The race will kick off at midnight on Friday, 18 December, and the route will include seven mountain passes from the start at the Saasveld forest station between George and Knysna to the finish at the Plettenberg Bay Skiboat Club. The group will attempt to finish this punishing challenge within eighteen hours running non-stop with brief respites at replenishing stations every 20km. The final 40km before the finish will traverse the Harkerville valley.
The race is the brain child of passionate trail runner and ultra enthusiast Roelof Mostert from Durbanville, who recently finished third in the 65km Cape Town Ultra trail run. Mostert gathered a group of fellow running enthusiasts, including James Frost of Plettenberg Bay, Stellenbosch triathlete Chris Walley, Rae Trew-Browne from Cape Town and ultra trail runner Brenna Coupland from Durbanville. The group comes from a diverse range of professions, which include a land surveyor, coffee shop owner, cheesemaker, stunt rigger and owner of a clothing company, but is united in their passion for running.
The route includes a 2000 meter climb, but Mostert reckons that the heat and distance will be the greatest test of their endurance.
All proceeds will go to the Sabrina Love Foundation, the official race beneficiary that assists physically disabled children financially and with medical treatment, equipment and professional help.
FALKE South Africa, leading legwear manufacturer, has come on board as a product sponsor with arm protectors to fend off the night chill and AR4 Vitaliser socks, advance performance socks that assist with muscle recovery and protect against muscle fatigue. MD Martin Grobbelaar is looking forward to receiving feedback from the athletes.
“FALKE is constantly setting new benchmarks in the speciality sock industry and rely on technological advances to provide socks that will aid and improve the performance of athletes such as Roelof and his team. It would be interesting to see how the Vitalisers stand up to this distance.”
The team. Photo: Supplied
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