Mountain-biking and trail-running adventures

THE Hollard Jozi Urban Mountain Biking Adventure (JUMA) is a unique mountain bike race that turns the world’s biggest urban forest into the ultimate mountain biker’s playground with a course build worth over R1.5 million.

A great deal of organisation and infrastructure is involved in creating the Hollard JUMA route. Russell Willis (event organiser) said, “The areas we take riders in and out of are completely unique when compared to traditional mountain bike races.”

Route features to look forward to:

Bridges for the Brave: From 11 small bridges to three pallet floating bridges, three in the Parkview golf course and two over Emmarentia Dam, there’s plenty of high-riding action to be enjoyed. There are also four smaller bridges over the Spruit and two large legacy crossings under William Nicol and Tana Road.

Sky High Scaffolding: There is 77 tons of scaffolding over an area of 4km. You will be riding over 10 towering scaffolding ramps and two scaffolding bridges along the Hollard JUMA route including the Rivonia Road bridge.

Take the Plunge: After rolling down the spruit you will hit the famous Hollard JUMA storm water drains. Experience a once-in-a-lifetime ride through 5km of open drains before getting down, dark and dirty in the Anatomic 700m storm water drain tunnel. You’ll pedal down ramps, through the darkness (lit up by 1 100 glow sticks).

Clear the Way: Hollard JUMA has cleared the way for riders to experience Joburg without fences. Over seven fences will be opened to grant you access to new areas of Joburg’s beautiful parks with over 12km of litter cleared for the race.

Prize money to match: If this is not enough to entice you into the saddle, there will also be some amazing prizes, to the total value of over R200 000, up for grabs.

*Best Dressed: get on your spandex and stand a chance to win R9 000.

*Best Video: mount those GoPros and capture your 54km ride and stand a chance to win R12 000 (Requirements: 3-4 minutes long with music that fits the Hollard JUMA vibe.)

*Parent and Child: Grab your Dad or Mom and some wheels and you could win R5 000.

*Single Speed: Nothing says HTFU more than tackling the Hollard JUMA with one gear. Win over R7 000 as a single-speed winner.

*Fatboy: Prefer your wheels with a little more meat? Enter with your fatbike and stand a chance to win up to R7 000.

Experience it for yourself: Ride kilometres of the spruits best greenery, storm water drains, scaffolding for days, the Melville Koppie ridge and much more. Entry fees are R399. Enter: www.juma.co.za.

For the first-time riders, juniors and casual riders there is a 22km less technical ride that’s mostly jeep track with some single-track sections, over three exciting scaffolding ramps. Although more suited to first-timers the 22km is guaranteed to add to the excitement expected from Hollard JUMA. Entry fees are R299. Enter: www.juma.co.za

Adventure route:

In three weeks the Hollard Jozi Urban Run Adventure (JURA) will create a trail runner’s paradise with a bunch of adrenaline-filled obstacles, bridges and urban structures for runners.

The Hollard Jozi Urban Run Adventure, taking place at Marks Park on 28th May 2016, is a race that combines the best parts of trail running and obstacle courses with a course build of over R600 000.

“The Hollard JURA combines the thrill of a trail run with some optional adrenaline-filled obstacles all in the heart of Joburg. We are building both a series of structures and using the urban landscape to create exciting obstacles to challenge runners, from installing over 300 hay bales to cutting a 40m maze out of the reeds. The 6km fun run is suitable for all ages and fitness levels with a 12km and 18km run for the more serious athletes,” said organiser Mark Castel.

Exciting features:

Expect the Unexpected: The Hollard JURA brings you a wide variety of obstacles from the affectionately named “Hay Bale Hell” with over 300 hay bales to jump and tumble over, to a 400m Slip ‘n’ Slide and the opportunity to get a little lost in the 40m maze.

Over and Above

Hollard JURA features a variety of bridges and river crossings. Expect a Monster Scaffolding Bridge that takes you up and over the roaring traffic below, a 120m water bridge over Emmarentia Dam to the two smaller floating bridges that will have you walking on water.

Bundu-bashing: You’ll be running your way through 1km of towering reed bushes and runway through the marshlands created with over 600 palettes.

Safe Bet: There will be 10 medics situated throughout the route with 50 marshals to make sure you wander out of the urban wilderness safely. The Hollard JURA will also be keeping it tidy: there will be over 12km of litter cleared for the race as well as a thorough post-run clean-up.

Time to Lace Up: The Hollard JURA options range from a 6km fun run to a tougher 12km and 18km adventure. Each distance will feature a variety of inner-city obstacles, detours for those less muddily inclined and routes that will give every adventurous spirit the chance to climb, crawl and run through an epic urban jungle gym.

Join in the fun at Marks Park with fun for the whole family including: a mini MTB route for kiddies, an SAB beer garden and “Gig Rig”, Joburg’s top food stalls, an ABI family area, and much more. Follow all the latest news and announcements via social media:

www.facebook.com/urbanmtb or on Twitter @JUMAMTB

It’s time to get your adventure on! There are only three week left to enter. Entry fees are R249 for the 6km, R299 for the 12km and R330 for the 18km. Visit www.joziadventure.co.za for entries and more information.

The Hollard Jozi Urban Run Adventure and Hollard Jozi Urban MTB Adventure are brought to you by Hollard and BAM specialist events in partnership with City Parks and Joburg Zoo.

For more information find the Hollard JUMA at https://www.juma.co.za or contact Russell on 082 566 4605 or Mark on 082 969 9129 or email admin@bam.co.za.

Courtesy: Karolien van Rooy at Nomadic Social.