Multisport athlete Matt Daneel will again this year line up at the 5th annual Slanghoek Triathlon held in the Slanghoek Valley outside Rawsonville. The event will be held over two days. All the action start and finish at the Breeland Wine Cellar.
On Saturday 25 October the Slanghoek MTB Triathlon will be held and the Road Triathlon on Sunday 26 October. There are no more entries available for the road triathlon, but those interested in being part of the action can still enter the off-road triathlon. It is important to note that both off-road and road triathlons last leg will be a trail run.
Both races will have a long and a short course option. And seeing that the two races are on different days you can even enter both the mountain bike and road races.
“Slanghoek is on of my favourite events of the year. It is a fun MTB course, not extremely challenging, but tough enough to test your skills and endurance. Perfect for mountain bikers wanting to explore triathlon. The swim is two laps, so it allows you a quick breather before tackling another lap, those extra seconds of air is something I am always grateful of. The trail run is offroad, making it a lot more interesting then just a road run. Some sandy bits test your tired legs, but thats all part of the fun,” said Daneel.
Daneel has some advice for newcomers to the sport and event. “Try and have fun. Make that the goal of the event. Stick with what you know and don’t try anything new on race day. Make sure all your gear works and that you are familiar with it. Also ensure you use nutrition you have used before and that it works with your body. You don’t want to end up making unplanned ‘pitstops’ to the bush, it could ruin your fun day out.”
Still not sure if you want to enter? “Don’t over think it, just go for it. Chat to friends who have raced or participated before for some advice. But take the plunge and enter. You will have an absolute blast and discover a whole new aspect to sport, where its not just one discipline in an event, but three. That is fun! Don’t worry if you are weak at one or two of the disciplines, everyone has a weaker sport, just go and enjoy it, you will soon learn where to put a bit of extra work in for the next event.”
Distances:
Mountain:
Long course – 1.3km-swim, 25km-mountain bike, 10km-trail run;
Short course – 650m-swim, 12km-moutain bike, 5km-trail run.
Road:
Long course: 1.3km-swim, 43km-road bike, 10km-trail run;
Short course – 650m-swim, 20km-road bike, 5km-trail run.
