Hill bags another trail title
The Hillcrest Olympian clinched another victory in the annual STIHL Sharks Trail Adventure race.
ANDREW Hill and Debrah Thomas dominated at the STIHL Sharks Trail Adventure on Sunday, 4 December at Summerveld Estate in Shongweni.
Andrew won the event’s first three MTB titles from 2012 to 2014 and overcame the off-season challenges to clinch his fourth crown in five years. “Today was one of those days where everything was just perfect!” enthused Andrew. “I think going from base training to high intensity race mode meant my body experienced a bit of shock, but otherwise it was just such a wonderful ride and a great event.”
“Conditions were just perfect, regardless of whether you where cycling or running. The farmers market and live music added to the special atmosphere and it was great to be able to ride some local trails.”
Andrew charged home ahead of Mboneni Ngcobo and Jeremy Thomson raced to third place. The women’s top racer was Debrah Thomas, who finished nearly five minutes ahead of Linda Maphanga and Linda Potts.
The day’s races kicked off in a cloud of trail running action as the 18km and 9km competitors took to the Shongweni region’s spectacular trails and soaked up the magnificent views of the surrounding valleys and mountains.
The day’s busy programme also included a 10km and 2km children’s ride while local artist Cheryl Engel’s acoustic melodies had spectators and race finishers foot-tapping and head-bopping throughout the morning. The Cell C Sharks squad manned the water tables, handed out finishers’ medals and posed for photographs with adoring fans.
