This year’s K-Way MaxiRace Cape Winelands, presented by Banhoek Chili Oil in Stellenbosch at the weekend, will go down in the history books as one of the wettest, muddiest events to date, with en-route course changes and exciting river crossings as just some of the highlights of the day.
However, the conditions did little to slow the runners down, with record speeds set on most of the routes on Saturday 30 September. Garden Route runner Brandon Hulley ran a strong race on the 75 km course, finishing in under eight hours to claim first place, the second place going to Joshua Blackshaw 15 minutes later and third to Didier de Villiers in just under eight and a half hours.
“I had a great race; it was my first time running in these mountains and it did not disappoint,” Hulley said after crossing the line.
“The route was fast and obviously very wet, but it was awesome to be able to run up in the kloof. It was proper trail running [and a] great day out in the mountain for me!”
Persistent morning rains played havoc with the 75 km route, causing race organisers to re-route the course for safety reasons.
“We had almost 20 mm of rainfall during the morning, which led to many of the river crossings becoming increasingly unsafe for our runners, and coupled with icy conditions we were very concerned about the possibility of hypothermia,” explained race director Andri Stander.
“We re-routed runners who had not yet reached the Assegaibos check-point back along the course. From there we transported them past the most dangerous sections and then allowed them to complete the course from a safe location. The results were adjusted to reflect those who finished the entire course ahead of those who completed the adjusted course.”
Michelle Rolfe claimed first place on the podium in the women’s race in a time of 10:13:07, with Leigh de Necker in second place and Caro Jordaan in third spot.
“The first 50 km was absolutely incredible; I loved the run up to there,” Rolfe exclaimed. “The next almost 30 km was incredibly tough and conditions were hard, but it was awesome out there. I really enjoyed myself!”
Jacques du Plessis, winner of the men’s 45 km race, stunned those in the race village with an incredible time of 03:22:04, with John April in second place and Cornel Smuts in third.
“I had a great race. We started out very fast and parts of the course were very slippery due to the rain, but I felt really good and I am very happy with my results,” Du Plessis said.
The 45 km women’s race was won by Maryke van Zyl in a time of 04:14:45, with Christelle Hattingh in second place and Monique Agenbag in third.
- For a full list of the results, visit www.maxirace.co.za.
