South Africa is one of the countries where I took my team International Adventurers to race and we were the first International team to compete in South Africa in Africa Quest.
Now follows the announcement that The Bull of Africa will once again be part of the AR world championship series next year/
The Bull of Africa, South Africa's most prestigious expedition adventure race, is back on track for 2008. This announcement was made this week by race organizers Hano and Sonja Otto of ACE (The Adventure Centre of Excellence) and dates have already been set to run the event from 9-16 August next year.
Seven Days, 570km of expedition racing across unforgiving territory, and a select field of more than 30 local and international adventure racing teams will once again battle it out in The Bull of Africa, one of the toughest sporting challenges on earth. This unsupported expedition-style event will pose a gruelling challenge, both mentally and physically, and only the cream of the AR world need apply. These athletes will face a variety of disciplines, including ocean paddling, river rafting, coasteering, trail running, mountain biking, swimming, navigation and extreme sections of rope work.
The rugged mountains, valleys and tempestuous coastline of the Eastern Cape and legendary Transkei Wild Coast will provide a suitably dramatic backdrop to The Bull of Africa. Soaring sea cliffs, mangrove swamps, indigenous forest and Big 5 game reserves will add to the awe-inspiring experience as racers traverse the heartland of the amaXhosa people. Teams will also have the opportunity to interact with the local communities, thereby experiencing the rich tapestry of local culture and tradition.
The Bull of Africa is set to start on Women's Day (August 9th, 2008), thus focussing attention on the many women excelling in adventure racing. A separate women's race category will see female-only teams from New Zealand, Brazil, USA and South Africa competing for honours, and a number of teams have already expressed interest. The organisers also recently attended the XPD race in Australia to market the event, and the massive interest shown by the teams they approached can only bode well for the future of the race.
As a key event in the prestigious Adventure Racing World Series, the history of The Bull of Africa dates back to 2004. ACE (Adventure Centre of Excellence) hosted the first event three years ago, and it was the Canadian Team Holofiber under captain Lawrence Foster who triumphed then. In 2005, the desolate Richtersveldt region again hosted 11 overseas teams challenging the South African contingent, and once again the foreigners walked away with the spoils. This time it was Team Merrell Wigwam Adventure (USA/NZ), who crossed the finish line in just over four days.
Only a shortened version of the race was presented in 2006, and sponsorship challenges forced 'The Bull' to take a "rest" this year. The organisers have however worked hard behind the scenes, and a significant sponsorship deal was brokered with a dynamic group of young businessmen. "BUNKER CAPITAL has come on board as event partners, and we are happy to report that this secures the financial future of our exciting event", said Hano Otto. "They are as excited as us, and together we believe that we can once again make The Bull of Africa one of the premier adventure racing events on the international calendar".
Further good news for competitors is that the sponsors have put up an impressive R300 000 (US$ 40 000) in prize money. The Bull of Africa will also act as one of the qualifiers for the Adventure Racing World Championships to be held in Brazil in October 2008. This will be the culmination of the Adventure Racing World Series, an international circuit of premier AR events representing 10 countries hosting professional events over a 12 month period. The official web site for the AR World Series will be
http://www.sleepmonsters.com/ while Casio Pro-trek will be the official watch sponsor. In SA, the web sites
http://www.ar.co.za/ and
http://www.ndorfin.co.za/ will be official partners of The Bull of Africa.
David OgdenInternational Adventurers
