An extremely extreme triathlon

KNYSNA NEWS - While the Knysna Extreme Triathlon is known for being, well, extreme, this year it was taken up a notch with athletes enduring just about every kind of weather imaginable.

The Extreme was held on Saturday 16 October, but before action could get underway, the largest field of entrants in both the Extreme 0.5 and the full Extreme registered on Friday 15 October.

This was followed by the race briefing from race organiser Sean Sandiford wherein he noted that some participants were taking part in their first-ever triathlons. "I love your confidence," Sandiford quipped.

Race start

Just over 12 hours later it was time for that confidence to come into play as the start of the race loomed at the jetty below Sirocco on Thesen Islands. Wind was blowing across the lagoon, which, coupled with an outgoing tide, made for some incredibly tough and choppy waters in the Knysna estuary.

The full Extreme athletes set off at 05:30, followed by the Extreme 0.5 athletes at 05:35.

While the majority of the athletes were able to round the corner at the SanParks offices and head up the Knysna Yacht Club (KYC) turn-around point, the strong current took its first victims as athletes started to withdraw.

A real tough swim

The swim back from KYC was much easier as athletes weren't battling the current, but the wind blowing water into their faces as they came up to breathe did not make matters easy. The 0.5 athletes were able to enjoy only one battle against the current in their 2,5km swim, and eventual winner Keegan Cooke emerged from the water first at SanParks in just over an hour.

The full Extreme athletes had to continue past the halfway mark towards the west head before turning around to battle the current one more time to finish their 5km swim.

Alastair Stewart was first out of the water in just under an hour and a half.

The windy cycle

After the swim, athletes had to cycle to Wilderness along the N2. The 0.5 athletes faced a tough 100km cycle there and back, with the headwind turning the outward-bound trip into a battle. But, it turned into a welcome tailwind on the way back to Knysna and Cooke still led the way, crossing over to his run in under three and a half hours.

The full Extreme athletes battled the wind towards Wilderness, but their gruelling 174km cycle took them out further, up the Seven Passes route and out into the Karoo.

Only once they overcame the Outeniqua Pass did they enjoy some respite, but even then they faced some strong cross-winds.

Stewart and Greg Laxton were neck and neck at the cycle-to-run transition, both reaching the point in just over seven and a half hours.

A windy 0.5 run

If athletes thought the worst was over they were wrong, as they faced brutal 30km (0.5) and 50km (full) runs to Diepwalle Forest Station. Cooke was fortunate in that his blitzy pace ensured that the wind was the only adverse weather he battled on his way to the finish line, which he crossed in a time of 5:45.

This was a massive 40 minutes ahead of second-placed Christiaan Wepener, with local Marsel Roos finishing third. The first woman across the line was Christine Harding who finished an hour after Cooke in a time of 6:48. Second woman Elmari Cooke finished in just over eight hours while the third woman, Roxi Smith, finished 45 minutes later. The first team over the line belonged to NSRI Knysna, finishing in a time of 7:22.

The group of athletes who managed to finish the full Extreme.
Photo: EL Rorke Photography

Cold and wet 50km

While the majority of the Extreme 0.5 athletes only battled wind, conditions got colder and wetter as the day went on. By the time the final Extreme 0.5 athlete crossed the finish it was pouring with rain and the wind was gusting in the forest.

This meant the full Extreme athletes faced an extremely difficult and tough 50km run from Avontuur to Diepwalle.

Laxton and Stewart exchanged places a couple of times during the race, but ultimately it was the former who came out on top with a time of 12:12, just over 10 minutes ahead of Stewart.

It was his first full Extreme win, having finished second in 2019 and third in 2020.

Peter Simun was third over the line 20 minutes after Stewart.

The first woman to finish was Jenny Close, who finished fourth overall in a time of 12:53, an hour and a half ahead of second woman Patricia Gouws. Shirley Milne was the third woman, finishing in just over 16 and a half hours.

As the day continued, the conditions became colder, with some athletes reporting negative temperatures along the route. The final athlete, Anelda Coetzee, managed to finish five minutes before the cut-off time at midnight.

Full Extreme winner Greg Laxton collapsed of exhaustion upon finishing the race. Photo: Franci Myburgh