Royal Experience Swazi Xtreme 2009
On the Swazi Trail
Press Release. Photo Jacques Marais / 06.05.2009
The celebrated multi-sport challenge started off slightly differently this year, with teams running along hippo paths and dirt roads on the first leg, and with no idea of what waited for them beyond the Checkpoint One.
They encountered the first curveball of the event at the Mlilwane gates, where they got their ‘missing’ map and boarded a bus into Mbabane. An urban orienteering segment saw teams scatter throughout the city, but then it was back to basics as the teams trekked into the mountains around the capital. Racing at a blistering pace, the top teams navigated their way via a caving section and onto a pumping rafting leg.
A boat-chomping Grade 4 rapid at the weir caused a fair amount of thrills and spills, and cooled off the competitors before they slogged into a massive mountain trek. The action continued unabated with a lake swim in full kit, plus a furious paddle in search of Optional Points (OPs) along the dam shore. Day One was finished – as were some competitors – on the bikes, with the Pro Teams cycling way into the night before banking a few hours of compulsory sleep in the forests of Mhlambanyatsi.
Although the 250 km route was this year dominated by mountain biking, racers trekked through a combination of luscious middle-veldt, high-lying grassland, savannah woodland and pine forest. A cliff scramble and hikes onto the exposed rock domes overlooking the Usuthu River added to the dramatic race route, while the white-water rafting and caving segments made sure the adrenaline kept pumping for the full 60 hours.
The race format adopted last year saw racers balancing risk and reward as they opted for maximum distance over the race window of 60 hours. This innovative approach shifted the focus from the usual ‘shortest time takes podium’ approach, instead compelling teams to go all out for maximum distance till the clock stops. Route choice, although determined by compulsory Control Points (CPs), were varied by the teams in order to add to their overall distance by gunning for as many optional OPs as possible.
Although it would be no easy task to pick a single highlight from Swazi Xtreme 2009, the finishing stage through the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary must rate high on the emotional radar for the majority of competitors. Breathtaking views from atop towering Nyonyane (or The Rock of Execution); then a gut-thumping downhill onto the grassy plains below and a finally a speedy cruise home amidst zebra, impala and wildebeest - it surely does not get much better than this!
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