DURBAN, 28 JUNE 2016 – The King of surfski, Hank McGregor (Jeep Team), continues his reign of back-to-back victories, this time winning the FNB Durban Downwind Surfski title in Durban on Sunday, 26 June 2016. This is the first time McGregor has won this title since race inception in 2014. 

The third edition of the annual race, which doubled as a World Surfski Series title event, took place in flat ocean conditions, testing paddlers’ endurance and stamina as they raced 26km from La Mercy Beach to Addington Beach. 

McGregor set the pace from the start claiming the FNB Durban Downwind title in 1h44m50. 

Last year’s winner, Matthew Bouman, placed 2nd in 1h45m54, followed by Mark Anderson in 3rd (1h48m54), Gene Prato 4th (1h49m27) and Jeep Team’s Barry Lewin in 5th (1h50m40).

Said McGregor, “I’m stoked to take the win this time around. I narrowly lost it two years ago so it’s nice to win the Durban Downwind for the first time. I was in hospital on Friday so it was a hit and miss whether I was going to race but I’m glad I was able to get out there. Conditions were pretty tough. There was hardly any assistance really so it was a hard slog for 26kms. I managed to get out in front early and then kept the guys behind me for the rest of the race. There weren’t too many tactics involved really.”

It’s been a busy month for paddling legend, McGregor, with back-to-back victories across surfski and canoe marathon paddling disciplines. On 29 May 2016, he claimed his third Maui Jim Molokai Surfski Challenge title in Hawaii. This 53km surfski ultra marathon is considered the world’s toughest surfski event. 

Just days after this victory, and still recovering from jet lag, McGregor won the world’s oldest surfski event, the Illovo Pirates Umhlanga Pirates Surfski Race, which took place in Durban on 5 June. 

He then swapped his surfski for a canoe to claim the K1 2016 South African Canoe Marathon Championship, which took place in Cape Town on 11 June. This result means he has qualified for the 2016 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships, happening in Brandenburg, Germany, in September.

Now he’s on his way to Mauritius for the 2016 Mauritius Ocean Classic World Surfski Series race, taking place on 2 July 2016. Jeep Team team mate, Barry Lewin will also be competing in the Mauritius Ocean Classic.

2016 FNB DURBAN DOWNWIND RESULTS

1. Hank McGregor 1:44.50
2. Matt Bouman 1:45.54
3. Mark Anderson (AUS) 1:48.54
4. Gene Prato 1:49.27
5. Barry Lewin 1:50.40
6. Luke Nisbet 1:50.52
7. Bailey de Fondaumiere (U18) 1:52.35
8. Jason Ekstrand 1:53.06
9. Steve Woods 1:53.43
10. Wade Krieger 1:54.10

Other Jeep Team results

MTB

On Saturday, 25 June 2016, Jeep Team’s MTB athlete, Thinus Redelinghuys, competed in Race#4 of the 2016 USN MTB Cup Series.

The 50km race took place at the Big Red barn, near Irene, Gauteng. Redelinghuys managed an impressive podium finish, placing 2nd overall.

#JeepTeamSA 

Editors’ Notes

For more information please contact Bronwen Blunden on 079 060 1905 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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

PIETERMARITZBURG, 8 JUNE 2016 – Just days after winning the world’s toughest surfski ultra marathon, the Maui Jim Molokai Challenge in Hawaii, Jeep Team’s Hank McGregor was back racing on home turf, this time claiming victory at the world’s oldest surfski event, the Illovo Pirates Umhlanga Pirates Surfski Race, which took place in Durban on Sunday, 5 June.

McGregor finished the 27km race in 1h59, followed by Matt Bouman in second place (2h05m30) and Wade Krieger in 3^rd in 2h05m55. Luke Nisbet placed 4^th in 2h07m26, with Jeep Team’s Barry Lewin in 5^th (2h07m42).

The first Pirates Umhlanga Pirates Surfski Race took place in 1957, which makes it the oldest surfski race in the world, and cements Durban’s status as the birthplace of surfski.

Said McGregor, "It was a really solid day for me and I am really happy to get another win here even though I am still battling with a bit of jet lag. There was a good following tail wind all the way to Umhlanga. The wind was against the current so you felt like you were going faster than you actually were and then on the return, we were with the current but into the wind, which made it a pretty tough day out. I managed to get quite a big lead on Matt Bouman early on, and then I turned with the doubles so that gave me a good incentive into the final leg.”

After making headlines across the country for his surfski achievements over recent weeks, McGregor’s focus now shifts to the 2016 South African Canoe Marathon Championships in Cape Town on 11 and 12 June 2016.

"We have the South African Marathon Champs, which is also the national trials for the World Champs in Germany later this year, so I will hopefully be selected so I can defend my World Marathon title,” said McGregor.

2016 ILLOVO PIRATES UMHLANGA PIRATES SURFSKI RESULTS -25km

1. Hank Mcgregor - 1:59:16.64
2. Matthew Bouman - 2:05:30.76
3. Wade Krieger - 2:05:55.09
4. Luke Nisbet - 2:07:26.23
5. Barry Lewin - 2:07:42.37

Other Jeep Team results

OCR

Jeep Team’s OCR athlete, Carina Marx, showed her mettle when she competed in Race#3 of the tough IMPI Challenge, which took place at Virginia Trails in Eston, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday, 4 June.

Marx raced in the IMPI Elite category, which is a 20km trail run approximately 26 to 28 obstacles. She achieved an impressive 2^nd place finish in 2h26m. Trish Bahlmann won the women’s race in 2h20m, with Catherine Robson placing 3^rd in 2h46m.

Said Marx, “The Impi Challenge took place in a stunning venue, but that was quickly forgotten by competitors as we faced the tough course consisting of cavernous tracks, kloofing, mud running and a swim through icy water. I had to dig deep to keep up with Trish [Bahlman], who is a strong trail runner, and I managed to finish just a few minutes behind her. All in all it was a great race!”

#JeepTeamSA 

Editors’ Notes

For more information please contact Bronwen Blunden on 079 060 1905 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

KWAZULU-NATAL, DURBAN, MAY 2016 - KwaZulu-Natal’s sunny Durban is a surfski paradise famous worldwide for its golden beaches, big waves and exhilarating downwind racing conditions. The city is home to some of the world’s greatest surfski paddlers, and hosts the world’s largest surfski series, breaking world records for paddler numbers. It is the number one city in the world to live in if you’re passionate about the sport.

“Durban is the best place in the world to paddle. We have warm water year round and no real winter to speak of. For novice paddlers, the Durban Bay is a sanctuary to kick off learning the sport, and for the hard-core extreme paddler, Durban also provides some of the best downwind surf one can find. It’s this amazing environment that has aided the growth of the sport,” explains Barry Lewin, a Jeep Team-sponsored athlete, who is also one of South Africa’s top surfski paddlers, and organiser for Durban’s Varsity College FNB Marine Surfski Series and the Bay Union Surfski Series.

Describing how it all began, Lewin said the sport first took off in Durban in 2001 when the Winter Surfski Series, run by Billy Harker, hit the scene. Before this, surfski was considered more of a fun hobby than a professional sport.

Says Lewin, “Under Harker’s management, people started taking surfski seriously, with paddler numbers doubling from 100 to 200 in the first year of the series. In 2003, 525 paddlers took part in the series, and saw Durban break the Guinness World Record for the biggest entry for a domestic surfski event.”

Durban-born Lewin is an accomplished river marathon and surfski paddler, with a number of local and international titles to his name. Notable achievements include winning the Liffey Descent in Ireland on his first attempt back in 2007, as well as breaking the 25-year-old K1 record a year later at Australia’s Avon Descent. But it is back home in Durban where his passion and dedication to the development of surfski has really grown the sport in recent years.

Lewin has been instrumental in developing Durban’s young talent, having founded South Africa’s first surfski development programme for underprivileged youth, as well as launching Durban’s first surfski school in 2006. The development programme, now managed by Lewin’s dad, Mark Lewin, has produced a number of the country’s top paddlers, including Sthembiso Mbatha, who represented South Africa at the 2011 Surfski World Cup, and is now a coach at the school.

Says Lewin, “It all started with a small surfski school in Durban to teach people how to paddle in the sea. The joy of sharing my passion for the ocean and sport is extremely rewarding. The school is the perfect way to try out the sport. Coaches include myself as well as some of Durban’s top paddlers, including Wade Krieger and Sthembiso Mbatha. Schools travel from across KwaZulu-Natal to take part in our clinics.”

Lewin’s success with the Surfski School led to him taking over management in 2010 of Durban’s premier summer surfski event – the Varsity College FNB Marine Surfski Series. Under his leadership, the series attracted major sponsorship from Varsity College in 2010, and then from banking giant, FNB in 2015.  Since then, the series has grown into the world’s biggest surfski event, attracting record entries every year.

 “The Varsity College FNB Marine Surfski Series is special because it is also an event aimed at developing young surfski talent in Durban. Every year, the final race in the 10-part series doubles as the Varsity College FNB South African Schools Surfski Championships. This places Durban on the map globally as the premier hotspot for up-and-coming surfski talent.

Other major surfski events now taking place in Durban include the winter Bay Union Surfski Series (April – May 2016), which is also organised by Lewin; the Durban Downwind from 25 – 26 June 2016, which also doubles as a World Surfski Series event; and the Wall and Back Surfski Series (October – December 2016). Surf’s Up Durban!

#JeepTeamSA

Editors’ Notes

For more information please contact Bronwen Blunden on 079 060 1905 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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.