King of the trails, Ryan Sandes, has turned the tables and instead of taking you up a mountain, has announced that he will be hosting a first of hopefully many to come, Downhill Run Events. The inaugural event will be taking place at Meerendal Wine Estate on Wednesday 14 November and is open to all levels of fitness and abilities.

“I am super excited about this event and having the chance to have some fun on the trails with the local Cape Town runners,” says Ryan Sandes. “Downhill running is gaining huge momentum in Europe, and I honestly believe that with all of our incredible mountains we can have just as much fun as they are having.”
Ryan will release the 3.4km downhill Strava segment which descends less than 300m, via social media the day before the event.

In order to take part, runners need to register a Strava profile on www.strava.com, and then take the plunge at Meerendal between 5:30pm and 7:30pm on the evening of the 14th to set their fastest time. “The route we have chosen is currently only open to mountain bikers, but will be closed off for the event,” explains Ryan. “We are so thankful to Meerendal and their mountain biking community for allowing us to use their trails for this event.”

The downhill route will finish at Carlucci’s in Meerendal where runners can celebrate with their family and friends, rehashing their war stories. Megan Mackenzie and some of the Salomon Running Ambassadors will also be at the event and are happy to chat about techniques and trail running advice!
Entry is free and all are welcome to join in the festivities. For more information on the event please follow Ryan Sandes on social media

13 OCTOBER 2016, WESTERN CAPE – With just two days to go, the Meerendal Wine Estate in Durbanville is geared to welcome athletes from across South Africa competing in the seventh edition of the Jeep Warrior Series, powered by Reebok,  which takes place from 22 to 23 October 2016. The rugged Jeep Warrior Series is led by the Jeep brand, so participants will have to pit themselves against mud, water, bridges, slides, ladders, climbing nets, monkey ropes and all sorts of fun and challenging terrain and obstacles. Playing host to a number of national and international athletic events, the 300-year-old wine estate boasts an extensive network of mountain biking, walking and running trails – an ideal backdrop for the Jeep Warrior Race #7 in the Jeep Warrior series. Says Jonathan Hart, Advendurance event organiser and Jeep Warrior Series Course Designer, “What makes the Jeep Warrior Series so popular is that it caters to all fitness levels and age groups; all you need is a pair of trainers and a sense of adventure to enter. Meerendal Wine Estate is an excellent venue and we are excited to be back in Cape Town.

There is something for everyone and much fun to be had. So bring your crew along for a fantastic day of OCR.” Competition in Black Ops and Black Ops Elite races is fierce and presents the toughest of courses, set over 15 - 20 km with up to 30 obstacles, matching world OCR standards. It is the most challenging category, combining both Rookie and Commando obstacles with the addition of endurance obstacles that involve carrying and dragging heavy objects for set distances. A less-challenging alternative to the extreme Black Ops course is Warrior Commando, which covers 10 to 14km with approximately 15 obstacles.

This course is the perfect team-building experience for couples, friends, and work colleagues. Warrior Commando Elite, the next level up, forbids teams or assistance with other participants, and all obstacles have to be completed in order to qualify. Warrior Rookie is for beginners and the ideal introduction to OCR, presenting 15 simple and fun obstacles over 5-8 km. But beware if you’re unable to complete an obstacle; a 20-burpee penalty will see you on your way. Warrior Bratz caters for children ages 4 -12 years old, covering a distance of 500 meters and approximately 8 obstacles aimed at challenging the little athletes.

Parents/guardians are welcome to accompany their children through the course, but may not attempt the obstacles themselves. So grab a pair of takkies, t-shirt and shorts and enter you and your friends into South Africa’s biggest growing and hippest sport, Jeep Warrior OCR. Remember, Jeep Warrior courses are not for the meek and mild so be prepared to get down and dirty.

There’s still time to enter Jeep Warrior Meerendal. Book online here - 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. Use the hashtag #BeBrave to join the Jeep Warrior social media conversation.

JEEP WARRIOR SERIES RACE 7 MEERENDAL WINE ESTATE DETAILS: Date: 22 and 23 October 2016 Venue: Meerendal Wine Estate, Vissershok Road, Durbanville, Cape Town, Western Cape GPS Coordinates: 33°47’55.77”S 18°37’27.88”E Cash Facilities: No. Please bring cash with you. Parking: Yes Spectator entry fee: R30 (kids under 3 years of age don’t pay an entrance fee) Race Day Registration: Register at least 1.5 hrs before the start of your batch.

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. 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.   Jeep #Warrior8 Legend MX, Pretoria 19 Nov – 20 Nov

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.  

13 OCTOBER 2016, WESTERN CAPE – With just two days to go, the Meerendal Wine Estate in Durbanville is geared to welcome athletes from across South Africa competing in the seventh edition of the Jeep Warrior Series, powered by Reebok,  which takes place from 22 to 23 October 2016.

The rugged Jeep Warrior Series is led by the Jeep brand, so participants will have to pit themselves against mud, water, bridges, slides, ladders, climbing nets, monkey ropes and all sorts of fun and challenging terrain and obstacles. Playing host to a number of national and international athletic events, the 300-year-old wine estate boasts an extensive network of mountain biking, walking and running trails – an ideal backdrop for the Jeep Warrior Race #7 in the Jeep Warrior series.

Says Jonathan Hart, Advendurance event organiser and Jeep Warrior Series Course Designer, “What makes the Jeep Warrior Series so popular is that it caters to all fitness levels and age groups; all you need is a pair of trainers and a sense of adventure to enter. Meerendal Wine Estate is an excellent venue and we are excited to be back in Cape Town. There is something for everyone and much fun to be had. So bring your crew along for a fantastic day of OCR.”

Competition in Black Ops and Black Ops Elite races is fierce and presents the toughest of courses, set over 15 - 20 km with up to 30 obstacles, matching world OCR standards. It is the most challenging category, combining both Rookie and Commando obstacles with the addition of endurance obstacles that involve carrying and dragging heavy objects for set distances.

A less-challenging alternative to the extreme Black Ops course is Warrior Commando, which covers 10 to 14km with approximately 15 obstacles. This course is the perfect team-building experience for couples, friends, and work colleagues. Warrior Commando Elite, the next level up, forbids teams or assistance with other participants, and all obstacles have to be completed in order to qualify.

Warrior Rookie is for beginners and the ideal introduction to OCR, presenting 15 simple and fun obstacles over 5-8 km. But beware if you’re unable to complete an obstacle; a 20-burpee penalty will see you on your way.

Warrior Bratz caters for children ages 4 -12 years old, covering a distance of 500 meters and approximately 8 obstacles aimed at challenging the little athletes. Parents/guardians are welcome to accompany their children through the course, but may not attempt the obstacles themselves.

So grab a pair of takkies, t-shirt and shorts and enter you and your friends into South Africa’s biggest growing and hippest sport, Jeep Warrior OCR. Remember, Jeep Warrior courses are not for the meek and mild so be prepared to get down and dirty.

There’s still time to enter Jeep Warrior Meerendal.

Book online here - 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.

Use the hashtag #BeBrave to join the Jeep Warrior social media conversation.

JEEP WARRIOR SERIES RACE 7 MEERENDAL WINE ESTATE DETAILS:

Date: 22 and 23 October 2016

Venue: Meerendal Wine Estate, Vissershok Road, Durbanville, Cape Town, Western Cape

GPS Coordinates: 33°47’55.77”S 18°37’27.88”E

Cash Facilities: No. Please bring cash with you.

Parking: Yes

Spectator entry fee: R30 (kids under 3 years of age don’t pay an entrance fee) Race Day Registration: Register at least 1.5 hrs before the start of your batch.