KWAZULU-NATAL, BALLITO, 19^th JULY 2016 – This weekend, 16-17 July, saw the Jeep Warrior series Race 4 of 8 take place in KwaZulu-Natal at Sugar Rush Park in Ballito, with over 3500 competitors all racing to get the opportunity to drive off in a brand new Jeep until the next Jeep Warrior event, should they hit the top spot on the podium in the Black Ops Elite category.

Sugar Rush Park saw some unusual rain prior to the race, making many of the obstacles slippery and immensely challenging, physically and mentally, but the Jeep OCR Team, Thomas Van Tonder, Jay Jay Deysel, Joshua Masudi, Carina Marx and Hlubi Mboya, faced up to the challenge and excelled.

In the Black Ops Elite Men’s Race, Jeep Team star racer, Thomas van Tonder, took top spot on the podium with a time of 01h40, over 30 minutes ahead of his biggest rival, KeyHealth Nevarest team racer, Greg Avierinos, in a time of 02h11, with fellow Jeep Team racer, Jay Jay Deysel, in 3^rd place in 02h13, rounding off the Jeep Team’s solid achievements in the top elite race.

Jeep Team’s Joshua Masudi, also raced in Black Ops Elites, but cramped half way ending his race for podium.

Women’s Black Ops Elites, who compete over the same course as the men’s Black Ops Elites, had Jeep Team’s up-and-coming OCR star, Carina Marx, competing and nursing an injury, but achieving a respectable 5th place overall in a time of 02h29.

Jeep Team’s celebrity competitor, Hlubi Mboya, competed in the Commando Elite Women’s Race, and says of her race, “This was one of the hardest Warrior Races I have ever competed in. It took me two hours but I refused to give up my band and be disqualified, even when it meant trying to complete an obstacle over and over again.” Mboya’s inspiring tenacity saw her just short of a Top 10 place in the Commando Elites.

The Jeep Team will be competing in Jeep Warrior Race 5, which takes place from 20 - 21 August 2016 at Hazeldean Valley in Pretoria.

RESULTS

BLACK OPS ELITE - MEN

1. THOMAS VAN TONDER - 01:40:07
2. GREG AVIERINOS - 02:11:32
3. JAY JAY DEYSEL - 02:13:26
4. CLINT PRETORIUS - 02:23:40
5. ANRICH ZIMMERMAN - 02:23:45

BLACK OPS ELITE - WOMEN

1. HANNEKE DANNHAUSER - 02:13:26
2. TRISH BAHLMANN - 02:15:43
3. DOMINIQUE DOLIVEIRA - 02:16:49
4. SABRINA DAOLIO - 02:23:32
5. CARINA MARX - 02:59:26

COMMANDO ELITE - MEN

1. MICHAEL ROSS - 00:51:42
2. CALEN HASTIE - 00:51:53
3. GARETH MARQUISS - 00:56:01
4. JASON FRIEDMAN - 00:56:01
5. DARREN MARQUISS - 00:57:28

COMMANDO ELITE - WOMEN

1. DANIELLA LUSHINGTON - 01:21:17
2. CINDY WILLS - 01:30:23
3. TARYN STRYDOM - 01:32:46
4. KAELEE LUSHINGTON - 01:33:07
5. AMOR BEYERSBERGEN - 01:33:42

ROOKIE ELITE - MEN

1. ADRIAN ROUSSEL - 00:31:41
2. SHELDON CROUWKAMP - 00:32:00
3. RICHARD EKSTEEN - 00:33:17

ROOKIE ELITES - WOMEN

1. CHANTE HABIB - 00:40:49
2. LEONIE VAN ZYL - 00:42:09
3. KRISTY VAN DER MERWE - 00:43:07

Jeep #Warrior5 - Pretoria – Hazeldean Valley - 20 Aug – 21 Aug
Jeep #Warrior6 - Nelspruit – Kwanyoni Lodge - 24 Sept – 25 Sept
Jeep #Warrior7 - Meerendal, Western Cape - 22 Oct -23 Oct
Jeep #Warrior8 - Pretoria - Legend MX - 19 Nov – 20 Nov

Editor’s Notes

All photo credits: ZC Marketing Consulting

ABOUT THE JEEP WARRIOR SERIES

The Jeep Warrior Race is South Africa’s largest obstacle course race series 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.

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

Joubert and Dannhauser take Black Ops Elite Men’s and Women’s titles

JOHANNESBURG, 05 MAY 2016 – Over 6 500 Jeep Warrior participants faced extreme challenges at Race#3 of the 2016 Jeep Warrior Series, which took place on the 23^rd and 24^th April 2016 at Hobby Park in Krugersdorp.

Athletes who raced in Black Ops Elite (30 obstacles over 16km distance) on Sunday, were in agreement that the course was exceptionally tough, mentally and physically, as only 26 elites of 70 starters finished the race.

The toughest obstacle, ‘Breaking Point’, lived up to its name, and proved to be the game changer in the Elite Men’s race.

Breaking Point demands an extreme test of upper body strength that requires athletes to get through a 15m sequence of ropes, rings, chains and monkey bars without falling. Right at the end of Breaking Point, athletes need to move themselves over a few metres using only their fingertips, in a stretch known as the Cliff Hanger. It’s at this point that many fall.

New obstacles in the elite events included Extreme Monkey (a series of pivoting ladders) and a heavy barrel-carrying obstacle.

In the men’s Black Ops Elite, Race#1 winner Thomas van Tonder (Jeep Team) and Race#2 winner Claude Eksteen (Adventure Obstacle Training) started off convincingly, managing to get in front at the first bottleneck onto the first single track.

Two kilometres into the race, well-known runner, Eksteen, surged ahead through the flat running section, leaving Van Tonder in second, with Bradley Claase (Battlerush) and Michael Joubert (Nevarest Team) chasing a few seconds behind.

These Black Ops Elite leaders stayed in this order for three quarters of the race until Breaking Point.

Eksteen reached Breaking Point first, but was unable to get through on his first attempt. Van Tonder was next to attempt the obstacle, but he too fell prey to this extreme test of upper body strength, falling from the final cliff hanger section.

This gave Michael Joubert the opportunity he needed to surge ahead, getting through Breaking Point on first attempt and through to the finish line to claim the men’s title in 1h37m30, with Claase 2^nd in 1h40m22 and Greg Avierinos (Nevarest Team) 3^rd in 1h42m58. Jeep Team’s Jay Jay Deysel placed 4^th in 1h45m59, with Van Tonder finishing 5^th in 2h00m10.

Said Joubert, “It was a great race. I started a bit slow, trying to keep my pace and my energy. Bradley [Claase] and I raced alongside each other for most of the race and that was great. Breaking Point was really tough this time around after so much up and downhill running on the course. I kept an easy pace from the start, and this luckily gave me the edge, giving me enough energy to get through Breaking Point first time round.”

The Black Ops Elite women compete on exactly the same course as the men elite. In fact, throughout all the Jeep Warrior events men and women compete on all the same courses. It stands to reason why the Jeep vehicle brand loves the Warrior brand so much – it’s all about equality and strength.

Race#2 winner, Hanneke Dannhauser (USN), dominated the women’s elite race, securing the lead at the start and going on to conquer Breaking Point on her first attempt. No small feat. She claimed the women’s crown in 2h00m12, followed by Jeep Team’s Carina Marx in 2^nd (2h08m35) and Dominique D'Oliveira 3^rd in 2h12m02.

Testament to the strength of these warrior women – the top 3 women elites were placed in the Top 10 overall male and female. Dannhauser placed 6^th overall, Marx placed 9^th and D'Oliveira placed 10^th.

Said Dannhauser, “It was a close race. Carina and Dominique were chasing me the whole time. I kept looking over my shoulder and they were right behind me. Awesome that all three of us got through Breaking Point on first attempt and made the top 10 overall! The course was a great challenge, but I definitely didn’t enjoy all the uphills. I loved the Hobby Park venue because of the beautiful setting with lots of trees. It was also really spectator-friendly, which made for a great festive atmosphere.”

Said Van Tonder, “It was a superb day for racing - clear skies and ‪‎game faces all round. The route had a lot of steep hills with spots of very technical running. At the start the course went straight into single track. Luckily I was one of the first to get through to the front of the pack. Only about 2kms into the race did the course flatten out. As expected, it was here that Claude [Eksteen] cranked up the pace, securing the lead.

I think my biggest mistake of the day was not using my legs enough on the rope climb obstacle just before Breaking Point. The ropes took the extra bit of grip-strength that I needed for Breaking Point. I made it all the way to the cliff hanger part at the end, and then my old nemesis got some pay-back and I fell. The results tell the story of how that ended.”

The next Jeep Warrior Race is taking place from 16 – 17 July 2016 in KwaZulu-Natal at the Sugar Rush Estate in Ballito. To find out more and to enter online, go to http://www.warrior.co.za/events/2016-jeep-warrior4/.

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 keep up with the conversation. 

JEEP WARRIOR #3- HOBBY PARK KRUGERSDORP – RESULTS

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

MEN

1. Michael Joubert - 1:37:30
2. Bradley Claase - 1:40:22
3. Greg Avierinos - 1:42:58
4. Jay Jay Deysel - 1:45:59
5. Thomas van Tonder - 2:00:10
6. Hanneke Dannhauser - 2:00:12
7. Marius Smith - 2:02:34
8. Michael Hills - 2:08:17
9. Carina Marx  - 2:08:35
10. Dominique D’Oliveira  - 2:12:02

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

MEN

1. Anrich Zimmermann – 00:55:42
2. Calen Hastie – 00:58:39
3. Brandon Hulley – 00:58:59

WOMEN

1. Kirsty Rault – 1:16:14
2. Sabrina Daolio – 1:16:15
3. Sam Ryder – 01:18:29

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

MEN

1. Ricardo Rebelo – 00:36:23
2. Joshua De Jager – 00:36:38
3. Adrian Roussel – 00:38:06

WOMEN

1. Kirsten Avierinos – 00:45:45
2. Chante Habib – 00:49:05
3. Leonie van Zyl – 00:50:16

For all the Saturday event results, go to https://www.saseeding.org/participants/event-results/jeep-warrior-race-3-saturday-2016-04-23

For all the Sunday event results, go to https://www.saseeding.org/participants/event-results/jeep-warrior-race-3-sunday-2016-04-24

Editor’s Notes

All photo credits: ZC Marketing Consulting

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.

KZN, MPUMALANGA AND WESTERN CAPE RACES STILL TO COME

JOHANNESBURG, 13 APRIL 2016 – It’s time to unleash the inner warrior. If you can imagine speeding down giant water slides, swinging from ropes and bars, belly-crawling through mud, running through nature, climbing up and over walls and getting covered head to toe in mud, then hurry and book your spot at the Jeep Warrior Obstacle Course Race, 23-24 April 2016, at Hobby Park, Krugersdorp, Gauteng. 

Says Jonathan Hart, Jeep Warrior Series Course Designer, “Obstacle course racing is really rewarding for all sorts of people with varying fitness levels because each race combines a little of everything. Even for first timers, there’ll be obstacles they’re good at, which make them feel great, and there’ll be some that they’re not so good at because they’ve never done anything like that before, which spurs them on to come back for more, trying harder the next time.”

Says Shane Howarth, Head of Sponsorship at Jeep South Africa, “What truly makes obstacle course racing unique compared to all other sports is the comradery generated at every event. This is a festive sport celebrating life. Every event is full of opportunities to lend a hand or get a boost up yourself. Once you’re talked someone into jumping off a 6m high tower into water, the effect can be eye opening – you’ll see that most people are there for the fun and camaraderie. It’s at that point you realise you’ve found your fitness tribe.”

Every Jeep Warrior Race takes place in a stunning outdoor arena and includes three distances that increase in difficulty and intensity. All courses feature a combination or trail running, climbing, jumping, swinging, crawling, carrying heavy stuff and wading through mud, but the exact obstacles change at every event, adding to the sense of surprise and unexpected adventure that keeps people coming back for more and more.

Says Hart, “For the next Jeep Warrior race in Krugersdorp at the end of April, we’ve reworked the Hobby Park venue to make it more spectator friendly and to basically give everyone a fun day out in the sun. Hobby Park is great because it’s not too flat and it’s not ridiculously hilly. It’s basically all sorts of seasons in one – with a few climbs, some rocks and some mud. Warriors definitely won’t be bored!”

For the super fit competing in the toughest event in the Jeep Warrior Series - Black Ops Elite (15km with 30 obstacles) - the notorious Breaking Point obstacle is making a fierce comeback at Hobby Park. A brand-new obstacle called Extreme Monkey will also be unveiled. Here, elites will face an extreme upper body strength and grip test as they navigate the obstacle’s pivoting ladders.

Says Jeep Warrior Black Ops Elite athlete, Thomas van Tonder (Jeep Team), “I love Jeep Warrior Races because at every event there are always surprises. My nemesis obstacle is Cliff Hanger because it’s beaten me once or twice before so I’m always weary. My favourite obstacles are the ones involving slides and water jumps - these bring back the fun and remind me why I love OCR. Breaking Point is a very satisfying obstacle, but it can be heart-breaking as well.”

Warrior Rookie is the ideal course for OCR beginners. The 6.2km course at Hobby Park will feature 15 simple and fun obstacles. This includes Mud Monster (a series of mud pools and clay banks that competitors wade through and then climb up and slide down), Slippery Dip (a giant water slide) and the fear-of-heights-conquering Tower Jump (6m jump into a pool). If you can’t complete an obstacle – just do some burpees.

Thomas van Tonder’s number one tip for Warrior first timers, “Do your first race as a team and wear clothes and shoes that you don’t feel sorry for – you’re going to get really dirty.”

Ready to up your game? Try Warrior Commando – a more challenging 10km course with 22 obstacles. Commando is labelled as the ultimate team-building experience for couples, friends and work colleagues. This course features more upper body challenges, the most difficult being rope hanging.

Warrior Black Ops is the toughest of the challenges, presenting a gruelling 15km course with 30 extreme obstacles. This is a test pf physical, mental and emotional endurance. Obstacles have been designed to break athletes, with only the super fit crossing the finish line. 

Entries to Jeep #Warrior3 – Hobby Park, Krugersdorp are limited and close on 19 April 2016, so to avoid disappointment, enter online now at 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.

THE JEEP #WARRIOR3 HOBBY PARK – KRUGERSDORP

Date: 23 - 24 April 2016

*Registration closing date: 19 April 2016 or when entries sell out

Venue: Hobby Park, c/o Lud Hersch Drive & Robert Broom Drive, Johannesburg, 1756

Directions: https://www.google.co.za/maps/place/HOBBY+PARK/@-26.088672,27.819512,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x2d0093b055e3315d

GPS Coordinates:   26°05’19.4″S 27°49’14.9″E

Participants: 6000

ATMs: none – bring cash

Parking: 4000 cars

Late Entries: To be advised

Spectator entry fee: R30 (kids under 3 years of age don’t pay an entrance fee)

Race Day Registration: Register at least 1 hour before the start of your batch.

To enter, go to www.warrior.co.za.

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.