{"id":43031,"date":"2021-12-11T17:44:57","date_gmt":"2021-12-11T15:44:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/?p=43031"},"modified":"2021-12-11T17:44:57","modified_gmt":"2021-12-11T15:44:57","slug":"south-african-endurance-sportsman-becomes-worlds-first-rider-to-complete-the-double-munga-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/cycling\/south-african-endurance-sportsman-becomes-worlds-first-rider-to-complete-the-double-munga-race\/","title":{"rendered":"South African endurance sportsman becomes world\u2019s first rider to complete the \u2018double\u2019 Munga race"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where some might consider riding 1 150 km in 120 hours over some of the world\u2019s toughest terrain accomplishment enough for one lifetime, Cape Town\u2019s Guy Jennings felt it best to do it twice \u2013 back-to-back. Despite numerous challenges, he managed to become the first person ever to complete the world\u2019s toughest ultra-endurance mountain bike race, the Munga – there and back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Guy set off from the \u2018finish line\u2019 at Doolhof Wine Estate on 25 November, arriving in Bloemfontein on the evening of the 29th. Then, from 1 to 5 December, Guy pushed his body to the limits as he traversed the arid Karoo in the height of summer, back to Cape Town for a second time in one week, thereby completing the \u2018double\u2019 Munga race,\u00a0a day ahead of the race\u2019s official ending.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo one has ever done the exact course in reverse, through the Karoo and back along the same route totalling 2\u00a0300km of riding,\u201d admitted the Kommetjie local. \u201cI was very lucky that a good friend assisted with all the logistics.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not about what I have done, I want to encourage and inspire others and say \u2018you can do this\u2019! I want others to get out and experience these things, especially kids, instead of being on a computer indoors get out into open spaces and experience the vastness and adventure – we have it all here in South Africa, incredible, beautiful, vast, wild open spaces,\u201d added Jennings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t the 56-year-old endurance athlete\u2019s first attempt at the \u2018double\u2019 Munga. Last year, he attempted a similar feat, starting with the Munga and then racing the same distance back to Bloemfontein. Logistical issues and pneumonia unfortunately impeded this quest, which fuelled Guy\u2019s ambition to make 2021 his year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI changed my training to include more strength training off the bike and did numerous ‘stair repeats’ with a weighted jacket on,\u201d said Guy of his preparations. \u201cI worked with a nutritionist to lose weight before the attempt. I also changed my bike setup and purchased a new CURVE Gravel Bike which was perfect for the challenge.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to this, Guy attempted to ride \u2018aerobically\u2019 \u2013 without being out of breath \u2013 the entire distance: \u201cThis wasn’t always possible when riding into 50 or 60km head winds and torrential flooding, but I did work hard on conserving energy and maintaining my body and health the whole way. I ate as healthily as possible, including a lot more fruits, to increase intake of carbs and fructose.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No stranger to epic races, many of which he uses to raise funds for charity, this is Guy\u2019s fifth successful Munga, having competed in four Cape Epics and the famous Silk Road Mountain Race in 2019 – becoming the first South African to succeed in this adventure. He also managed to complete the world\u2019s longest winter ultra-marathon \u2013 The Iditarod Trail Invitational in Alaska \u2013 which he\u2019ll be tackling again next year. Before taking to the bike, Guy was a dedicated runner, competing in 11 Comrades Marathons, three 7-Day Desert Runs and the 230-kilometre Jungle Ultra Marathon through the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And as part of his preparation for the double Munga, Guy competed in a series of \u2018500s\u2019 \u2013 extremely tough, 500km, non-stop, self-supported races based primarily in the Western Cape.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But despite his significant experience and dedicated training, the 2021 Munga still came with some incredible challenges: \u201cThis year\u2019s race was unique for the Munga because, while the first two days were very good conditions with warm temperatures and not too much wind, on day 3 this changed. Riders on the section to the Tankwa Padstal struggled against almost impossible headwinds, and then the storms hit. Roads were washed away; dry rivers became impassable and the Ouberg Pass turned into a death trap. In the last 50 to 80km before the checkpoint, we rode into the night and waded through knee-deep water, mudslides and torrential rain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s overcoming the difficulties that push endurance athletes, like Guy, to take on tougher challenges year after year: \u201cUltra-endurance sport is the absolute best activity. You will make lifelong friends along the way and can use events to travel the world. There is such camaraderie and a close-knit family feel between competitors, from those in the front through to those struggling to make cut-offs at the back of the pack – everyone is in it together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sharing his advice to those getting into the sport, Guy said it\u2019s \u2018all about learning\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery long event you do, you learn from your mistakes and pick up tips on racing, training and kit from others. the endurance community is all about sharing and helping. Although it\u2019s highly competitive, everyone is always open and helpful.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy advice would be to start somewhere you want to go. Build up slowly and find an event in a place that excites you, not just for the challenge but also to experience a country or culture you\u2019re interested in. Never just look at the overall distance as it can be daunting, break it done into bite-sized chunks that you feel you can manage. Most big events have generous cut off times, giving everyone a reasonable chance of finishing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Putting his words into action, Guy is already planning his second attempt at the Iditarod Invitational in Alaska at the end of February, as well as the GBD (Great British Divide), a 2000km self-supported race taking place in the United Kingdom in July.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where some might consider riding 1 150 km in 120 hours over some of the world\u2019s toughest terrain accomplishment enough for one lifetime, Cape Town\u2019s Guy Jennings felt it best to do it twice \u2013 back-to-back. Despite numerous challenges, he managed to become the first person ever to complete the world\u2019s toughest ultra-endurance mountain bike […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58746,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3260],"tags":[8454,1945,1747,4415,9258],"class_list":["post-43031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-guy-jennings","tag-mountain-bike-race","tag-mtb","tag-olivia-jones-communications","tag-the-munga"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43031\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}