SA Duathlon Champs is taking place on 1 Jul in Durban. Albeit this being a off road event (very non-technical), it does provide the perfect training ground for our athletes to prepare for SA Champs.
The Duathlon takes place on 6 May and consists of a 10.5km bike : 30km ride : 5.25km run
We would like to offer your athletes a complimentary entry for every 5 Duathlon entries that you secure.
The 8 Hour Challenge Event will be featuring as a full page spread in the next In2Cycling Newspaper !
A Bit More about the event........
Welbedacht Estate in the Paarl / Wellington winelands region, has proved to be the perfect location for this off road endurance event. It forms part of a week-end of trail running, MTB’ing and duathlon (run:bike:run). The area profile is flat and friendly, and the farm offers a large crisp dam for cooling tired legs. Welbedacht. It’s a week-end of festivities and the food vendors are ready to make sure all athlete’s appetites are catered for. Such a festival of running and biking would not be complete without children’s entertainment and this year we are again making sure that children will be begging their parents to make this an annual family event!!
The MTB route is certainly not a challenge of technical ability, but rather of “vasbyt” and who-can-keep-going-the-longest. The course is 85% Jeep track and 15% single track. The single track is not technical. It has no switch backs, A-frames or any tricky parts … but instead offers cyclists an opportunity to experience some of the beauty of the farm while meandering on easy single tracks.
The trail run route is equally non-technical, and the aim is again on the beautiful landscape and enjoyment rather than technical climbs and rocky gardens.
The 8 Hour Challenge is one of only 3 opportunities in the Western Cape to take part in an off-road duathlon event. The duathlon uses the same friendly trail and MTB’ing routes.
The 8 Hour Challenge is spread over Saturday 5 May (trail) and Sunday 6 May (MTB and Duathlon).
Each day kicks off with the kiddies dash at 07:00. Children can choose between cycling or running the 5.25km trail route.
The Trail Challenge is rather simple - how many loops of 5.25km can be finished within 8 hours. Trail runners can also pair into teams of 4 so that each runner runs a total of 21km spread throughout the day (the challenge is to see how fast the team can finish the distance within 8 hours). Schools- and corporate-team members only run 2 loops (i.e. a total of 10.5km).
Sunday 6 May will see the MTB’ers and Duathletes lining up at the start. The greatest pull for the 8 Hour Challenge is the MTB profile. Because it is a non-technical route, this event has in the past seen many young children challenging the more experienced MTB’ing generation on their own turf. It is expected that up to 100 school children will be taking in the MTB challenge this year. The route will not be congested though as only 15% is single track and 85% (jeep track) is over-taking zone. The challenge is simple – how many 10km loops can you finish within 8 hours.
Due to its location and the fun element, the 8 Hour Challenge has attracted many school teams who see it as a fun interschool-like event. Similarly, the corporate challenge is a great team-building opportunity. 4-Man-teams (school and corporate) entries are therefore available. School and corporate team members each do a total of 20km (2 loops) and see how fast each team member can complete his/her loops within 8 hours. In the xtreme-4 man team challenge, each team member cycles a total of 30kms (3 loops).
The Duathlon, also on Sunday 6 May, is probably the most enjoyable event in the 8 Hour Challenge. This is how it works:
Run 2 x 5.25km (trail running), bike 3 laps of 10km, finish with a 5.25km run.
The attractive Prize Pot is large. The Prize Money for the winners (top 3 in each event) is very appealing and winners are walking away with R2500, R1000 for second place and R500 for 3rd. Lucky draw prizes of up to R50 000 will be given away.
Make a whole week-end of it by coming to Camp on the farm. We know how much cyclists and trail runners enjoy camping – and we are making sure we speak to your every need. There are 25 camp sites available. To secure a camp spot, contact the 8 Hour Challenge Team (info@8hourchallenge.co.za)
Magda’s Kitchen will be selling traditional vetkoek. If vetkoek isn’t your think, bring a pick nick to enjoy on the lush lawn or next to the tranquil farm dam.
Online entries are handled by the Ninjas aka EntryNinja - https://www.entryninja.com/events/event/13481-8-hour-challenge
Entry fees for the trail event is R350 and MTB & Duathlon R400. Schools receive a complimentary team entry for each team entered.
Please also visit our website www.8hourchallenge.co.za for further information. You can either contact us via email: info@8hourchallenge.co.za or contact us at 0828519999
