Cape Town – Top triathletes will battle it out for R100 000 on offer at Torpedo SwimRun Cape, with 16km of racing along the Cape Town Atlantic coastline from Sandy Bay to Clifton on Sunday.
SwimRun is a battle of the sports with athletes from the top of their respective sports lining up to compete. There are no transitions in swim-running - athletes run in their wetsuits and swim in their running shoes.
Organisers say with the famous Cape Doctor wind forecast to blow this weekend, the athletes will have a freezing Atlantic to overcome, adding to the dynamic of this ever-changing race.
Defending champions JP Burger and Michael Lord will be back for their third consecutive Torpedo Cape victory.
Also from a triathlon background, are the young guns Nick Quenet and Jamie Riddle.
“On paper, they’re the fastest team entered and capable of finishing under the yet-to-be broken 2-hour barrier. Nick won the Mixed category in 2017, so he will have to guide the Torpedo newbie Jamie through this dynamic race,” said organisers.
Challenging them are the brothers from Port Elizabeth, Jarryd and Keegan Cooke.
In the women’s race, the team of Vicky Van Der Merwe and Alex Quenet are considered firm favourites. Quenet won the mixed category with her brother Nick last year, finishing an impressive 3rd overall team across the line.
The more experienced women’s teams including Bianca Tarboton (1st Women 2017 Torpedo Cape) and Lauren Granger, 1st Women 2018 Torpedo Wild) both from the local Llandudno Surf Lifesaving and will be looking for every advantage through the waves, rocks and currents of Sandy Bay and Llandudno.
Alessandra Bayly and Christina Geromont won the Inaugural Torpedo SwimRun and were also specialists through the surf.