Get up the mountain!

GEORGE NEWS - People who want to participate in the George Peak Vertical Kilometre, known as The VK Challenge, only have a few days left - till the end of May.

It is the vertical route going up to the second-highest peak in the Outeniqua Mountains, George Peak, which stands at 1 336 metres above sea level.

The route is much shorter than if you were to start the hike from the Witfontein base, as it is only 4,08km to the top, starting at the entry point to the mountain in Arbour Road, Glen Barry.

Let the shorter distance not fool you; this is a strenuous climb, with (as the name suggests) a 1 000m vertical climb. Naturally, the views are spectacular, as with every 100 metres gained, your birds-eye view of the city of George intensifies.

Once you reach the top of the peak, you are rewarded with views not only of George, but on a clear day you can see all the way to Mossel Bay to the west, and Sedgefield to the east.

It is a tough, but rewarding experience and one that the Mountain Community (MountCo) encourages everyone to do.

MountCo is a local trail running /outdoor shop that joined forces with sports giant, Salomon, and launched The George Peak VK Challenge for the month of May.

The idea is to encourage everyone who is able to get up the mountain. There are many prizes up for grabs, for different categories:

• The KOM (King of the Mountain) - fastest male to summit.

• The QOM (Queen of the Mountain) - fastest female to summit.

• The most attempts

• The youngest contender

• The oldest contender

• The coolest picture

• The fastest trail dog

In order to be eligible for the prizes, you need to register, which you can do at www.mountco.co.za.

To build up even more excitement for the challenge, MountCo invited international trail running legends Ryan Sandes and Kane Reilly to the Garden Route for a weekend and to take on the challenge themselves.

Sandes arrived fresh from having won the Ultra-Trail Drakensberg the week before, a 100-mile (160km) race, and was running our mountains for pure enjoyment, while Kane was keen to set a new FKT (fastest known time).

The VK Challenge continues throughout the month of May.

George Accounting agency DoughGetters has put in a prize purse of R5 000, and GU Energy has sponsored three hampers to the value of R4 500. Salomon, who is in partnership with MountCo for the event, will also be gifting stock to some of the winners.