An enthusiastic field of participating athletes braved the heat and strong winds to make for a very successful Discovery Surfers Challenge on Saturday.
The race incorporating runners and paddlers doing battle against the elements over 17.5km, along with two feeder events, the Junior Surfers over a distance of approximately 5km and a race billed as the Surfers 10, but which is raced over 11.2km from Gonubie to Nahoon.
Due to the strong westerly winds, the paddle race was moved to a starting point on the Buffalo River and in the East London Port, and directed via the Orient and Eastern Beaches to finish on Nahoon Beach.
The runners of the traditional Surfers retained their tough Kwelera Mouth to Nahoon course.
Comfortably over 3000 visitors and locals joined in one of the city’s favourite sporting pursuits.
The leading runners found the going tough into the wind, and, on a course somewhat more covered by rocks that is the norm, soft sand and a strong head wind were the other challenges. As always, the crowds in Gonubie – and at the finish – made up for these impediments with exceptional vocal support.
Siviwe Pati was the comprehensive men’s winner in the run event with a time of 73:06. Malixole Kalideni finished second in 74:21 and Simphiwe Mojiki took third spot 53 seconds adrift .
Masters runner, Makaya Masumpa, came in fourth, leaving thousands of younger runners in his wake. Masumpa, who won the race back in 1996 and 1998, finished in 77:48.
The pre-race prediction in the women’s version that Andrea Ranger would record her first win came to fruition, when she brought the women home in 92:32.
Veteran runner Karen Davis was second in 101:00, while two surprise runners in the field took up third and fourth positions – Hanneke Potgieter and Svenga Gliem, who ran 103:28 and 103:50 respectively.
The first surfer home was Neil Henderson in 104:20.
Father and son combo of Brendon and Tayne Thompson led the paddlers home on a double ski in 79:14, while the man entrusted with the logistics of the paddlers race, Andrew Carter, was first on a single ski. He finished just 46 seconds behind the Thompsons in 80:00 on the nose.
Hot on Carter’s tail was the second doubles combination of Dave Schaefer and Chris Batting who landed in 80:10.
Luke Johnson was second on a single ski in 81:00.
The first woman to finish the singles race was Nikki Russell in 86:24, while the first mixed doubles combination was André and Helen Wood. They were followed home by Joy and Shane Roach.
The Surfers 10 run from Gonubie featured the surprise of the day when in the woman’s race, twin sisters from Pretoria, Michelle and Nicole Redlinghuys, arrived at the start.
The overwhelming local favourite Caryn Lategan picked them out and it was obvious a race was on.
It took a yeomen effort, but finally hitting the Nahoon River first, gave Michelle the momentum she needed to hold off the charge of Lategan. The winning time was 48:12. Lategan was comfortably second in 49:00 while the other twin was third in 51:53.
In the men’s equivalent there was no such drama with an easy 41:58 victory for Vusumzi Zondo over Chuma Giqo and Sibonqokuhle Mnyaka, who respectively returned times of 43:27 and 47:51.
The Junior Surfers, not for the first time, provided a girl in second place behind the leading male, Nathan Gallaher who ran 19:02. Kiera Herman was next in with a 21:15, followed by the next two boys, Asha Hoare in 21:37 and Sherwin Bayer in 21:53.
The second and third girls were Amber Herman in 23:47 and Jenna Tarr in 24:05
PHOTO GALLERY: Winners . . .all the way
The race incorporating runners and paddlers doing battle against the elements over 17.5km, along with two feeder events, the Junior Surfers over a distance of approximately 5km and a race billed as the Surfers 10, but which is raced over 11.2km from Gonubie to Nahoon.
Due to the strong westerly winds, the paddle race was moved to a starting point on the Buffalo River and in the East London Port, and directed via the Orient and Eastern Beaches to finish on Nahoon Beach.
The runners of the traditional Surfers retained their tough Kwelera Mouth to Nahoon course.
Comfortably over 3000 visitors and locals joined in one of the city’s favourite sporting pursuits.
The leading runners found the going tough into the wind, and, on a course somewhat more covered by rocks that is the norm, soft sand and a strong head wind were the other challenges. As always, the crowds in Gonubie – and at the finish – made up for these impediments with exceptional vocal support.
Siviwe Pati was the comprehensive men’s winner in the run event with a time of 73:06. Malixole Kalideni finished second in 74:21 and Simphiwe Mojiki took third spot 53 seconds adrift .
Masters runner, Makaya Masumpa, came in fourth, leaving thousands of younger runners in his wake. Masumpa, who won the race back in 1996 and 1998, finished in 77:48.
The pre-race prediction in the women’s version that Andrea Ranger would record her first win came to fruition, when she brought the women home in 92:32.
Veteran runner Karen Davis was second in 101:00, while two surprise runners in the field took up third and fourth positions – Hanneke Potgieter and Svenga Gliem, who ran 103:28 and 103:50 respectively.
The first surfer home was Neil Henderson in 104:20.
Father and son combo of Brendon and Tayne Thompson led the paddlers home on a double ski in 79:14, while the man entrusted with the logistics of the paddlers race, Andrew Carter, was first on a single ski. He finished just 46 seconds behind the Thompsons in 80:00 on the nose.
Hot on Carter’s tail was the second doubles combination of Dave Schaefer and Chris Batting who landed in 80:10.
Luke Johnson was second on a single ski in 81:00.
The first woman to finish the singles race was Nikki Russell in 86:24, while the first mixed doubles combination was André and Helen Wood. They were followed home by Joy and Shane Roach.
The Surfers 10 run from Gonubie featured the surprise of the day when in the woman’s race, twin sisters from Pretoria, Michelle and Nicole Redlinghuys, arrived at the start.
The overwhelming local favourite Caryn Lategan picked them out and it was obvious a race was on.
It took a yeomen effort, but finally hitting the Nahoon River first, gave Michelle the momentum she needed to hold off the charge of Lategan. The winning time was 48:12. Lategan was comfortably second in 49:00 while the other twin was third in 51:53.
In the men’s equivalent there was no such drama with an easy 41:58 victory for Vusumzi Zondo over Chuma Giqo and Sibonqokuhle Mnyaka, who respectively returned times of 43:27 and 47:51.
The Junior Surfers, not for the first time, provided a girl in second place behind the leading male, Nathan Gallaher who ran 19:02. Kiera Herman was next in with a 21:15, followed by the next two boys, Asha Hoare in 21:37 and Sherwin Bayer in 21:53.
The second and third girls were Amber Herman in 23:47 and Jenna Tarr in 24:05
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