16 December 2019 – Sable Hill, George

Chrissie Viljoen – When I was pregnant with Hannah, I decided my first race after her birth in August would be the Tortoise Tuff trail run in March 2020, giving me a good five months to settle down and train again. But when the opportunity arose in December to do my favorite event, an x-triathlon (an off-road version of a triathlon consisting of open water swim, mountain bike ride, and a trail run), I simply couldn’t resist. It was a little intimidating standing on the start line knowing that besides the few runs that I did, I had literally only done three indoor bike rides and ZERO swim training in the previous 15 months! 😊

The venue for the race was the stunningly beautiful venue at Sable Hill in George, with the Outeniqua mountains as a backdrop, making it one of the most scenic triathlons you will ever do.
The 1.2km swim was all about survival and I kept a hard but steady pace on the surprising hilly bike course. Ending of the race with an 8km trail run through plantations and forest.

As there was a strong line up of women competing on the day, I had no idea that I finished close to the podium in 4th, so was very pleased when I saw the results the next day. It was a lovely day out and a perfect way to jump right back into racing after such a long time out.

This is really a race I can recommend to holidaymakers coming to George in December!

Eden X-Tri Results:
(1.2km swim, 23km bike, 8km trail run)

1) Ischen Stopforth – 2:32
2) Johandri Leicesther – 2:34
3) Zane Coetzee – 2:45
4) Chrissie Viljoen – 2:52
5) Lelane van der Merwe – 3:18

Photo credits: Deidre Cloete