Kathleen Shuttleworth - African X
Friday, 16 March 2012 (Kleinmond) – After lying in 6th place at the 15km mark of Stage One of the ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun presented by New Balance, endurance trail runners Nick de Beer and William Robinson of Team Zestlife did the unexpected, working their way to the front of the field De Beer and Robinson took the top spot on the podium with an awesome finishing time of 02hours45minutes18seconds.
According to De Beer stage one was fantastic. “Today’s stage featured absolutely beautiful scenery. I’ve always wanted to take part in the AfricanX Trailrun, but it’s always been too close to Comrades for me. When the new date for 2012 was announced I immediately asked William to enter with me. The competition was tough, while standing at the start line we identified ten to twelve teams that could easily win today. We had a slow start as I was struggling a bit on the hills. Our running styles are completely compatible for a race like this. We expect stage two to be our strongest stage. Our strategy will be to stick to the front of the pack, before making a gap on the field half way through the stage,” says De Beer. Team Velocity Sports Lab 2 came in second, while Team ProNutro Champs finished third.
Reigning mixed team champions Iain and Su Don-Wauchope of Team Mountain Splendour secured a convincing victory on the day with an impressive finishing time of 03hours10minutes39seconds. According to Su they ran more conservatively compared to the 2011 race. “Today was awesome. The extra loop made the route much nicer than the 2011 route. Both Iain and I felt really strong today. Iain was talking to Ryanard Tissink most of the way. He’s such a strong runner that he literally just chills when we run together,” laughs Su. Team Inov8 Gauteng Trail Stars came in second, while Team Arabella Mixed finished third.
Kathleen Shuttleworth and Nicole Marais of Team ProNutro JAG were the team to beat in the women’s category. According to Shuttleworth the stage was more challenging than at the inaugural ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun in 2009. “It’s a completely different game out there. It’s awesome to be back, it’s like being on a three day holiday. Our strategy going into stage two will be to endure,” says Shuttleworth.
Team ProNutro JAG completed the 33km stage in a time of 03hours35minutes21seconds. Team Girls Can Run came in second, while Team Wishlist finished third.
The ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun presented by New Balance is a three day stage trail run that sees teams of two (male/female/mixed) battling it out on a route varying in distance between 25-35km each day. The three routes have been planned in such a way that the participants will have the opportunity to tackle a different breathtaking scenic route each day, allowing them to enjoy the full diversity of the world-renowned Kogelberg Biosphere. This awe-inspiring trail run stage race follows a cloverleaf format, which means that runners will finish in Kleinmond on each of the three days.
Stage One saw runners having to complete a 33km route. Considered the highlight of the race, this stage started in Betty’s Bay and after a beach run to warm up the legs, runners began the infamous Harold Porter climb.
Stage Two Information:
DATE: Saturday, 17 March 2012
TIME: 07:30
DISTANCE: 32km
START VENUE: Honingklip Farm (Kleinmond)
Bokomo Breakfast Zone ~ All 2012 ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun participants can look forward to stocking up on energy at the much loved Bokomo Breakfast Zone which will open at 05:00 each morning (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).
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