South Africa’s ultimate off-road endurance multisport event, the Wartrail Challenge, this year included a non-stop option. The Team Cyanosis pair of Clinton Mackintosh and Nathan Thompson won this inaugural event.
The inaugural Non-stop LED Lenser Wartrail Challenge saw teams (of two or four) tackle a three-stage, self-supported event featuring a 65-kilometre mountain run (the Skyrun Lite route to iconic Balloch Cave), a 135-kilometre MTB ride (with over 3000m of vertical ascent) and a 65-kilometre paddle all back-to-back in an adventure racing style.
The race start line was open from 6h00 to 10h00 on the morning of 27 April and teams had to decide what time to leave in order to plan their race and avoid being caught in the dark zone before the paddle leg.
“A team’s time starts only once they set off from Lady Grey and accumulates until they cross the finish line in Aliwal North having covered over 255 kilometres,” explains race director Mike de Haast from Pure Adventures.
We caught up with Clinton Mackintosh from Team Cyanosis, who, along with Nathan Thompson won this first non-stop event.
What attracted the team to the event?
Wartrail has always been on the team’s to-do list. Nicholas and Ryno did the race a few years back and this year we had an opportunity to do it. Wartrail is certainly a test of physical ability and strength but what stands out most is the unique feel and atmosphere of the event, that keeps it pure.
Did you use this event as a kind of training ‘shake-down’ for the rest of the AR season?
Wartrail was perfectly placed to be a training event for the upcoming Expedition Africa, an Adventure Racing World Series race in May. It was always planned to be in the team’s training schedule however it became more important when I suffered a potentially race-ending injury and was on crutches for nine weeks from 31 January. I needed to do the race to test if my ankle will hold up and gauge my and the team’s fitness.
How were conditions out there?
The conditions were great to start with – we were well prepared with our gear. We did not sacrifice heading out on any leg with light backpacks, in fact we packed full AR compulsory gear to ensure we utilised the training correctly. I do believe that this plays a big part as we saw how small some teams’ backpacks were and if you run into trouble out there (because you will be out there for a while) you cannot predict how things will turn out.
The cycle leg was incredibly cold. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the climbs more than the flats and descents purely because of the cold.
Which was the most challenging leg?
I think that they all are unique and require a lot of respect. The trekking leg is long and very tough. The cycling leg (especially in our case doing it at night) brings a whole new element no sleep and dealing with the cold weather makes it tougher than a normal MTB leg.
The paddle was certainly not fun. The fact that you are never paddling in a straight line between bends and shortening the paddle as much as possible on the river to avoid sandbanks really tests your patience. The first few kilometres of the paddle is beautiful but as the time goes by and you see the same thing over and over, it becomes a hard push that you simply have to do to get to the end.
Do you think the ‘non-stop’ could grow into a big event on the South African endurance multisport calendar?
I hope the non-stop event does grow but I certainly hope that the race doesn’t lose its spirit of adventure first and foremost. The race atmosphere alone is something that one has to experience. I felt that it wasn’t an event that you need to win at all cost but a race that you are there to experience.
Will Cyanosis be back to defend its title in 2015?
I believe we will be back next year. There are certainly a few legs that we can brush up on and hit a little faster.
Story by Jazz Kuschke