{"id":44746,"date":"2023-01-23T18:42:18","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T16:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/?p=44746"},"modified":"2023-01-23T18:42:18","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T16:42:18","slug":"africanx-captures-the-heart-of-trail-legend-nicholas-rupanga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/more-sport\/africanx-captures-the-heart-of-trail-legend-nicholas-rupanga\/","title":{"rendered":"AFRICANX captures the heart of trail legend Nicholas Rupanga!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cLet Nature Give You A Run For Your Money\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

South African trail running legend, Nicholas Rupanga (Kenilworth, Cape Town) will celebrate his 12th<\/sup> running of SA\u2019s premier three-day stage trail run, the AFRICANX TRAILRUN <\/strong>that will return to the picturesque Houw Hoek Hotel (Western Cape) the weekend of Friday 17 to Sunday 19 March 2023.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not only is Rupanga <\/strong>one of two runners that have taken part in the event 11 out of the 12 times that it has been hosted (the other runner being sports journalist Adnaan Mohamed), but he is also one of the first winners of this iconic race, having claimed gold in the Men\u2019s Team category in 2009 (the inaugural event) with team member Patrick Cox.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy life changed when Patrick and I won AFRICANX in 2009,\u201d admits Rupanga. \u201cI made so many friends and got my first professional sponsorship. I became connected in the world of trail running because of AFRICANX. This is my reason for returning each year. AFRICANX is where my heart is as far as trail running is concerned.\u00a0 The event is growing from strength to strength. It\u2019s well organised and accommodates all kinds of runners, elite and social. You also get to meet people from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. It\u2019s the perfect family\/social event.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal in 2023 is the same as it was in 2009 at my AFRICANX debut,\u201d confirms Rupanga. \u201cI want to have fun, make friends, inspire, and motivate others while being competitive of course. Not only would I love to podium in my age category, but I\u2019d also like to be on the podium in the overall\/open category. I recommend AFRICANX to all runners (trail and road). The routes consist of a good mixture of all terrain types, and the event is well organised from the race village set up to three spectacular days of trail running. A very important factor to remember is that it is a team event. Choose your partner wisely. You must understand each other, know each other\u2019s weaknesses and strengths. Be patient and accept whatever happens on the day whilst running. If you enter the AFRICANX to enjoy the trails and have fun, you won\u2019t be disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other well-known South African trail runners that will be seen in action at the AFRICANX TRAILRUN will include: Nonhla Tau<\/strong> (Durban), Franza Landman<\/strong> (Pretoria), Blake Dyason <\/strong>(Hout Bay) and Ashraf Orrie<\/strong> aka Mr O (Plumstead).<\/p>\n

According to Nonhla Tau<\/strong>, AFRICANX feels like a holiday with friends. \u201cAfter each stage you\u2019ll have a lot of fun activities to reflect on over a glass of wine and lovely dinner offered at the race village,\u201d says Tau. \u201cCamping under the Cape stars is also a great experience. AFRICANX is SA\u2019s only trail running festival, but besides all the fun festivities and the awesome race village vibe, it\u2019s also a great endurance base for those 100miler\u00a0ultras later in the year. For the short distance runners, it is the perfect race to test your speed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe AFRICANX TRAILRUN is an amazing, positive, \u2018Party on Foot\u2019,\u201d says Franza Landman<\/strong>. \u201cThe routes are beautiful with surprises around every corner. Although very \u2018runnable\u2019, there are some tough and challenging sections that make the accomplishment even better. There is nothing like the AFRICANX TRAILRUN. I\u2019d return every year if I could. I have my outfit planned for Dress Up Day (Stage Three), but I\u2019ll keep it as a surprise for now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI love how at AFRICANX the entrants hang around at the race village, having drinks, sharing stories, and supporting each other,\u201d says Blake Dyason<\/strong>. \u201cThe atmosphere is just amazing. The routes are fun and runnable with a few steep climbs and spectacular views. You get to enjoy three days of beautiful trails while hanging out with friends. I wouldn\u2019t dare miss it. I can\u2019t wait for Dress Up Day, every year the runners get more and more creative. I admit that I do put more time into thinking about dress up day than I do training. My advice to first time runners, is don\u2019t over think it, keep to your training plan and make sure you start injury free. You are guaranteed to have an amazing time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is so much to enjoy at the AFRICANX TRAILRUN, the vibe, routes, AFRICANX community and the great food,\u201d says Ashraf Orrie<\/strong>. \u201cI\u2019m part of the AFRICANX family, so I won\u2019t miss it for the world. I look forward to seeing the route unfold and can\u2019t wait to see what surprises Stillwater Sports has planned for us. I would most definitely recommend this event to other trail runners. I won\u2019t be able to do the event justice by trying to describe it, I suggest that they experience it for themselves. You do need to do a bit of training to enjoy this event to its fullest. Remember the quicker you finish a stage, the quicker you\u2019ll get to enjoy the scrumptious lunchtime treats.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EVENT INFORMATION<\/u><\/strong>:\u00a0 AFRICANX TRAILRUN 3-Day Stage Race <\/strong><\/p>\n

Launched in 2009, the AFRICANX TRAILRUN 3-Day Stage Race 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) will be seen battling it out on a route varying in distances each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
DATE:<\/strong><\/td>\nFriday 17 \u2013 Sunday 19 March 2023<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
VENUE:<\/strong><\/td>\nHouw Hoek Hotel (Western Cape)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
EVENT FORMAT:<\/strong><\/td>\n3-Day Stage Trail Run<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ENTRY FORMAT:<\/strong><\/td>\nTeams of Two Runners (male \/ female \/ mixed)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DISTANCE:<\/strong><\/td>\nStage 1:\u00a0+- 24 km<\/p>\n

Stage 2:\u00a0+- 32 km<\/p>\n

Stage 3:\u00a0+- 18 km<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

ENTRY FEE OPTIONS:<\/strong><\/td>\nOPTION 1<\/u><\/strong>: <\/strong>Standard <\/em>\/ R3600.00 per runner<\/p>\n

OPTION 2<\/u><\/strong>: <\/strong>Standard plus dinner \/ <\/em>R4200.00 per runner<\/p>\n

OPTION 3<\/u><\/strong>: <\/strong>Standard plus dinner & tent \/ <\/em>R4600.00 per runner<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

ENTRIES CLOSE:<\/strong><\/td>\nMonday 06 March 2023<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Follow us on Facebook:\u00a0 <\/strong>@runtheafricanx\u00a0\/ @stillwatertrail<\/p>\n

Follow us on Instagram:\u00a0 <\/strong>@runtheAFRICANX \/ @stillwater_trail_running<\/p>\n

Hashtag:<\/strong>\u00a0 #MyAFRICANX #RunTheAFRICANX<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For additional information on the AFRICANX TRAILRUN<\/strong> 3-Day Stage Race <\/strong>please visit www.stillwatersports.com<\/a>, contact Stillwater Sports on 082\u00a0991 0045 or email entries@stillwatersports.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"TAX.jpg\"<\/p>\n

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

\u201cLet Nature Give You A Run For Your Money\u201d South African trail running legend, Nicholas Rupanga (Kenilworth, Cape Town) will celebrate his 12th running of SA\u2019s premier three-day stage trail run, the AFRICANX TRAILRUN that will return to the picturesque Houw Hoek Hotel (Western Cape) the weekend of Friday 17 to Sunday 19 March 2023.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44747,"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":[3],"tags":[8801],"class_list":["post-44746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-more-sport","tag-myafricanx-runtheafricanx"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44746","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=44746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}