The
first South Africa Skymarathon®, which debuts on October 26 at
Matroosberg Private Reserve in the Western Cape, has attracted the
cream of the crop.
AJ
Calitz, one of the country’s top trail runners, takes off as firm
favourite, but will certainly not have things all his own way - other
strong performers pose a stern challenge.
Calitz,
a relative newcomer to trail running, has taken the sport by storm
with several victories and new records including Puffer,
Three Peaks Challenge
and the Red Bull Lion
Heart. He also
triumphed in a 100km trail run in Verdon, in the Provencal district
of France and last month finished third in a super strong field at
The
Otter,
finishing inside the existing record.
Included
in the chasing pack are SA Ultra Distance Champion and former Puffer
winner Nic de Beer, SA trail team member Charl Souma and top local
trail specialists, Noel Erntzen, Derrick Baard and Ake Fagereng. Last
year’s winner, Michael Owen attempts a repeat.
The
women’s event appears no less competitive with some serious talent
looking to conquer the tough 36km course. Leading the field will be
the experienced Linda Doke, adventure racer and 2013 Bat Run winner
Annemien Ganzevoort, and Robyn Kime, 4x Dusi Canoe Champ and a rising
star in trail running. Ingrid Peens, last year’s champion, will
also line up at the start.
A
Skymarathon® is a mountain race with a minimum of 2 000m in total
elevation gain and between 30km - 42km over paths, trail, moraine,
rock or snow; total asphalt must be less than 15% of the course.
“Skyrunning
is hugely popular overseas, particularly in Europe,” says race
director Ghaleed Nortje. “The Matroosberg is a perfect venue, with
a summit at 2 249m, spectacular views, tough ascents and technical
descents.”
Sponsors
on board include VIVOBAREFOOT, Adventure
Inc, Wintergreen,
Protect, K-Way, Red Bull and Bio-oil; but
Nortje seeks a title sponsor.
“There are many costs involved for such an event and we consider this is an outstanding opportunity for sponsors to become linked to Skyrunning; the sport, making its debut in Africa, will be massive here.”
The Witzenberg Municipality, in which the run falls, are also excited about the run and have offered full support for the event.
For
more information, contact
Ghaleed on runningthecape@gmail.com
or 0828873011
Official
Website: www.matroosbergtrailchallenge.co.za
South
African Skyrunning Association: www.skyrunning.co.za
