OBSTACLE RACING
REACHING FOR THE SKIES finding somewhere to do that was far from easy . “ Unfortunately , the bungee jump platform at the Orlando Towers is just over 90m high , and not a full 100m , else that would ’ ve been the official Guinness World Records attempt goal .”
South African Obstacle Course Racing Sprint World Champion Thomas van Tonder successfully blazed his way up a 90m free-hanging rope between two of Joburg ’ s most iconic landmarks , the Soweto Towers , in mid-November , setting a Guinness World Record along the way .
Months of demanding , often painful
training , testing and preparation culminated in a 10-minute ‘ burn ’ for Red Bull OCR athlete Thomas van Tonder on Tuesday 17 November , but the seemingly short time after all those months of build-up was no anti-climax for him . On the contrary , on his way up to his 90m rope-climbing goal at the bungee jump platform suspended between the Soweto Towers , Thomas set a Guinness World Record for the fastest 50m rope climb ever recorded , clocking it at three minutes and 19.688 seconds .
“ I was super nervous at the start and we had a few technical issues to begin with . Fortunately none of that threw me off too much ,” says Thomas . “ Starting the attempt with all the witnesses was amazing . Everything felt good , the rigging crew were on point and I fell into a good rhythm . I got to the 50m mark and I was able to lock into the rope and take a second to catch my breath and look at my watch . I knew then that I had achieved a sub-four minute time , which for me was personally a huge goal to aim for . It burnt like hell , but it was the best rhythm I could ’ ve hoped for and everything just came together .”
However , he was only just past the halfway mark to his personal goal of 90 metres to summit the towers . “ It was then that I realised I still had another 40m to climb . That last part was brutal , as I had spent a lot of my energy already on the first 50m section . I was battling with arm pump and trying to manage so as to not let my hands fail , so I had to take the last 20 metres really slowly , but I made it to the top and seeing the team there waiting for me was an unforgettable moment .” His time for the 90m climb was 9:05 .
Overcoming Obstacles
Thomas has experienced a meteoric rise to the top of world Obstacle Course Racing ( ORC ). He finished second in his first race in 2013 , and within three years had turned pro . Amongst many wins , Thomas has won 17 Warrior Black Ops Elite races , and he won the National Championship and Series Championships in 2016 and 2018 ( and was runner-up in 2017 ). He has competed in four OCR World Championships and placed in the Top 10 three times . 2019 was a big year for the 27-year-old , as he not only became a new dad , but also finished second in the 3km and won the 100m Sprint Race at the OCR World Championships .
Unfortunately , he has not been able to compete in 2020 , and the idea for the challenge was born around the time that South Africa went into lockdown in late March this year , and all sport was put on hold . It was a challenging time for many athletes to stay motivated and to find ways to keep up with their training , especially OCR athletes , who do a lot of training outdoors on various forms of obstacle structures , including rope climbing . Thomas says that taking this element of OCR to the extreme in a challenge seemed the obvious choice .
Drawing inspiration from British adventurer Ross Edgley and fellow OCR athlete Leon Kofoed , he laid out a goal for the Guinness World Records attempt . As 100m Sprint World Champ , he says he would have loved to attempt a 100m climb , but
Another challenge was preparing for a 90m rope climb when nothing of the sort existed . Fortunately , as the country moved into lower levels of lockdown , Thomas was able to get back into the gym for conditioning and much-needed simulation work at CityROCK , an indoor climbing facility in Johannesburg , in preparation for the record attempt . Further to his training , he also spent a lot of timing researching the right gear for the climb . “ Limiting weight was a key consideration when it came to choosing the harness and helmet . Shoes , for example , needed to ensure grip and help manage any pain . And lastly , finding the correct rope that would not tangle and twist .”
The bubbly was waiting for Thomas back on the ground
Watch Thomas Climb
Thanks to www . redbull . com , you can watch video footage of Thomas conquering the 90m rope climb . Simply click the play button in the viewing pane below . Bonus feature : We also have a pre-climb video showing Thomas preparing for the climb – click here to watch that as well .
Images : Tyrone Bradley / Red Bull Content Pool
46 ISSUE 135 NOVEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za