TRAIL
The Sundowner Run 36
The afternoon session saw the SDR36 head out from Castleburn Farm onto a course modified from the previous 32km route , giving runners a longer but faster 36km route , with a more runnable finish . The first timing point at Mzimkulwana Hut saw the early pace set by eventual runner-up Bongani Mbanjwa , leading a trailing quartet of Robert Rorich , Mdu Dlamini , Eric Ngubane and Daniel Claasen by four minutes .
Heading into the crewed aid station at Cobham , the top two remaining contenders were Mbanjwa and Rorich , who emerged onto the gravel road at Sani Valley Gate Aid Station separated by less than a minute . From there , a straight-line speed battle saw Rorich pull clear and take the win , with Mbanjwa suffering a footwear failure to end second , while Ngubane survived a strong push from Claasen to round out the podium positions .
In the women ’ s race , Lijan Burger took the pace out at the start , and would remain largely untroubled in a dominant run . The former track star wrapped up the win close to half an hour ahead of Nadine Van Driel , who also held her position from start to finish , but early third-placed runner Amanda Fraser was pipped to the line by a strong second half showing from Marné Mostert .
Robert Rorich
Lijan Burger
SDR36 Men
Robert Rorich |
3:16:13 |
Bongani Mbanjwa |
3:21:17 |
Eric Ngubane |
3:24:51 |
SDR36 Women
Lijan Burger |
4:12:16 |
Nadine Van Driel |
4:39:19 |
Marné Mostert |
4:42:21 |
For full results , visit the Ultra-Trail Drakensberg website at www . ultratraildrakensberg . com .
The Drakensberg Rock Jumper 25
After a 10-minute drive from Glencairn , the DRJ25 runners set off from Sani Pass Premier Resport , with the runners setting a furious pace right from the get-go . At the front , Tsielo Tsanyane led from teammate Sinovuyo Ngcobo , with Prodigal Khumalo chasing third , and while the time gaps between them may have fluctuated during the race , the positions ultimately stayed the same . In the women ’ s race , Paige Mackenzie led Lindy Acutt into the first checkpoint by a mere second , but by the first and only aid station , Acutt had taken the lead , and would continue stretching the gap to take a comfortable win .
DRJ25 Men
Tsielo Tsanyane |
2:04:54 |
Sinovuyo Ngcobo |
2:07:30 |
Prodigal Khumalo |
2:12:44 |
DRJ25 Women
Lindy Acutt |
2:48:44 |
Paige Mackenzie |
2:58:11 |
Es-Miné Ligthelm |
3:03:20 |
Images : Grae Holliday , Fahwaaz Cornelius , Kelvin Trautman , Zac Zinn & courtesy UTD
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