Cape Town - Michael Bailey and Ben Brimble of Team ProNutro Asics were on top form on Saturday claiming Stage Two victory at the three day ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun presented by New Balance in a super fast time of 2:25.22.
According to Brimble everything went according to plan on the day.
“Sticking to our plan we made our break going up Sir Lowry's pass. We didn’t know what to expect, but Nicholas Rupanga seemed to be taking strain, so we pushed extra hard coming down the hill and just maintained until the finish. Today really was a beautiful run with amazing smooth flowing single track. I definitely felt much better today than yesterday. So far the ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun has been awesome. The routes are well marked and the vibe is great. We’re even staying in the tents. With the lead that we have, our plan for Stage Three will be to stick with the group and conserve,” says Brimble.
Kane Reilly and Rupanga of Team Salomon came in second, while Johnny Young and Jack Steenkamp of Team New Balance Rustenburg finished third.
Ronel Nattrass and Kathleen Shuttleworth of Team Mizuno took their second stage win crossing the finish line in 2:56.29.
“We had a good run today,” says Nattrass.
“We both felt strong and our nutrition was perfect. The route was lovely and featured a bit of everything. We started off slowly, opening up the gap on the single track. Tomorrow we’ll just take it easy”.
Theresa Fourie and Belinda Noades of Team Columbia came in second, while Chantel Nienaber and Kerry Sillifant of Team Running Wild finished third.
Husband and wife duo Landie and Christiaan Greyling of Team iON Salomon also took their second Stage win of the weekend.
“Today was awesome. For the first 16km there was a real battle between the first three teams. We knew we just had to hang in there and not lose our cool. Today was tough and we’ll definitely feel it in our legs tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll be able to hang in there. I’ve found my perfect partner and definitely went to come back next year,” said Landie Greyling.
Carla Van Huyssteen and Mark Price of Team Troisport Supermassi came in second, while Iain and Sue Don-Wauchope of Team Mountain Splendour finished third.
Stage Two started at Ongegund Lodge and Conference Centre in Somerset West and finished at the Oude Molen Brandy Distillery in the picturesque Elgin Grabouw. Runners had to complete a 33km route that featured a 900m ascent.
Stage Three:
Date: Sunday, April 21
Distance: 24km
Start Time: 08:00
Total Ascent: 750m
Water Points: Three in total (on the 7.5km, 13km and 20km mark)
Start Venue: Paul Cluver Amphitheater
Finish Venue: Houw Hoek
Michael Bailey and Ben Brimble of Team ProNutro Asics took top honours when they completed Stage Two of the ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun presented by New Balance in a super fast time of 2:25.22 (Cherie Vale / NEWSPORT MEDIA)
According to Brimble everything went according to plan on the day.
“Sticking to our plan we made our break going up Sir Lowry's pass. We didn’t know what to expect, but Nicholas Rupanga seemed to be taking strain, so we pushed extra hard coming down the hill and just maintained until the finish. Today really was a beautiful run with amazing smooth flowing single track. I definitely felt much better today than yesterday. So far the ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun has been awesome. The routes are well marked and the vibe is great. We’re even staying in the tents. With the lead that we have, our plan for Stage Three will be to stick with the group and conserve,” says Brimble.
Kane Reilly and Rupanga of Team Salomon came in second, while Johnny Young and Jack Steenkamp of Team New Balance Rustenburg finished third.
Ronel Nattrass and Kathleen Shuttleworth of Team Mizuno took their second stage win crossing the finish line in 2:56.29.
“We had a good run today,” says Nattrass.
“We both felt strong and our nutrition was perfect. The route was lovely and featured a bit of everything. We started off slowly, opening up the gap on the single track. Tomorrow we’ll just take it easy”.
Theresa Fourie and Belinda Noades of Team Columbia came in second, while Chantel Nienaber and Kerry Sillifant of Team Running Wild finished third.
Husband and wife duo Landie and Christiaan Greyling of Team iON Salomon also took their second Stage win of the weekend.
“Today was awesome. For the first 16km there was a real battle between the first three teams. We knew we just had to hang in there and not lose our cool. Today was tough and we’ll definitely feel it in our legs tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll be able to hang in there. I’ve found my perfect partner and definitely went to come back next year,” said Landie Greyling.
Carla Van Huyssteen and Mark Price of Team Troisport Supermassi came in second, while Iain and Sue Don-Wauchope of Team Mountain Splendour finished third.
Stage Two started at Ongegund Lodge and Conference Centre in Somerset West and finished at the Oude Molen Brandy Distillery in the picturesque Elgin Grabouw. Runners had to complete a 33km route that featured a 900m ascent.
Stage Three:
Date: Sunday, April 21
Distance: 24km
Start Time: 08:00
Total Ascent: 750m
Water Points: Three in total (on the 7.5km, 13km and 20km mark)
Start Venue: Paul Cluver Amphitheater
Finish Venue: Houw Hoek
Michael Bailey and Ben Brimble of Team ProNutro Asics took top honours when they completed Stage Two of the ProNutro AfricanX Trailrun presented by New Balance in a super fast time of 2:25.22 (Cherie Vale / NEWSPORT MEDIA)