PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - They say that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. This is exactly what two Plettenberg Bay adventure racers proved when they recently took on a gruelling 120km challenge.
The Plett Adventure Racing team consisting of Petrus Maree and Jeanette Wylie headed to Cape St Francis for the Kinetic Adventure Race last month and conquered the demanding race, winning the mixed doubles team category and crossing the finish line sixth overall.
Maree said the event started on 18 September with a one and a half hour bus drive from the Cape St Francis Resort to Kareedouw.
Here, they started the race with a "beautiful hike" over a mountain before hopping onto their bikes for the cycling leg of the contest. Following this, they got into their kayak and paddled, with two runs in between.
"This is where nature showed us we are not as hardcore as we thought we were," said Maree. "A headwind of note was the norm for the rest of the race making the paddle brutal and the last cycle endless, but we got to the finish line." He said each race brings something different into their lives and racing experience. "This one taught us to not give up if the going gets tough. If need be, have a bit of a wobble, but get back into the boat to finish the business."
The event was the fourth in the Adventure Racing World Africa Regional Series of 2021. It encompassed four disciplines, including mountain biking, which took participants over a variety of riding conditions such as single track, steep hills, gravel roads and sealed roads. It also included trekking by foot through rugged and diverse terrain.
Participants also did kayaking on a dam and dealt with orienteering, which involves navigating the course using a map and compass, as the course is not marked.
Adventure racing is a multi-disciplinary endurance sport where teams compete, navigating from control point to control point in a number of disciplines.
It is done in teams of two or four.
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