KWAZULU-NATAL, BLYTHEDALE COASTAL ESTATE  – Due to its immense popularity, the South African Obstacle Course Racing industry has, over the past few years, ensured that this past weekend’s inaugural South African Obstacle Course Racing Championship was a world-class event according to the two 2018 South African OCR Champions, Thomas van Tonder and Trish Bahlmann. Responsible for bringing the OCR Championships to South Africa is Fritz Pienaar, CEO of Advendurance and the Warrior Company, powered by Reebok, and SAOCR, which was endorsed by Obstacle Course Racing World Championships (OCRWC). The first South African OCR Championships was held in conjunction with at Toyota Warrior Race #5 at Blythedale Coastal Estate on the 14th and 15th July 2018. Set against a backdrop of pristine beaches, unspoiled forest, rivers and estuaries, the Blythedale Coastal Estate was the perfect setting for the South African OCR Championships.

 The OCR World Championships structure is Age Group and Pro Championships, and by building upon the 10Km Commando Elite and 15Km Black Ops Elite divisions respectively, each event featured distinct championship obstacles, with exclusive podium medals and a prize purse exceeding R200 000. Featuring a full compliment of South Africa’s top OCR athletes, the Black Ops Elite/SA OCR Championship race was a gruelling 19km trail course with 35 Warrior series finale obstacles that included four brand-new obstacles.

The top three male and female athletes would receive cash prizes and free entry into the Pro Division World OCR Championships to be held on 19 - 21 October 2018 in London, England. The men’s Black Ops Elite/SA OCR Champs race was hotly contested between South Africa’s top 2 OCR athletes, Thomas van Tonder (Warrior Brand Ambassador) and Claude Eksteen (Supa Mama). It was neck-and-neck, changing the lead throughout the race, but it was Van Tonder who proved strongest on the day, crossing the Championship line in 01h44m19s, just six minutes ahead of Eksteen in second place in 1h50m26s, and Trevor Lagerwey in third with a time of 01h51m37s. Says the South African Elite OCR Champion, Van Tonder, “What a day! It was OCR at the highest level, right here in South Africa. I am beyond blessed to take home the official SA OCR Championship title. It’s hard to describe the feeling of months of hard work all coming together on the day. This course sets the standard for OCR in South Africa. It is the most balanced course there is, a lot of running and big obstacles - it is a leading course. Well done to all the guys involved, from Toyota Warrior, SAOCR and the OCR World Champs, for putting together a magnificent event. A huge shout out to all the athletes who came out to Warrior 5 and laid their hearts on the battlefield.” Trevor Lagerwey, who placed 3rd in the Pro Championship said, “There is no doubt about it, this course was tough from every angle.

The guys did well, from the ocean to the sugar cane, the water, the mud and the tough obstacles, the course was the full deal. This was awesome.” In the women’s Black Ops Elite/Pro Championship race, Trish Eksteen (Supa Mama) put up a hard-fought battle against Sabrina Daolio, Nedene Cahill and Catherine Robson. Despite falling behind after the Drum Carry, Eksteen dug deep to finish on top, crossing the line in 02h11m49s, with Daolio in second with a time of 02h13m50s, and third was Dominique D’Oliveira in 02h26m18s. After her massive Black Ops Elite/Pro Championship victory, Trish Eksteen remarks, “This was like racing World Champs right here in our own backyard. It was incredible. What more do you want - you’ve got the beach, forest and amazingly tough obstacles.” In the 10km Commando Elite with 22 Obstacles (SA CHAMPS & ELITES), it was Brandon Hulley who took the SA OCR Championship win with a time of 59m13s, with Louis Smit in a close second in an hour exactly and Egor Oussov in third with a time of 01h03m52s.  In the women’s race, the top 3 fought a big battle with Naomi Maujean taking the SA OCR Championship victory in 01h35m04s ahead of Jodi Davidson in second in 01h35m25s and Alicia Cawood in third in 01h35m45s.  

The top male and female athletes from each age group in the Commando Elite race also received cash prizes, and an entry into the Age Group division of the 10km 2018 OCR World Championships later this year in the UK. Taking the podium in the men’s 5km with 15 obstacles Rookie Elite race were Cayde de Waal with a time of 47m18s, Tiago Goncalves in second in 48m49s, and Alessandro Cossa in 51m07s. The women’s 5km with 15 obstacles Rookie Elite race was won by Hanneke Dannhauser in 55m17s, Megan van Tonder in second in 58m29s, and Taryn Strydom in third in 59m45s.  Dannhauser is no stranger to OCR with approximately 17 Warrior Elite Black Ops wins under her belt. She has also won the SA national title two years in a row and won the World Champion OCR Short Course in 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio, also achieving the ‘Best of the Best’ trophy. 

The Individual OCR South African Sprint Championships, which took place on the Saturday, 14 July 2018, is a short course with 10 obstacles and competed at high-speed for big prize money. This highly-contested race requires explosive power at full speed, so it was no surprise that the SA OCR South African Sprint Champions (Individual) went to Trevor Lagerwey and Dominique D’Oliveira who proved their superior strength and speed on the day. Age category winners for the Reebok Sprint Race included Vaughn Proctor and Sam Gilchrist (Over 40), and Megan van Tonder and Justin Landsberg (Under 19).  On Sunday, the South African Team Sprint Race Championship saw the best of the best battle it out with Team Liquid Speed - Thomas van Tonder, Dominique D'Oliveira and Jack “JP” Mare - taking the Reebok Sprint Team SA Championship Title. The next event is TOYOTA WARRIOR #6, which takes place on the 11th of August 2018 in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga - all the excitement of The Warrior Race compressed into a single day.      

Results - Toyota Warrior #5 / SA OCR Championships15km Black Ops Elite / SA OCR Championship

Men

Women 15km Black Ops Elite / SA OCR Championship

10km Commando Elite / SA OCR Championship

Men

Women

5km Rookie Elite

Men

Women

Reebok Sprint Race / Individual SA OCR Sprint Championship

Men Trevor Lagerwey Women Dominique D’Oliveira Teams / Team SA OCR Sprint Championship Team Liquid Speed AOT Supa Mama BeSnapped #2 

Here is the press release online – https://warrior.co.za/toyota-warrior-crowns-first-south-african-ocr-champions/ For the full results of Toyota Warrior #5, visit www.jumpertrax.com.

For more information or to enter, visit www.warrior.co.za.  

Written and distributed by Hot Salsa Media on behalf of Advendurance.Images and Enquiries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Editors Notes Toyota Warrior Race 2018 Dates: 

Toyota WARRIOR, powered by Reebok, is back with mud and obstacles built to sustain and delight the thousands of athletes, large and small, tall and short, thin and large that are ready to challenge themselves having fun building better humans. The event calls adventure seekers from all walks of life - whether a weekend WARRIOR or an elite athlete hoping to snatch up the series title. With a Rookie, Commando, and Black Ops category on offer, WARRIOR has something for everyone.   

For the first time in the popular series there will be an escape route for those who don’t find the idea of mud particularly appealing. Instead of diving into the infamous Mud Monster, participants will have the option of taking a penalty loop that will take them the same amount of time to complete. The ‘mudless’ option will not be made available to any Elite athletes, however.

Adventure seekers looking for some extra high-speed excitement have the option of entering the popular Reebok Sprint Race.  A specifically designed children’s obstacle course will be available for little adventurers, as well as a WARRIOR Kids Zone under the supervision of child-minders. There are some exciting things in store at the 2018 TOYOTA WARRIOR SERIES, powered by Reebok: You can choose your own batch start times again, so enter soon to choose the batch you prefer.

The theme for 2018 is Māori Warrior, so expect to see a lot of tattoos and funky designs In 2018 the Mud Monster will not be compulsory, non-Elites can do a penalty loop and skip the mud Sprint Race: we have changed the Sprint Race format to make it more exciting and involve more age categories. Two one-day action packed events added in Bloemfontein and Nelspruit 

PRETORIA, GAUTENG – Despite the wet and muddy conditions, Race #3 of the 2018 Toyota WARRIOR Series, powered by Reebok, attracted thousands of enthusiastic athletes and their keen supporters to Tierpoort Adventure Farm just outside of Pretoria.   This hugely popular obstacle course racing (OCR) series is designed for adventure seekers from all walks of life, and, with no barrier to entry, makes obstacle course racing (OCR) accessible to anyone with a pair of trainers, t-shirt and shorts.  With three categories on offer, Rookie, Commando, and Black Ops, the Toyota WARRIOR races have something for everyone who wish to have fun and challenge themselves across world-class obstacles. The main event of the day was Black Ops Elite. This tough course incorporates 35 obstacles over roughly 15 kilometres of trail.  Course designer, Jono Hart, says, “The WARRIOR course at Tierpoort offers a good balance for the Elite athletes.

The hilly and technical terrain benefits trail runners, while the introduction of six new obstacles and the familiar, age-old obstacles favour those who prefer the physical challenges.”  In the men’s elite race, the “Truck and Trailer” tyre pull and the aptly named “Breaking Point” proved to be the deciding obstacles, with Race #1 winner, Thomas van Tonder (Jeep Team SA), powering through from 5th place and 7 minutes behind the leading pair of Race #2 winner, Claude Eksteen (Supa Mama), and Armin Botha, to take the win.

 Van Tonder finished in 01: 37:07, two minutes ahead of second-place finisher, Bradley Claase (Battle Rush) and Greg Avierninos (KeyHealth Team Nevarest) in third. Said van Tonder, “One of the biggest mental games I have ever had to play. I had my faith properly tested today. I was so happy to stand on the top step of the podium today. Having been in 5th place and 7 minutes off the lead halfway through the race, and then coming back to take the win was an unreal feeling.” In the women’s elite race, Race #1 winner and 2017 series winner, Trish Eksteen (Supa Mama), and Race #2 winner, Carla van Huyssteen (KeyHealth Team Nevarest) tussled for first place, with the lead changing hands throughout the race.

As with the men’s race, Breaking Point proved the title decider. Eksteen showed her racing prowess and grip strength, taking the win ahead of Hanneke Dannhauser (BeSnapped) in second and van Huyssteen in third. In addition to the honours and the R10 000 prize purse, van Tonder and Eksteen each got to drive home in a WARRIOR-branded Toyota RAV4 - theirs to drive until the next event in Cape Town on the 14th and 15th of April. In the Commando Elite race, a 10km trail with 22 obstacles, the men’s top three were, Anrich Zimmerman, who claimed his second consecutive win, in first, Kevin van Wyk in second, his third Warrior podium finish in 2018, and Darren Joyce in third. In the women’s race, Tarryn Butler took her first win of the 2018 series in 01:21:17, Natasha Deley finished 14 minutes behind Butler in second, and rounding off the podium was Tate Stewart.

 The Rookie Elite athletes ran a 5km, 15 obstacle race. In the men’s elite group, first place went to Cayde de Waal, in second place was Travis Dalrymple-Kelly, and finishing third was Simeon De Bruyn. In the elite women’s race, Megan van Tonder claimed her first win of the series, while Monique Els finished in second and Megan McLuckie claimed third. 

Results - Toyota Warrior #3Black Ops Elite

Men

1. Thomas van Tonder - 01:37:07
2. Bradley Claase - 01:39:16
3. Greg Avierinos - 01:40:08 

Women

1. Trish Eksteen - 01:50:56
2. Hanneke Dannhauser - 02:02:05
3. Carla van Huyssteen - 02:03:36 

Commando Elite

Men

1. Anrich Zimmerman - 00:57:12
2. Kelvin van Wyk - 00:57:22
3. Darren Joyce - 00:58:24 

Women

1. Tarryn Butler - 01:21:17
2. Natasha Deley -01:35:14
3. Tate Stewart - 01:40:30 

Rookie Elite

Men

1. Cayde de Waal - 00:30:25
2. Travis Dalrymple-Kelly - 00:30:40
3. Simeon De Bruyn - 00:31:00 

Women

1. Megan van Tonder - 00:34:33
2. Monique Els - 00:36:14
3. Megan McLuckie - 00:38:14 

For the full results of Toyota Warrior #3, visit www.jumpertrax.com.For more information or to enter, visit www.warrior.co.za.

 Written and distributed by Hot Salsa Media on behalf of Advendurance.Images and Enquiries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Editors Notes Toyota Warrior Race 2018 Dates: 

Toyota WARRIOR, powered by Reebok, is back with mud and obstacles built to sustain and delight the thousands of athletes, large and small, tall and short, thin and large that are ready to challenge themselves having fun building better humans. The event calls adventure seekers from all walks of life - whether a weekend WARRIOR or an elite athlete hoping to snatch up the series title. With a Rookie, Commando, and Black Ops category on offer, WARRIOR has something for everyone.

For the first time in the popular series there will be an escape route for those who don’t find the idea of mud particularly appealing. Instead of diving into the infamous Mud Monster, participants will have the option of taking a penalty loop that will take them the same amount of time to complete. The ‘mudless’ option will not be made available to any Elite athletes, however. Adventure seekers looking for some extra high-speed excitement have the option of entering the popular Reebok Sprint Race.  A specifically designed children’s obstacle course will be available for little adventurers, as well as a WARRIOR Kids Zone under the supervision of child-minders. 

There are some exciting things in store at the 2018 TOYOTA WARRIOR SERIES, powered by Reebok:

You can choose your own batch start times again, so enter soon to choose the batch you prefer.

The theme for 2018 is Māori Warrior, so expect to see a lot of tattoos and funky designs

In 2018 the Mud Monster will not be compulsory, non-Elites can do a penalty loop and skip the mud Sprint Race:we have changed the Sprint Race format to make it more exciting and involve more age categories.

Two one-day action packed events added in Bloemfontein and Nelspruit Warrior is going International!

On 24 March 2018 we will be hosting a Toyota Warrior event in Windhoek, Namibia. Entries opening soon!

PRETORIA, GAUTENG - This past weekend, 17 and 18 March, Tierpoort Adventure Farm just outside Pretoria played host to Race 3 of the Toyota WARRIOR Series, powered by Reebok.  The Toyota WARRIOR Race, South Africa’s largest obstacle course race (OCR) series, with three categories on offer, Rookie, Commando, and Black Ops, challenges participants from all fitness backgrounds complete a set course of trails and world-class obstacles.The main event of every WARRIOR weekend is the Black Ops Elite race -  a demanding 15km with 35 intense, military-inspired obstacles.

Thomas van Tonder (Jeep Team SA), winner of WARRIOR #1, hoping to claim a second win of the series, didn’t get off to an ideal start.

Having fallen into fifth place and seven minutes off the lead halfway through the race, he had to dig deep to realise a win. Van Tonder, powering through the obstacles, proving why he is number one in the country, collected the gold medal in 01:37:07, just over two minutes ahead of Bradley Claase (Battle Rush) in second, and Greg Avierinos (Team Nevarest) in third. In the ladies’ race, Trish Eksteen (Supa Mama) once again showed her racing prowess to claim victory in 01:50:56, 12 minutes ahead of second-place finisher, Hanneke Danhauser. In third place, with a time of 02:03:36, was Carla van Huyssteen (Team Nevarest). Says van Tonder, “One of the biggest mental games I have ever had to play. I had my faith properly tested today. I was so happy to stand on the top step of the podium today. Having been in 5th place and 7 minutes off the lead halfway through the race, and then coming back to take the win was an unreal feeling.” 

Results – Toyota Warrior #3Black Ops Elite

Men

1. Thomas van Tonder - 01:37:07
2. Bradley Claase - 01:39:16
3. Greg Avierinos - 01:40:08

 Women

1. Trish Eksteen - 01:50:56
2. Hanneke Dannhauser - 02:02:05
4. Carla van Huyssteen - 02:03:36  

Written and Distributed by Hot Salsa Media on behalf of Jeep Team SAAll enquiries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 084 486 2136 Thank you.   

Have a look at the following platforms to keep up to date with Jeep Team SA:  

#JeepTeamSA

Website: www.jeepteam.co.za
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeepteamsa
Twitter: @jeepteamsa
Instagram: JeepTeamSA  

About Toyota Warrior RaceToyota WARRIOR, powered by Reebok, is back with mud and obstacles built to sustain and delight the thousands of athletes, large and small, tall and short, thin and large that are ready to challenge themselves having fun building better humans. The event calls adventure seekers from all walks of life – whether a weekend WARRIOR or an elite athlete hoping to snatch up the series title. With a Rookie, Commando, and Black Ops category on offer, WARRIOR has something for everyone. For the first time in the popular series there will be an escape route for those who don’t find the idea of mud particularly appealing. Instead of diving into the infamous Mud Monster, participants will have the option of taking a penalty loop that will take them the same amount of time to complete. The ‘mudless’ option will not be made available to any Elite athletes, however. Adventure seekers looking for some extra high-speed excitement have the option of entering the popular Reebok Sprint Race.  A specifically designed children’s obstacle course will be available for little adventurers, as well as a WARRIOR Kids Zone under the supervision of child-minders.

Upcoming Toyota Warrior Race Events