Stage Two of the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 2-Day XPLORE leaves trail runners in awe!:
Stage Two of the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 2-Day XPLORE took place at the picturesque Van Gaalen Cheese Farm (Hartbeespoort, North-West Province) on Sunday 21 August 2022.
Boasting a shorter +-16km route, Stage Two had a tougher 4.7km mid-section that was a good learning experience for the flagship event, the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 3-Day STAGE RACE that will take place in the Western Cape in March 2023. The rest of the stage featured easy to moderate trails that were a lot of fun, while the last 3km was super-fast.
Retsepile Khotle (Alberton, Gauteng) and Anneleen Swanepoel (Centurion) continued their winning streaks by securing Stage Two victories in deserving times of 01 hour 10 minutes 30 seconds and 01 hour 34 minutes 03 seconds respectively.
“The start of State Two was enjoyable,” says Khotle. “I controlled the lead from about 3km into the race. The chasing group was far from me. I tried to accelerate a bit in the single-track sections so that when we reached the flat sections, I’d have a better lead. When I reached the foot of the hills I could see three runners, but they were far from me. The rest of the course was technical, but I was very careful, and I saw that I had a good gap on the rest of the runners. This was the most enjoyable part of the stage for me. I told myself that today is a big challenge, but at least I am in front. Thabang and the runner behind him are very experienced trail runners. I respect them, but I chose to take the lead, so I had to work hard. My legs felt strong, but I remained careful. When I reached the second water point, I thought here is my win again. I told my club mates that I was going for the win at the 2-Day XPLORE. I am happy to bring the gold medal home so that they can celebrate the victory with me. I can recommend the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 2-Day XPLORE to other runners. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This is the single step. From here we will see more people taking part. I would like many more people to share this experience with us.”
Retsepile Khotle completed Stage One and Stage Two (a combined distance of +-36km) of the 2022 THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 2-Day XPLORE in a combined time of 02 hours 26 minutes 54 seconds. Thabang Madiba secured the second spot on the podium, with Bradley Claase finishing third.
“The start started off nicely. I really enjoyed the route out, it was nice and fast,” says Swanepoel. “It was a little sandy, which made it harder, but it was still nice and easy to run. The climb started, and I had to walk run walk run to make it to the top. The downs and rocks aren’t my favourite. It was slippery, so I also just tried to walk run walk run. When the downhill stopped it was a very nice easy route back that flowed nicely. The Stage Two route was very different to Stage One. The downhills were the toughest part of today’s stage, while I enjoyed the views the most. I had to tell myself to look up every now and again. This is something that we don’t get when running on the road and running in the city. It’s so nice coming out here and just enjoying the view. I absolutely loved it. I would definitely recommend the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 2-Day XPLORE to other runners. Most of my friends are road runners, and I would tell them all to come here and join me. This is such good practice for us, and it will make us all stronger. We must make this event bigger.”
Anneleen Swanepoel completed Stage One and Stage Two (a combined distance of +-36km) of the 2022 THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 2-Day XPLORE in a combined time of 03 hours 11 minutes 48 seconds. Kaela Steyn secured the second spot on the podium, with Letshego Zulu finishing third.
“Living up to AFRICANX’s reputation, the routes were challenging but fun and rewarding at the same time and the atmosphere was amazing,” says Michelle Lillico, THIRSTI Head of Marketing. “We love the outdoors and our THIRSTI range of water and ISOFIT+ Sport Drinks are the perfect accompaniment to healthy, active lifestyles. It was an absolute privilege to help keep runners hydrated at the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 2-Day XPLORE.”
“Not only did we celebrate the debut of the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 2-Day XPLORE this weekend, but it was also the first time since the event’s inception in 2009 that an AFRICANX was hosted outside of the Western Cape,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports. “We loved giving the North-West Province a taste of AFRICANX and are thankful to each and every runner for making the event possible and for adding to the memorable experience. The good news is that AFRICANX will also debut in Gauteng at Cradle Moon (Lakeside Game Lodge) in October in the form of the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 1-Day XPERIENCE. Trail runners can choose between a 6km, 12km and 24km route. Be sure to get those entries in before it’s too late and Let Nature Give You A Run For Your Money.”
NEXT UP: THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 1-Day and 3-Day Events
1. THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 1-Day XPERIENCE
Date: Saturday 17 September 2022
Venue: Paul Cluver Wine Estate (Grabouw)
Format: 1 Day Trail Run
Distance & Entry Fees:
6km / R100.00
12km / R350.00
24km / R600.00
42km / R950.00
Entry Format: Individual Entry
Entries Close: Monday 12 September 2022
2. THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 1-Day XPERIENCE
Date: Sunday 09 October 2022
Venue: Cradle Moon, Lakeside Game Lodge, Gauteng
Format: 1 Day Trail Run
Distance & Entry Fees:
6km / R100.00
12km / R350.00
24km / R600.00
Entry Format: Individual Entry
Entries Close: Monday 03 October 2022
3. THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 3-Day STAGE RACE
Date: Friday 17 – Sunday 19 March 2023
Venue: Houw Hoek Hotel (Western Cape)
Format: 3-Day Stage Trail Run
Distance:
Stage 1: +- 24 km
Stage 2: +- 32 km
Stage 3: +- 18 km
Entry Format: Teams of Two Runners (male / female / mixed)
Entry Fees:
OPTION 1: Standard / R3600.00 per runner
OPTION 2: Standard plus dinner / R4200.00 per runner
OPTION 3: Standard plus dinner & tent / R4600.00 per runner
Entries Close: Monday 06 March 2023
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Hashtag: #MyAFRICANX #RunTheAFRICANX
For additional information on the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN 3-Day, 2-Day and/or 1-Day events please visit www.stillwatersports.com, contact Stillwater Sports on 082 991 0045 or email entries@stillwatersports.com.
More about THIRSTI:
THIRSTI is a uniquely sourced natural spring water that is rich in minerals and sourced from two extraordinary locations. Its primary bottling plant was founded in 2015 at a Normandien farm in the foothills of the Klein Drakensberg mountains. In 2021, THIRSTI expanded operations into the mountain basin of Tulbagh, surrounded by exquisite mountains and drained by the Klein Berg River and its tributaries.?Each source has its own state-of-the-art bottling plant where the water is filtered, tested and bottled, ready to be enjoyed by consumers. The THIRSTI product range includes Natural Spring Water, Sparkling Water, Sparkling Flavoured Water and an iconic sports drink, THIRSTI ISOFIT+. The South African brand proudly partners with the Springboks, Absa Cape Epic, Comrades Marathon, Blue Bulls Company, Sharks Rugby, THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN series of events and the Nedbank Running Club. For more information about THIRSTI, please visit www.thirsti.co.za
For more information about THIRSTI, please visit www.thirsti.co.za
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