THABANG TOPS AGAIN AT 4 PEAKS

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

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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