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Emotions were high on Monday 21 March 2022 as trail running enthusiasts closed off their 2022 THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN Three-Day Stage Race, which boasted a total combined distance of 74km over three days, at the picturesque\u00a0Houw Hoek Hotel.<\/p>\n
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Starting and finishing at the Houw Hoek Hotel, Stage Three featured a +-18km route. Although the shortest of the three stages, Stage Three did boast a total ascent of 720m.<\/p>\n
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Team Salomon\u2019s Kane Reilly and Daniel Claassen pulled out all the stops to secure their 3rd<\/sup> consecutive stage victory and overall event victory on the day. Reilly and Claassen claimed gold in the Men\u2019s Team Category after three days of racing, completing the three stages in a lightning-fast combined time of 05 hours 17 minutes 33 seconds.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cKane was just pushing the pace today,\u201d says an exhausted Claassen. \u201cWe had to really work hard to drop Retsepile, he was very strong and running very well. We only managed to drop him at about 14km, but he was still breathing in our necks, so we had to work till the finish line. I had to give it my all. It\u2019s been a super fun weekend. You\u2019ll never come to a race and not have the goal to win and it\u2019s nice to race well over three days. I\u2019m really chuffed with our effort today. The AFRICANX is proper.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDaniel has been a weapon,\u201d says Reilly. \u201cWe train a lot together and we just continued in the groove throughout the weekend. We had to work hard. Retsepile won Stage Three last year. Just as last year, he had a bad middle stage, so we thought that maybe he\u2019d be a bit rested and come out firing, which he did. The start was super-fast. We could not let him get away because the stage was just too short. As soon as we could start climbing on more rocky trails we just kept pushing. I\u2019m glad he dropped then, thankfully it wasn\u2019t a sprint finish. I am pretty stoked because I\u2019ve been on the podium a few times, but I have never won this race before. I love racing in South Africa, especially in races close to home and AFRICANX is one of those races. I\u2019ve just never been able to win it. To tick that off is a good feeling. I\u2019ll be back next year. We\u2019re going to encourage more top runners to come back to this event. It is just a good event to have all the top guys at.\u201d<\/p>\n Lovemo Nyaude and Hakeem Smith from Team HTRCrew Goats came in 2nd<\/sup> overall after three days of racing, while Wandisile Nongodlwana and Nicholas Rupanga from Team ASICS Mojos finished 3rd<\/sup>.<\/p>\n Retsepile Khotle from Team Here to WIN was an \u201cindividual runner\u201d on the day as his teammate, Siviwe Nkombi had to withdraw after Stage Two due to injury.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Marion Leiberich and Lijan Van Niekerk from Team The Border Collies secured the top spot on the podium in the Women\u2019s Team Competition after completing the <\/em>three stages in a deserving combined time of 06 hours 31 minutes 28 seconds.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cToday was great, I really enjoyed the trails,\u201d says Leiberich. \u201cIt was such a beautiful view running along the ridge. I thought that the stage would be harder, but it was the most enjoyable stage. We worked well as a team. I really enjoy hills, so on the hills I pulled Lijan, and on the downhills I was holding on. We have different strengths and that complemented each other. We haven\u2019t spoken about it yet, but I\u2019d love to team up with Lijan again and come back next year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI could feel the tiredness in my legs,\u201d admits Lijan. \u201cThe stage was great. I loved the scenery. The trails were high in the mountains with single track and fynbos. It was beautiful. We went out quite hard because it started with a 9km downhill and it was hard to hold back. It\u2019s amazing to claim the Women\u2019s Team Title today. I\u2019ve always wanted to do AFRICANX and can\u2019t believe that we won.\u201d<\/p>\n Robyn Gardener and Leonie Schoeman from Team Handle with Flair came in 2nd<\/sup> overall after three days of racing, while Madeleen Van Wyk and Marise Prinsloo from Team Jetlagged finished 3rd<\/sup>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The Mixed Team Title was firmly secured by Team K-Way NewBalance\u2019s Kerry-Ann Marshall and AJ Calitz who completed\u00a0<\/em>the three stages in a well-deserved combined time of 06 hours 13 minutes 36 seconds.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cToday was awesome,\u201d says Marshall. \u201cThe routes were beautiful and flowing, with big climbs. It was fun to be part of the whole vibe with all the runners creating such an awesome atmosphere out there. It was loads of fun. We wanted to be a little more conservative on the downhills. AJ is just super- human on the climbs, so I just held on to his pack while he pulled us all the way up. It\u2019s such a good feeling the closer you get to the festival village you hear the music and the commentator. \u00a0You\u2019re tired, but you know that you are almost home, it\u2019s been a good three days of running and you\u2019ve given it your all. There\u2019s nothing better. I\u2019m just super happy that the body held out and that we could claim the Mixed Team Title.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe stage was wonderful,\u201d says Calitz. \u201cI think the route was a little more technical than yesterday. Kerry-Ann and I decided that we were going to start a bit slower and hang back. I\u2019ve done this route before, so I knew that the climb was long and hard. We conserved our energy on the way down and as we turned, I told her to hang on to the back of me and let\u2019s keep it hard and steady. We made it to the top and started building a bit of a gap. Heading towards home was amazing. I was really looking forward to seeing my kids. This is the AFRICANX that I remember and the one that I want to come back to.<\/p>\n Paige Botten and Josh Van Niekerk from Team First Ascent came in 2nd<\/sup> overall after three days of racing, while Greg Erlangsen and Melissa Laing from Team Pura finished 3rd<\/sup>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhether you were a seasoned trail runner or someone with a come-and-try-it attitude, the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN delivered a fun, scenic and rewarding event atmosphere in the beautiful Cape wilderness. We love the association with health, fitness and nature as runners stayed hydrated with our natural spring water and ISOFIT+ Sport Drinks,\u201d says Michelle Lillico, THIRSTI Head of Marketing.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt was a great experience to spend three days outdoors with members of SA\u2019s trail running community,\u201d says Riaan Oosthuizen, General Manager of First Ascent. \u201cWe loved seeing trail runners put our product to the test and trust that after three days of challenging (but fun) trail running the 2022 First Ascent AFRICANX Event Garment has become a cherished clothing piece that trail runners will wear with pride.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n EVENT INFORMATION<\/u><\/strong>: 2022 THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN<\/strong> Three-Day Stage Race<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Launched in 2009, the THIRSTI AFRICANX TRAILRUN is synonymous with magnificent trails, spectacular views, mouth-watering food, a relaxed atmosphere, great vibe and most importantly, teamwork! Teams of two trail running enthusiasts (male\/female\/mixed) were seen battling it out on a route varying in distances each day.<\/p>\n