Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 63, October 2014

obstacle racing Ma The sixth leg of the series of eight Jeep Warrior Race events was held at Redstone Country Estate in Hartbeespoort in the North West and saw a touch over 8000 competitors and would-be Warriors over the weekend’s events. The Jeep Warrior Race is South Africa’s largest obstacle course racing series with Gauteng attracting hordes of newbies, teams and elites. U sing her upper body strength and wealth of obstacle racing experience, including breaking a rib on a hanging obstacle last year, Dominique D’Oliveira raced to a crushing win in the women’s race of the Black Ops main event in the sixth leg of the 2014 Jeep Warrior Race series. Not only did she finish nearly 49 minutes ahead of second-placed Michelle Meyer (2:48:44), but she still had the energy for a mighty victory leap over the finishing line, and her impressive time also put her in overall 17th position in the elite field, leaving many men trailing in her muddy wake! Hanneke Dannhauser was third in 03:07:45, despite a severe ankle injury. The elite men’s race was a far closer affair, with Claude Eksteen coming home in 1:31:38, ousting runner-up Greg Avierinos by just 20 seconds. Eduan Neeb took the last podium spot in the men’s race, clocking 1:35:11. The Black Ops course covered 21km with 30 gruelling obstacles, including log flipping, muddy barbed wire crawls and climbing over high nets, and the hot weather at Harties made the challenge still greater. Obstacle training Ma 1. Embrace: You didn’t enter an obstacle race to look good and smell pretty afterwards. Embrace the mud and get ready to get down and dirty. It will be worth it! 2. Slow it down: The top surface of a muddy trench will likely be more manageable than the sludge that you may encounter at the bottom, so approach slowly and first see what you’re dealing with. You may be able to swim through it instead of soldiering on and losing your shoes, so diving in feet-first is not always the best way to go about it. 3. Help Out: Getting out of a mud pit can be tricky, so have a teammate lend you a hand up so you can safely step out of the pit. When you’re out, you can give your mate a hand out. 4. Dress the part: A lightweight shirt or vest is best for taking on the mud, and for the guys, going shirtless is even better! Also important is to have a change of clothes for a comfortable drive home afterwards! UPCOMING OBSTACLES Saturday 11 October • Jeep Warrior Race #7, Bilton Wine Estate, Stellenbosch, Western Cape • GI Joe 6km Obstacle Race, Tikwe River Lodge, Virginia, Free State Images: Zoon Cronje Saturday 18 – Sunday 19 October • Impi Challenge Cape Town #2, Lievland Wine Estate, Stellenbosch, Western Cape Saturday 1 November • WarriorXtreme, Hero Adventure Park, Muldersdrift, Gauteng WarriorXtreme is a 24-hour obstacle race, where participants will be tested beyond their limits and wildest imagination. Mental strength and a ‘never say die’ attitude are a must from start to finish. The Xtreme will see the gathering of the country’s top warriors, toughing it out with one goal in mind, to be the last man or woman standing after 24 hours! The WarriorXtreme is a 5km course with 15 obstacles taken from the Warrior races, but with a few surprises. The event also has a sixhour option and a team relay, with all three races using the same course. For more info, go to www.warrior.co.za 43

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 63, October 2014 | Page 43