Hill climbs to Sharks trail victory

THE 2013 Stihl Sharks Trail Adventure proved to be another memorable day in the countryside for hundreds of outdoor adventurists, local community members and The Sharks squad with Andrew Hill narrowly edging out good friend and regular training partner Tyron Bird to claim victory in the day’s feature event, the 40km MTB race, whilst another sprint finish saw Andrew Erasmus hold off Owen Bengu in the 18km trail run.

As the year winds down and everyone readies themselves for the festive season, the packed family-orientated programme attracted hordes to Summerveld Estate in Shongweni for a final dose of adventure with Hill giving the event an unqualified thumbs up.

“The Stihl Sharks Trail Adventure is a really great event and this year things have improved even more. It’s a brilliant day at the end of the year and really ends the year off perfectly,” said Hill. “The Shongweni Farmer’s Market, the mountain biking and the trail running taking place at the same event, the music, it all creates a really awesome atmosphere and everyone really does get festive.”

Hill and Bird enjoyed a close, hard-fought battle up front throughout the 40km clash as they capped off a tough week of training and brought the curtain down on their seasons in perfect fashion.

The women’s race was dominated by Tamryn Taylor who claimed the win over Linda Potts whilst Gage Hansson and Sabine Thies were the first male and female competitors across the finish line in the 19km MTB event.

Earlier in the day Erasmus and Bengu destroyed the muddy but hugely popular and well received 18km trail run course as they overcame last year’s winner Gareth Harrington.

For more info visit www.sharkstrailadventure.co.za