With just under three months until the red carpet is rolled out for CHALLENGECAPETOWN, the Mother City’s first middle distance triathlon, some of the world’s top international triathletes got a head-start to confirming their participation on 10 November.
British triathlete Tim Don continues his incredible comeback tour, some two years after a devastating bike accident in Kailua-Kona left him with a broken C2 vertebra, and saw him spend several months in a halo brace to stabilize his neck and torso while the bones healed.
“I’m super excited to be racing CHALLENGECAPETOWN,” shares Don. South Africa is endurance mad, and to be part of the first ever CHALLENGEFAMILY race here will be an amazing experience – right from the crazy swim in Big Bay with Table Mountain in the background, to the hustle and bustle of downtown Cape Town. I can’t wait!”
Shortly before his accident, the three-time Olympian had set set an Ironman world best of 7:40:23 in Brazil, and since returning to the tri arena, he has been laser focused on continuing his stellar career. He recently guided Dave Ellis to victory in the Paratriathlon World Cup.
Fellow UK triathlon champ Laura Siddall is equally excited to take her place in the pro race on 10 November, and return to the city she fell in love with 22 years ago. “I’m really excited to be racing CHALLENGECAPETOWN in November. I first visited South Africa on a school sports tour back in 1997 and vowed to go back.The course looks simply awesome and I’m looking forward to getting there and spending some time in Cape Town and South Africa.”
Meanwhile, Capetonian Matt Trautman – gold medalist in 13 middle distance, and 2 full distance triathlons – can’t wait to race in front of a home crowd. “A middle distance triathlon in the Mother City has been a long time coming. It’s going to be a privilege to share this beautiful backdrop with competitors from around the world and kick-start the South African triathlon season in style.”
They will be joined by a host of other top triathletes including XTERRA world champ Bradley Weiss, James Cunnama – who recently won IM 70.3 Nice – and Jeanni Seymour (USA), who recently clocked a Sub-9 IM debut at the North American Champs, with even more top ranked athletes joining the pro start list on a daily basis.
“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome such a strong elite field to our inaugural race,” says CHALLENGECAPETOWN race director, Gary Marescia.” Staging this event is a dream come true, not only for the organising team at WorldSport, but something the triathlon community in Cape Town has been waiting for.
CHALLENGECAPETOWN will comprise a 1.9km swim in Big Bay, a 90km cycle with three turning points along the coastal road that will end with a thrilling finish sprint through the Company’s Garden, and a 21km run that will be completed over three laps in the Zonnebloem / District Six precinct – passing some of the City’s historical buildings and iconic landmarks in the process.
Online entries are currently open at www.challenge-capetown.co.za. For regular updates, follow @challengecapetowntri on Facebook and Instagram, and @challengectn on Twitter. Race queries may be sent to info@challenge-capetown.co.za.
