz Race. Parents can accompany their children, but can’t compete in this event. 

For beginners, there’s the Warrior Rookie Race (6 - 8km with 15 obstacles). Rookie is all about fun and comradery. It is the shortest distance with semi-challenging obstacles for newbies. 

Up a level is Warrior Commando, which is fairly challenging, with a 10km course with 20 fairly tough obstacles. This event is labelled as the ultimate team-building experience.

Jeep Warrior Black Ops is the toughest of the challenges, presenting an 18 to 20km course with 30 tough obstacles. This event meets World-OCR racing standards and attracts South Africa’s top OCR athletes. 

So get your family and friends together, create a team, and challenge them to #BeBrave at Jeep Warrior #4 Sugar Rush. 

To enter go to www.warrior.co.za/events/2016-jeep-warrior4

Event: Jeep #Warrior4 Sugar Rush

Dates: 16 and 17 July 2016

Venue: Sugar Rush Adventure Park, Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal

Entries: Go to www.warrior.co.za/events/2016-jeep-warrior4

GPS: S 29 29′ 29.29   E 31 10′ 49.30

ATM Facilities: No. Please bring cash along with you.

Parking: 3000 cars

Facilities: Food & beer tents, parking, secure lockers and a shower zone