Imagine hanging from monkey bars hundreds of metres above a river, with your hands burning and your strength running out.
That was the nightmare South African obstacle course racing champion Thomas Van Tonder faced when he took on a monster 280m monkey bar course beneath the mighty Bloukrans Bridge in the Eastern Cape.
Van Tonder has roots in Vaal and his Aunt Karin Visagie who stays in the Vaal was very eager to boast about his latest triumph.
The Red Bull athlete battled his way across 600 bars, completing the death-defying challenge in 47 minutes and 37 seconds.
And all this happened a staggering 216m above the Bloukrans River.
The world champion had to follow the full arch of the 451m-long bridge, tackling a gruelling 45-degree climb before reaching the highest point and making a controlled descent.
But the challenge was no walk in the park.
Van Tonder admitted that the first climb tested him mentally, as he struggled to find his rhythm and keep his hands moving the way he had planned.
“The first climb showed me what a tough course I was facing. That was the hardest part for me mentally,” he said.
He added that even keeping his hands closed was difficult, but he refused to give up.
“I finished what I started. I set myself a big and crazy goal, and we really achieved it,” he said.
The challenge was scheduled for October 26, with October 27 reserved as a backup date in case of bad weather.
To keep the daredevil safe, organisers installed two independent safety systems: a rail secured to the bridge truss and a separate safety line attached directly to Van Tonder.
Cape Town-based Vertical Safety Systems built the structure without drilling or bolting anything into the bridge.
The achievement came after six months of gruelling preparation, with Van Tonder building a special training rig at home featuring almost 50m of monkey bars.
The attempt was streamed live on Red Bull TV and YouTube, allowing viewers to witness the extreme feat.
Van Tonder is no stranger to pushing himself to the limit.
In 2020, he set a Guinness World Record with a rope climb between the Soweto Towers in Johannesburg.
