The Bull is Back!

10.10.2007

The Bull of Africa, South Africa’s most prestigious expedition adventure race, is back on track for 2008. This announcement was made yesterday by race organizers Hano and Sonja Otto of ACE (The Adventure Centre of Excellence) and dates have already been set to run the event from 9-16 August next year.

Seven Days, 570km of expedition racing across unforgiving territory, and a select field of more than 30 local and international adventure racing teams will once again battle it out in The Bull of Africa, one of the toughest sporting challenges on earth. This unsupported expedition-style event will pose a gruelling challenge, both mentally and physically, and only the cream of the AR world need apply. These athletes will face a variety of disciplines, including ocean paddling, river rafting, coasteering, trail running, mountain biking, swimming, navigation and extreme sections of rope work.

The rugged mountains, valleys and tempestuous coastline of the Eastern Cape and legendary Transkei Wild Coast will provide a suitably dramatic backdrop to The Bull of Africa. Soaring sea cliffs, mangrove swamps, indigenous forest and Big 5 game reserves will add to the awe-inspiring experience as racers traverse the heartland of the amaXhosa people. Teams will also have the opportunity to interact with the local communities, thereby experiencing the rich tapestry of local culture and tradition.

The Bull of Africa is set to start on Women’s Day (August 9th, 2008), thus focussing attention on the many women excelling in adventure racing. A separate women’s race category will see female-only teams from New Zealand, Brazil, USA and South Africa competing for honours, and a number of teams have already expressed interest. The organisers also recently attended the XPD race in Australia to market the event, and the massive interest shown by the teams they approached can only bode well for the future of the race.