A brand new adventure racing team born in East London will be looking to make some waves when they take part in the 2018 Expedition Africa Adventure Race in the Namaqua West Coast in Western Cape.
Team Bloed en Omo: Designer Gold, is led by 47-year-old East Londoner Daryl Wittstock, and also features another local Nolan Lottering, 32, as well as Phillo Beukes, 47, from Knysna and Martie Calldo, 38, from Johannesburg.
The Designer Gold team is racing under the banner of Wittstock’s former team, Bloed En Omo: G4K4 from Pretoria, which was one of the earliest adventure racing teams in the country when the sport was first introduced and is led by his father-in-law Abel van der Merwe.
Wittstock competed in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the Expedition Africa with the team that featured three athletes over the age of 60, which led to Wittstock being advised to start his own team with younger members as he was being held back.
“I did my first adventure race with this team and was extremely grateful to the experience they gave me over those two years,” said Wittstock.
“So it is going to be interesting competing in the Expedition Africa without them for the first time, but is also exciting to have a new team.
“We have only ever raced together as three, myself, Nolan and Martie, and we will be racing with Phillo for the first time, although he has done two Expedition Africa’s before.”
The team will thus be looking forward to giving it a good go in an event that will see 52 teams in total and close to 200 athletes battling it out over race.
They will face plenty of challenges including the drought that has plagued the Western Cape in recent times, which will make stocking up on supplies vitally important.
During the race they will have to trek, kayak, cycle and abseil among other events and face a testing 50km kayak leg on day two which could see a lot of portage (getting out the water and carrying the kayak due to low water levels).
But in the end the team will be aiming to enjoy the experience and do as best they can.
“We are never going to win it, it is extremely hectic and we are not experienced enough, but we would really like to collect all the Cups and finish the race,” admitted Wittstock.
“We really want to enjoy being out there and have fun.
“We are obviously going to push as hard as we can, this year it is a much younger group than what I am used to, but I am really looking forward to the challenge.
“We just take the race as it comes and see where we end up.”
Coming along for the ride to support the team will be Wittstock’s wife Lisa and their two sons Gabrial and Zachary, who are avid young budding sportsmen in their own right, as well as a few other family members and friends.
“There is a lot of excitement for us, going up as a family to support the team,” admitted Lisa.
“Our sons are little protégè’s, they have already competed in a few races and one day they will hopefully compete in the race themselves.
“Also with them being home schooled we will use the opportunity of being up there in the Namaqua area to incorporate it into their studies so that they can learn from the trip.”
The Wittstock crew will head off today ahead of the start of this year’s race on Sunday.
EL team out to tame big challenge
Team Bloed en Omo: Designer Gold, is led by 47-year-old East Londoner Daryl Wittstock, and also features another local Nolan Lottering, 32, as well as Phillo Beukes, 47, from Knysna and Martie Calldo, 38, from Johannesburg.
The Designer Gold team is racing under the banner of Wittstock’s former team, Bloed En Omo: G4K4 from Pretoria, which was one of the earliest adventure racing teams in the country when the sport was first introduced and is led by his father-in-law Abel van der Merwe.
Wittstock competed in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the Expedition Africa with the team that featured three athletes over the age of 60, which led to Wittstock being advised to start his own team with younger members as he was being held back.
“I did my first adventure race with this team and was extremely grateful to the experience they gave me over those two years,” said Wittstock.
“So it is going to be interesting competing in the Expedition Africa without them for the first time, but is also exciting to have a new team.
“We have only ever raced together as three, myself, Nolan and Martie, and we will be racing with Phillo for the first time, although he has done two Expedition Africa’s before.”
The team will thus be looking forward to giving it a good go in an event that will see 52 teams in total and close to 200 athletes battling it out over race.
They will face plenty of challenges including the drought that has plagued the Western Cape in recent times, which will make stocking up on supplies vitally important.
During the race they will have to trek, kayak, cycle and abseil among other events and face a testing 50km kayak leg on day two which could see a lot of portage (getting out the water and carrying the kayak due to low water levels).
But in the end the team will be aiming to enjoy the experience and do as best they can.
“We are never going to win it, it is extremely hectic and we are not experienced enough, but we would really like to collect all the Cups and finish the race,” admitted Wittstock.
“We really want to enjoy being out there and have fun.
“We are obviously going to push as hard as we can, this year it is a much younger group than what I am used to, but I am really looking forward to the challenge.
“We just take the race as it comes and see where we end up.”
Coming along for the ride to support the team will be Wittstock’s wife Lisa and their two sons Gabrial and Zachary, who are avid young budding sportsmen in their own right, as well as a few other family members and friends.
“There is a lot of excitement for us, going up as a family to support the team,” admitted Lisa.
“Our sons are little protégè’s, they have already competed in a few races and one day they will hopefully compete in the race themselves.
“Also with them being home schooled we will use the opportunity of being up there in the Namaqua area to incorporate it into their studies so that they can learn from the trip.”
The Wittstock crew will head off today ahead of the start of this year’s race on Sunday.
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