The Lowveld’s De Waal Visser wins Kaapsehoop Mountain Ultra

Lowvelders claimed three of the top four places in one of the toughest extreme sports events on the Lowveld’s sport calendar, the 69km FRESH Kaapsehoop Mountain Ultra, which took place in and around this tourist village on Saturday, August 10.

The four races, the 69km, 45km, 17km and 8km, took the 234 participants past herds of wild horses, the nesting sites of the blue swallows, Adam’s Calendar and through the beautiful De Kaap Valley.

The race village was established at the Pear Orchard.

The gruelling 69km feature racecourse had a total elevation gain of 2 750m. It attracted nine participants, as only experienced and highly trained mountain ultra athletes could possibly have a chance of completing it.

The race was won by Mbombelan and LowMed Health and Sports Performance Centre biokineticist De Waal Visser, in only his fourth mountain ultra. He finished in a time of 09:38:50, dominating second-placed Richard Schnitter of Tshwane who finished in 10:02:53.

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In third place was Lowvelder Hannes Benson in 10:43:54. Well-known Lowveld physiotherapist Damien Kühn finished fourth in 10:59:35.

Visser executed his race plan to perfection. “My plan was to keep it steady in the beginning, focusing on conserving energy and staying hydrated, knowing the weather would get hot. We spaced out quite early and I felt comfortable in second place.

“After the 48km aid station, I realised I had a chance to catch Richard. I seemed to be performing well in the hot conditions and made sure my hydration stayed on point, and I managed to catch the leading runner about 55km in. The toughest battles were the uphills after open plains with long stretches in the sun took their toll, but I did well concerning the technical terrain in the course,” Visser said.

“Crossing the finish line felt exhilarating. It was a case of weary legs, full heart. Emotionally I felt relieved, and having my fiancée there really made the moment unforgettable as she knows first-hand what challenges I go through to do these events, and she never stood shy of supporting me 100%.”

The winner of the women’s race in the 69km category was Nicky Booyens from Tshwane. She clocked a time of 11:38:20 and finished fifth overall.

The 45km FRESH Kaapsehoop Mountain Ultra was won by Jacques Buys from Tshwane in 04:30:32.

Deane Mortlock, a well-known Lowveld road runner and 2024 Comrades Marathon silver medallist, was second in 05:09:28, just edging out Christopher Louw who claimed third place in 05:10:19.

The winning woman and fourth overall endurance athlete in the 45km race was Maryke van Zyl who froze the stopwatch on 05:15:45.

Other top three results
17km
Men
1. Wiehann Mohlen – 01:58:06
2. Reynard de Bruin – 01:59:16
3. Pierre du Preez – 02:02:13
Women
1. Frances Craddock – 01:59:49
2. Mia Louw – 02:08:45.
3. Heste-Mari Viviers – 02:20:02
8km
Men
1. Albrecht Scheepers – 00:52:38
2. Peter Bakker – 00:58:16
3. Lucca Bakker 0 00:58:29
Women
1. Barbara Grantham – 00:53:55
2. Jessica Berry – 00:58:36
3. Kristen Berry – 01:03:38.