Multisport Series presented by Best 4. Event 1: Race Report

Varsity College Multisport Series presented by Best 4 Event 1: Race Report It was muddy. It was crazy. It was lost. It was fun. It was games. It was the first event in the Varsity College Multisport Series at Holla Trails, Ballito on a beautiful sunny day in the middle of winter after a downpour during the night which left the track sodden. And yet the participants arrived in droves to find out what all the fun was really about. Who other than local resident Tyrone White to win the MultiX Long Course over a 5km trail run, 20km mountain bike and 2.5km trail run. Aside from living a stone’s throw from Collisheen Estate, White is one of the country’s top multisport athletes with world class pedigree so his win was fitting. However, there was no time to waste as Eston farmer Derrin Smith was snapping on his heels just forty-two seconds back in second place and SA Duathlete John Ntuli rounded a classy men’s podium in third place. Sarah Gray is no stranger to the top of the women’s podium and she claimed a comfortable win ahead of Karen Thomson with Maryanne Soulsby in third place. The Short Course race over a 2.5km trail run, 10km mountain bike and 1km trail run is geared for the racing youngsters and the novices. Leading home the field was Thomas Jessop, SA’s top Sub-Junior mountain biker, who claimed the title ahead of fellow Team Jeep team mate’s Cameron Wright – top SA Sprog mountain biker in second place and Devon Smith in third place. Young Tiffany Keep took the victory in the women’s race ahead of an ill-fated Mikaela Jonsson and the feisty Courtney Smith in third place. To satisfy the non-multisporters, the organisers introduced the stand alone trail run and mountain bike events. Some enthusiasts raced both like Marion Young and John Ntuli who were the respective men’s and women’s 5km trail run winners. The 15km trail run was won by Mzamo Zondi in one hour, sixteen minutes and 29 seconds while Alexia Loizou claimed the women’s win in one hour, twenty-three minutes and 31 seconds. Racing was tight at the front of the 40km MTB race with Robert du Preez taking the win in two hours, five minutes and forty seconds ahead of Travis Walker in second and Western Cape rider Marthinus Esmeyer third. Dawn Hermon was first home in the women’s race ahead of Xenia Witte and Jessica Stamp third. The 20km MTB race was won by Merik Sparg and Lara Bateson respectively. Be the fun ! Host campus Durban North Pirates faced tough opposition from rival campus the Maritzburg Mammoths and a phantom showing from the Westville Cowboys. Games included the tough Qhubeka bike challenge over the MultiX Short Course and the Varsity College Games Challenge which included a Siamese sack race, the wheelbarrow race and the blind-fold three legged race. The Change A Life Academy just pipped Team Jeep SA in a final show-down of ching-chong-cha to claim the Game Challenge title. Event two takes place at Shongweni Dam on Sunday 22nd July. Be there ! RESULTS – MultiX Long: Men overall: T White (Russell White Racing) 1h18.18, D Smith (Team Jeep) 1h19.00, J Ntuli (Change A Life) 1h22.43. Women overall: S Gray (Scottys) 1h40.24, K Thomson 1h58.40, M Soulsby 2h00.12 MultiX Short: Men overall: T Jessop 50:03, C Wright 53.18, D Smith 53.58. Women overall: T Keep 57.20, M Jonsson 1h00.27, C Smith 1h00.48. MTB 40km, Men: R du Preez 2h05.40, T Walker 2h06.00, M Esmeyer 2h06.22. Women: D Hermon 2h53.50, X Witte 3h18.44, J Stamp 3h22.00. MTB 20km, Men: M Sparg 1h04.16. Women: L Bateson 1h20.52.