Organizers of the Torpedo SwimRun Series have announced a prize purse of R 100k for the Torpedo SwimRun Cape that takes place in November 2018 along the Cape Town Atlantic coastline.
Torpedo SwimRun is rolling out the series across South Africa with Cape as the pinnacle race, and Torpedo SwimRun Wild is set to take place in freshwater rivers, forest and on the beaches of Wilderness in September.
SwimRun is a ‘battle of the sports’, with athletes at the top of their respective disciplines excelling at different elements on the Torpedo course. It’s the allrounder that wins this event, athletes that have both the mental and physical strength and the ability to read and race the natural coastal course.
At the first two Cape events in 2017, local Llandudno lifesavers were the quickest over the rock scrambling sections and the technical swims, with local ocean knowledge giving them the upper hand at reading the ocean currents and lines. The speed of the top triathletes is unmatched over the open road, and ultra trailrunners Ryan Sandes and Kane Reilly were on the podium at the inaugural event in January 2017, with their speed over the running segments giving them an advantage.
Richard McMartin, co-founder of Torpedo SwimRun, said: “The growth of any sport comes from its athletes, and this prize purse is a reflection of both the global explosion of SwimRun and our intent that Torpedo will be a race that all professional multi-sport athletes aspire to win.”
Michael Lord is a 22-year old triathlete who, with his teammate Namibian JP Burger, has won both the inaugural and the second SwimRun Cape events held last year. Says Michael: “The increased prize money for the 2018 Cape Town event is a big step towards attracting high calibre racers from other disciplines, and perhaps beginning to create athletes focused solely on the SwimRun series. It’s been a pleasure to witness the enthusiasm as this race has developed, and I hope to continue to enjoy this unique way of experiencing our beautiful landscapes.”
Alexandra Quinet and her brother Nick won the mixed race in November, and she will this year partner with triathlete Vicky van der Merwe who recently won the Momentum BIG5 Challenge in Knysna: “After we saw videos and images from the inaugural SwimRun, Nick and I did not want to miss out. Going in we didn’t know what to expect – we got tips from previous racers and practiced swimming with shoes on. This race offers the most beautiful views, incredible terrains and proved to be such an challenging adventure. It was the most fun, tough, and beautiful race we have ever had the privilege of racing – and right at our back door!”
“I thought I had seen incorrectly when I read the mail concerning prize money for the Cape race. There are no races locally where one can win this sort of money doing something that you love,” she added.
McMartin concluded: “South Africa has both extraordinary race routes and the adventure minded athletes to give SwimRun an exciting future.”
