Van-Rensburg and Visser - African X
Saturday, 17 March 2012 ~ It was an action-packed day of racing in Kleinmond with trail runners eagerly toeing the line to take on Stage Two of the 2012 ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun presented by New Balance.
The ‘marathon’ stage belonged to late entry Michael Bailey and Antoine Van Heerden of Team Velocity Sports Lab 2. In the women’s race Kathleen Shuttleworth and Nicole Marais of Team ProNutro JAG secured their second victory of the weekend, while Landie Visser and Mauritz Janse Van Rensburg of Team Arabella walked off with the mixed team title.
According to Van Heerden stage two was really tough. “The race started at a really quick tempo. We made a call to go for it and hang on. The stage was unbelievable, such a nice experience. The trails are amazing and the overall event is just really well organised. We’ve got a bit of a lead now after today’s stage. We definitely want to win,” says Van Heerden. Team Velocity Sports Lab 2 had a winning time of 02hours25minutes53seconds. Team Zestlife came in second, while Team ProNutro Champs finished third.
Team ProNutro JAG’s Nicole Marais wishes she’d entered the ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun sooner. “The start was nice and fast. The beach run was tough, but the rest of the route was really nice. Kathleen had a strong run today. Our strategy was to pace ourselves and make up time. This is such an awesome event. The spirit and support on route is just amazing,” says Marais. Team ProNutro JAG had a winning time of 03hours06minutes25seconds. Team Wishlist came in second, while Team Girls Can Run finished third.
Landie Visser of Team Arabella Mixed feels positive after their stage win. “I definitely felt much better today and had a great run. We went out conservatively and gradually increased our pace until we finally passed stage one winners Iain and Su Don-Wauchope on the last 3km of the beach run. I’m crazy about the AfricanX vibe and routes. The organisers know how to look after their runners. The event is definitely doable for all athletes that have put in some training. Tomorrow we plan on taking it easy. We’ll just stick to the teams and see what we can do,” says Visser. Team Arabella Mixed secured a stage victory with a finishing time of 03hours03minutes12seconds. Team Mountain Splendour came in second, while Team Inov8 Gauteng Trail Stars 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.
Stage Two saw runners having to complete a 32km route. Traditionally known as the ‘marathon’ day, although the distance has been reduced Stage Two remains the toughest stage of the event with the toughest climbs taking runners through the beautiful MTO forest areas of the region.
Stage Three Information:
DATE: Sunday, 18 March 2012
TIME: 07:30
DISTANCE: 25km
START VENUE: On the Highland Road just off Arabella (Kleinmond)
The following teams will be leading the field going into Stage Three on Sunday, 18 March 2012:
Men’s Team:
Team Name: Team Velocity Sports Lab 2
Team Members: Michael Bailey & Antoine Van Heerden
Combined time (Stage One & Two): 05hours12minutes04seconds.
Nic De Beer and William Robinson of Team Zestlife are currently second, with Dawid Visser and Rohan Kennedy of ProNutro Champs in third place.
Women’s Team:
Team Name: ProNutro JAG
Team Members: Kathleen Shuttleworth & Nicole Marais
Combined time (Stage One & Two): 06hours41minutes46seconds
Andrea Van Der Spuy and Phia Okennedy of Team Girls Can Run are currently in second place, with Renata Schoeman and Herlien Van Zyl of Team Wishlist in third place.
Mixed Team:
Team Name: Mountain Splendour
Team Members: Iain and Su Don-Wauchope
Combined time (Stage One & Two): 06hours14minutes09seconds
Landie Visser and Mauritz Janse Van Rensburg of Team Arabella Mixed are currently in second place, with Anita Obrien and Mazu Ndandani of Team Inov8 Gauteng Trail Stars in third place.
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