The Western Cape plays host to many top outdoor sporting events every year; with the Pick ‘n Pay Cape Argus Cycletour, the Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra Marathon and the ABSA Cape Epic just three well known events amongst many. The calendar is teeming with events that cater for every possible athlete. Great scenery provides the racecourses that world class organisers stage for a local population who just love to get out there and race their peers.
There has been a decided lack of distance adventure racing over the past few years, and it’s definitely not due to a shortage of race locations. The scene saw a welcome rejuvenation with the highly successful hosting of the 500km Expedition Africa event in May 2010, organised by the slick outfit of Kinetic Gear from Johannesburg.
There is a popular local following of sprint events (~20-30km), but not much in between. A group of dedicated AR racers have bandied together to form the Western Cape Adventure (WCAD) series, which will hopefully plug this gap. They all have race experience and have sat on the other side of the event as organisers in the past. The series is hopefully a forerunner to bigger things, but is being run initially as nothing short of an excuse to get more people into the sport that they all enjoy. The focus is on putting together good routes with a hassle free race format that makes it very easy for novices at the distance to get on the startline. They know the potential of this market exists, and it’s only the lack of suitable races holding it back.
“We’ve gone out of our way to partner with events that both ease our organisational load and provide the exposure to a wider public at the same time”, says Quintin Smith the race – director of the first leg of the series. “The Gravity Festival at Palmiet is well known, and there used be a medium event distance as part of the program. What we’ve done here is take the Spur River Rumble as our launching leg of the race and match it with some exciting terrain in the area to present a quality race course. The finish at the festival hub will be a highlight as the party normally goes way into the night.”
“We’re trying not to scare off the market by labelling it as too hardcore! The top teams will no doubt be flying through the course at speed, but it is a very achievable event for any athlete with a moderate level of fitness to complete.” says Steven Burnett, the race-director for the second leg to be held in September.
“There is a perception that Adventure Racing is a tough sport, but when the stages are broken down into bitesize chunks it becomes attainable for many to spend a good day out in the open. We expect the winners to finish the 100km course in about 5-6 hours, and the back markers in about double that time”.
“It’s often quite a mission just getting to the startline of these races, but we’ve purposefully taken out all the hassle factors,” says Grant Ross, who brings his experience as a local trail running organiser to the team.
“It’s a circular route and you don’t need a seconding team as we will transport your gear between transitions – all you really need is a mountain bike, the right clothing and a positive attitude. For R400 a pair you can’t beat the value of experience the race offers”.
The Palmiet Leg 1 of the series kicks off on August 13th in Kleinmond. The race includes the Spur River Rumble, 2 mountain bike legs, a hiking leg and a rope section. There are no course markings, but navigation is done by supplied maps to get to checkpoints. The Makadas Leg 2 will be held on September 10th in the Koo Valley.
For more info please go to www.wcad.co.za and get your entries in. The organisers have got some sponsors and prizes lined up, but are welcome to entertain any further enquiries in this regard – info@wcad.co.za