Thabang Madiba continued his domination at the 2019 Trappers 4 Peaks Mountain Challenge presented by Bloemfontein Courant by once again claiming top spot for the 3rd year in a row, with another sprint finish. As the current record holder for both the “forward” and “reverse” routes, Thabang finished today in a time of 2hrs55min09sec, followed very closely by previous course winner, Lucky Miya in a time of 2hrs55min10sec and Simon Tshabalala in 3rd place in 2hrs58min48sec.

“4 Peaks has become a tradition for us to do and it was so fantastic to be able to run it all the way to the end with my good friend Lucky. I really don’t like racing him as he is more of a brother to me, but someone has to win it,” says Thabang with a smile.

The ladies race was won by last year’s 2nd place runner, Tara-Lea van Zyl, in a time of 4hrs16min34sec, with Martie Botes in second place in a time of 4hrs19min36sec and Meghan West taking 3rd place in a time of 4hrs32min16sec. “4 Peaks in my opinion is the toughest mountain races in South Africa, despite it only being 24km, and with it being so dry the last few months it made the going even more brutal this year,” says Tara-Lea.

“I had a great race with a bit of tumbling and bundu-bashing, and managed to finish with my best result to date of 12th overall and first lady. The heat today definitely played a bit role in the slower times today, but it still is one of the best races South Africa has to offer.”
Dubbed as the toughest 24km trail race in South Africa with a vertical accent of over 1800m, the race takes place on the picturesque Moolmanshoek Private Game Reserve.

The terrain is definitely not for the faint of heart and good preparation is a must. Four very distinctive peaks make up the race as one circle around the Moolmanshoek valley. The route is not marked, but is very easy to traverse with marshals and very clear signage at key places. There are some very steep sections along the route that need to be navigated with the two toughest places being behind Jakobsberg and Visierskerf. 4 Peaks is a completely unsupported race, meaning that all athletes will need to carry everything they will need for the race on their person.

For more information on the race and to find out how you can enter next year’s event, please visit http://4peaks.co.za/. Follow the race live on Facebook on @4PeaksMountainChallenge

-- ENDS --

Notes to the editor:

Leading Positions

1. Thabang Madiba 2hrs55min09sec
2. Simon Tshabalala 2hrs55min10sec
3. Sampie Makoekoe 2hrs58min48sec

Top ladies

1. Tara-Lea van Zyl 4hrs16min34sec
2. Martie Botes 4hrs19min36sec
3. Meghan West 4hrs32min16sec

For the rest of the category wins please visit https://app.sportraxs.com/en/event/4-peaks

Despite coming into the race with injuries and 8 weeks of on-again off-again training, Thabang Madiba has taken podium position at the 2018 Trappers Bloemfontein 4 Peaks Mountain Challenge presented by Bloemfontein Courant and realised his goal of setting a new course record! He now holds the title for both the “forward” and “reverse” routes of the race.

“4 Peaks is always the toughest race on the calendar. I went into the race not feeling the greatest after having injuries and not being able to train consistently – so this result is amazing,” exclaims Thabang. “I said earlier this month that one of my goals was to set a new course record for this route and I am really thrilled to have been able to do that today!”

Thabang took first place in a time of 2hrs39min56sec, with Simon Tshabalala hot on his heels in 2nd place in 2hrs39min57sec and Sampie Makoekoe in 3rd place in 3hrs01min54sec.

The ladies race was won by last year’s reverse champion, Trude Carstens, in a time of 4hrs09min01sec, with Tara-Lea van Zyl in second place in a time of 4hrs09min02sec and Caryn Phipson taking 3rd place in a time of 4hrs21min08sec. “What an honour to not only be back at this amazing, but super tough race, but to take the title again!” says Trude Carstens. “The race went really well, I suffered a little bit in the last 8km which is when Tara-Lea caught up with me, but I was able to dig deep and pip her at the line!”

Great weather conditions ensured all athletes had a great run on the mountain. “We are delighted to have had such an exciting race between our top two men and ladies,” says race organiser Mike de Haast of Pure Adventures. “All in all it’s been a fantastic day out – we couldn’t have asked for more!”

Dubbed as the toughest 24km trail race in South Africa with a vertical accent of over 1800m, the race takes place on the picturesque Moolmanshoek Private Game Reserve. The terrain is definitely not for the faint of heart and good preparation is a must. Four very distinctive peaks make up the race as one circle around the Moolmanshoek valley. The route is not marked, but is very easy to traverse with marshals and very clear signage at key places. There are some very steep sections along the route that need to be navigated with the two toughest places being behind Jakobsberg and Visierskerf. 4 Peaks is a completely unsupported race, meaning that all athletes will need to carry everything they will need for the race on their person.

For more information on the race and to find out how you can enter next year’s event, please visit http://4peaks.co.za/. Follow the race live on Facebook on @4PeaksMountainChallenge

-- ENDS --

Notes to the editor:
Leading Positions

1. Thabang Madiba 2hrs39min56sec
2. Simon Tshabalala 2hrs39min57sec 
3. Sampie Makoekoe 3hrs01min54sec

Top ladies

• Trude Carstens 4hrs03min02sec
• Brigitte Joubert 04hrs14min27sec 
• Martie Botes 04hrs14min27sec

For the rest of the category wins please visit https://app.sportraxs.com/en/event/4-peaks

Just over one month to go until the start of the annual Trappers Bloemfontein 4 Peaks Mountain Challenge presented by Bloemfontein Courant and once again the race promises to be a nail biter with previous race champions Lucky Miya and Thabang Madiba returning to fight for the crown. Although only 24km, the race is known throughout the trail running community as one of the toughest mountain runs in South Africa!

“Only a few entries still remain for this year’s event,” says race organiser Mike de Haast from Pure Adventures. “We only allow 200 runners to experience the magic of this event and preserve the pristine nature of the mountains.”

“The 24km race is self-supported and self-navigational and as the route is circular it makes it a good entry level event for those that are looking for something more challenging than running on the trail. The 24km, though, should not fool you into a false sense of security as this is Extreme Mountain running and is the equivalent to an ultra-marathon. Trust us you will never think of 24km in the same way,” says Mike.

“4 Peaks is a real adventure race, it’s not simply trail running,” says Douw Raimondo from Trapper Bloemfontein. “As a proper adventure store, we are always so excited to be associated with this proper adventure of a race!”

The race, which has a vertical ascent of 1800m will take runners through the picturesque Moolmanshoek Private Game Reserve on Saturday the 22nd of September 2018.

For more information on the race and to find out what additional activities will be available on the weekend, please visit http://4peaks.co.za/.

Follow the race live on Facebook on @4PeaksMountainChallenge