THE ELITE RACE TRAIL RUNNING
April and Ncube Win Again as Dryland Traverse Returns to Caves
Experience counts when it comes to tackling a four-day trail running event , and few runners bring more experience to the Rhodes Dryland Traverse in the Klein Karoo than John April and Anderson Ncube . Coming into the 11th edition of the event , April had won the men ’ s team category four times , in 2015 , 2016 , 2018 and 2019 , with various running partners , including the 2019 win with Ncube . April also finished second in the men ’ s team category in 2017 , as well as last year in the men ’ s solo category , but this past November , he and Ncube combined all their experience and running talent to add another team win to their names .
convincingly won by Estee Cockroft in 7:01:55 , with Leigh Callaghan second in 7:21:01 and Rebecca Goble rounding off the podium positions in 7:37:40 .
In the mixed team category , Nadia Jooste and Dale Moulten ( Team Axxess ) were in a class of their own as they took four consecutive stage wins , finishing the event with an overall time of 7:02:05 , more than two hours clear of second-placed Anja Conradie and Cornel van Zyl ( Team Adoonsies , 9:04:29 ). Third place in this category went to Margi and Juan Muller of Team Bergskilpaaie in 9:41:23 . ( Jooste won the women ’ s solo category in 2021 , but opted to run in a team this year , and has said she may return in 2023 in a women ’ s team to try complete her collection of Dryland Traverse category wins .)
Running as Team Raasbekkie in memory of the late Carel ‘ Raasbekkie ’ Bezuidenhoud , the race commentator who passed away last year , April and Ncube dominated the event from start to finish , winning all four stages and completing 70.2km of racing in a combined time of 5:54:54 , well ahead of the second-placed Team PT ( Gareth Cunningham and Jonathan van Wyk ), who finished in 7:20:51 . Third was Team Lebombo ( Willem Human and Martin Els ) in 7:29:08 .
The event returned to its traditional roots in 2022 , with the prologue once again starting at the entrance of the Cango Caves . This gave the more than 200 participating runners a truly unique experience of racing through a section of the world-famous cave network , before hitting the stunningly scenic trails that crisscross the Swartberg Mountains , a UNESCO World Heritage site . Other notable landmarks that runners experienced included starting halfway up the Swartberg Pass on the Friday stage and summiting the 1190m pass , and running along the banks of the picturesque Raubenheimer Dam on a wind-still Saturday morning . The race was based at the remote De Hoek Mountain Resort , where most runners camped for the weekend .
Podium Positions
In the solo men ’ s category , Franz Erich Streicher also posted four stage wins as he finished with a combined time of 6:24:08 , with Bert Verlinde second overall in 7:03:31 and Sakkie Hanekom third in 7:18:57 . ( This was Verlinde ’ s second consecutive year of finishing second , having taken the runner-up position in the mixed team category alongside wife Melanie in 2021 .) The women ’ s solo title was
The women ’ s team competition saw Lijan van Niekerk and Sumé van Heerden ( Team Van Girls ) claim line honours in a combined time of 6:46:31 , followed by Chloe Bishop and Caro Jordaan ( Team Blister Sisters ) in 8:00:44 . ( Bishop came into the race as a defending champion , having won this category in 2021 alongside Chantel Nienaber .) Third team home was Lani van der Merwe and Melissa Phelps ( Team Drylands Darlings ) in 8:35:06 .
Men ’ s winner Franz Erich Streicher
Women ’ s winner Estee Cockroft
Something Different
When it comes to awarding the top runners , the Rhodes Dryland Traverse doesn ’ t only focus on the fastest of the fast , as there are a number of fun categories that runners can also sign up for , whether running solo or as part of a team . Women over 50 can race in the Mdala category , while the Mafuta category is for men weighing 90 to 99 kilograms , and the Makula Mafuta category is for men weighing over 100 kilograms . Mafuta means Fat Man in isiXhosa , while Makula Mafuta means Very Fat Man , and coveted hippopotamus trophies are up for grabs in these categories . For the 2022 race , another weight category was also added , the Amakhulu Thambo , for women weighing more than 70 kilograms .
After four days of racing , the leading Mdala was Analie Heyns ( 8:26:37 ), while the new Amakhulu Thambo category went to Louisa-Anne Ungerer in 9:00:16 . Retief Lampbrecht took line honours in the Mafuta category in 11:44:56 , and the Makula Mafuta win went to Michael Charton in 10:13:45 .
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