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2017 #DrylandTraverse Prologue | Report

The 2017 Dryland Traverse, adventure trail run, got underway in sweltering conditions from the Cango Caves, near Oudtshoorn, on Thursday afternoon. The 8km long Prologue featured a 1.2km trot through the Cango Caves, which adds a truly unique aspect to the Dryland Traverse experience. The Cango Caves are one of two World Heritage Sites the Dryland Traverse includes in its four days of trail running, the other being the Swartberg Pass.

Running through the Cango Caves World Heritage Site is an undoubted highlight of the Dryland Traverse. Photo by Oakpics.com.
Running through the Cango Caves World Heritage Site is an undoubted highlight of the Dryland Traverse. Photo by Oakpics.com.

The Prologue saw runners setting off into the Caves at 30 second intervals with Jade de Hutton, running in the solo women’s category, first out of the starting blocks at 16:30. The solo women were followed by the solo men, mixed category teams, women’s teams and finally the men’s teams.

The repressive heat built throughout the afternoon until a thunderstorm broke the spell just before the final men’s teams got their Prologue underway, which reduced the temperatures and made for fast trail running conditions. The fastest time was set by the pre-race favourite combination of Ettiene Plaatjies & Gershwill Jacobs, stopping the clock in an impressive time of 32 minutes and 47 seconds, at an average pace of 04:05min/km.

A thunderstorm broke on Thursday evening which dramatically cooled the sweltering atmosphere at the Dryland Traverse. Photo by Oakpics.com.
A thunderstorm broke on Thursday evening which dramatically cooled the sweltering atmosphere at the Dryland Traverse. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Results | Prologue:

Men’s Teams:

  1. Gershwill Jacobs & Ettiene Plaatjies – Oudtshoorn 1 (32:47)
  2. John April & Francois Massaqua – Oudtshoorn 2 (33:36 | +00:48)
  3. Robert Rorich & Timothy Chambers – Team Sabrina Love (35:16 | +02:28)

Women’s Teams:

  1. Claire van der Nest & Lindi Georgiou – Twinzees (49:58)
  2. Nicky Steel & Kate Warner – Jog Squad (50:41 | +00:42)
  3. Marlize du Toit & Nicole Faul – Mountain Maniacs (51:13 | +01:14)

Mixed Teams:

  1. Chris Walley & Danette Smith – Less Bunny More Gazelle (42:21)
  2. Deon de Lange & Marize Maritz – Die Toon Klappers (49:23 | +07:01)
  3. Mark Raa & Nicol Muller – NM Media (50:52 | +08:31)
The narrow passages of the Cango Caves made for an interesting trail running experience. Photo by Oakpics.com.
The narrow passages of the Cango Caves made for an interesting trail running experience. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Solo Men:

  1. Graeme van der Nest (35:44)
  2. Michael Bester (37:56 | +02:12)
  3. Stefan Wahl (39:57 | +04:12)

Solo Women:

  1. Annalise Scholtz (41:37)
  2. Teresa Bester (48:19 | +06:41)
  3. Rozanne Mouton (50:07 | +08:30)

 

For all the results from the 2017 Dryland Traverse click here.

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