Change a Life warriors snap up titles
The team of 12 local athletes competed against the best of the best at the most recent warrior race in Soweto.
THE Merchants Change a Life Academy Warrior Racing team finished 2018 on a high when they took part in the final Toyota Warrior Race of the year in Soweto.
The final race of the calendar saw the athletes take on an urban-based Black Ops Elite course that was slightly shorter in distance than the traditional courses but did not skimp on difficult obstacles.
The Merchants CAL team consisted of 12 athletes across the two events. Seven took on the Black Ops and five competed in the Commando Elite.
With the who’s who of South African Warrior Racing in attendance, Hlelani Radebe, who represented South Africa at the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships earlier this year, finished fourth overall.
“The course was described as challenging, bordering on brutal,” said the academy’s founder, Martin Dreyer. “They did well against the top racers in the country. To see how far the guys have come from not finishing their first Black Ops Elite race is brilliant.”
Not only have the athletes at the top end of Dreyer’s team improved throughout the year, but there has been an influx of new blood into the squad and they took part in the Commando Elite – the course a level down from the Black Ops.
Young Sphesihle Hlengwa finished fifth overall and won the 16 to 18 age category in the Commando Elite race, while in the 13 to 15 age category, Ayanda Malevu, finished 10th overall and first in his age group.
“Racing is definitely a level up from what they experience during training, so it is encouraging to see so much potential when they race,” Dreyer mentioned.
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