GALLERY: R5.3 million lost to rain
EMMARENTIA — Both the JUMA and JURA adventure races have been cancelled due to weather-damaged tracks.
Joburg might have been ready for a weekend of adventure racing, but the rain had other ideas. Both the Jozi Urban Race Adventure (JURA) and the Jozi Urban Mountain Bike Adventure (JUMA), set to take place on 5 and 6 September respectively, have been cancelled due to severe damage of the track. The rains in the days leading up to the races caused flooding that compromised the safety of the proposed route and the man-made obstacles placed along the course.
Mark Castel, one of the event organisers, said that it is unlikely that the race will be rescheduled in 2015 owing to a number of event bookings at the Marks Park venue. “We’re disappointed. It was a year of hard work and planning,” ruminated Castel. “But it’s safety first at the end of the day. The riders and runners come first.”
The total cost of both events was R5.3 million, with an estimated half of this number refundable expenditure.
The course traversed a number of Joburg suburbs. Most of the track was off-road. It included routes over rivers and through storm drains as well as a number of obstacles that were placed specifically for the race. Efforts were made to repair the damage but it was too severe.
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