Saturday 25 September 2021 went down as the day multiple records fell at the K-Way 4 Peaks Mountain Challenge, with both the menâs and ladies field showing their strengths. In his 5th 4 Peaks race, Simon Tshabalala took podium position, taking 6 minutes off the previous course record in a time of 2hrs38min58sec, followed closely in 2nd place by Chabeli Nyedimane in a time of 2hrs40min20sec, with Collin Kanyimo in 3rd place in a time of 2hrs48min01sec.
âI am so very happy to have not only won todayâs K-Way 4 Peaks Mountain Challenge race, but to have also set a new course record,â says winner, Simon Tshabalala. âI had a tough time in my training for this race, but it all fell into place today and I had a great run. The first peak is definitely the toughest, and by the time I got over the 4th peak and was able to focus on the downhills, my speciality, I was in my happy place!â
Nicolette Griffioen proved once again why she is one of the best, taking 20 minutes off the previous course record and coming in 8th overall in an amazing time of 03hrs44min21sec, Tara-Lee van Zyl came in 2nd place, and 10th overall, in a time of 03hrs47min15sec and 3rd place, 14th overall went to Riana van der Merwe in a time of 03hrs48min11sec.
Dubbed as the toughest 24km trail race in South Africa with a vertical accent of over 1800m, the race takes place on the picturesque Moolmanshoek Private Game Reserve. The terrain is definitely not for the faint of heart and good preparation is a must. Four very distinctive peaks make up the race as athletes circle around the Moolmanshoek valley. The route is not marked, but is very easy to traverse with marshals and very clear signage at key places. There are some very steep sections along the route that need to be navigated with the two toughest climbs behind the Jakobsberg and Visierskerf. 4 Peaks is a fully unsupported race, meaning that all athletes will need to carry everything they need for the race on their person.
For more information on the race and to find out how you can enter next yearâs event, please visit http://4peaks.co.za/. Follow the race live on Facebook on @4PeaksMountainChallenge
