Celebrate the great outdoors in the Western Cape’s most popular sea-side town, Hermanus, this April. Join HI-TEC as they combine with the Walker Bay Outdoor to host a long weekend of mountain biking, trail running, triathlons, open water swims, cliff jumps and the exhilarating HI-TEC Dash4Cash. The weekend is set to become South Africa’s most eagerly anticipated outdoor festival, with the HI-TEC Walker Bay Xtreme combining 6 events for the serious athletes. While there is also a plethora of choices for the less avid sports-men and -women.
Off the trails and out of the ocean, the Walker Bay Festival will provide unique dining experiences, ranging from five-star meals to gourmet street foods. Not to mention showcase the region’s award-winning wines, provide excuses aplenty to sample the burgeoning local craft beer range and celebrate – in a Covid conscious way of course – with a number of South Africa’s most famous sporting icons.
There is an activity for everyone at the HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor. So be sure to come experience the excitement, for a morning or all weekend, from the 23rd to the 26th of April. There has never been a better time to visit Hermanus.
The action gets underway on Friday evening, the 23rd of April, with the Ledlenser Twilight Run. It is a 7.5-kilometre trot, into the setting sun, from Grotto Beach to the historic Old Harbour. While some of the 200 expected entrants will race to beat the sun, most will take their time; showcasing the twin nature of the HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor, every event is as competitive as each individual entrant wishes to make it.
“We’d like the HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor to grow into a weekend for everyone” Gerhardi Odendaal, group CEO of the festival organisers’ the Old School Group, explained. “The town of Hermanus lends itself perfectly to a range of sporting events, with its world-class mountain biking routes, hiking trails and hospitable attitude towards hosting road events like triathlons. But it is also unarguably one of the most beautiful sea-side towns in the country and it boast an incredible wine route as well as fantastic restaurants. The HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor seeks to bring all of those elements together and show off everything Hermanus has to offer.”
“Along with the title sponsors, HI-TEC, we look forward to building the HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor in to South Africa’s premier outdoor sports festival” Odendaal added. “Through collaboration with an innovative outdoors brand, in HI-TEC, who share our vision for the future of the festival I’m sure we’ll be able to build on the base created, under the difficult circumstances dictated by Covid-19 this year. Our goal is to have Hermanus absolutely filled to the rafters for the HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor within a couple of years. While participant numbers in the sports’ events are important the overarching goal is to bring as many people as possible to this amazing region.”
“HI-TEC is thrilled to be on board again as the title sponsor for the HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor Festival this year” said Gary de Vogel, CEO HI-TEC. “We’re excited to make our purpose come alive, enabling people to enjoy the freedom of the active outdoors. With Hermanus being a place close to our Chairman, Frank van Wezel’s, heart, the HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor is the ideal outdoor festival to do so. The weekend is going to be filled with loads of adventure. We hope to welcome athletes, of all fitness levels, to Hermanus and would like to encourage you to come and enjoy a sporting festival that truly offers something for everyone.”
Following Friday’s Twilight Run the sporting events continue on Saturday, the 24th of April, with the mountain bike races, trail runs, Sea and Sand Swim Run Jump and the Cliff Path runs. There are various distances in each of the events, barring the Swim Run Jump, and the option to take on the mountain bike event or the trail run as a two-day stage race.
On Sunday, 25 April, the mountain biking and trail running events conclude in the morning; before the signature event of the 2021 HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor takes place. The, newly created, HI-TEC Dash4Cash will certainly be among the most exciting races on the 2021 South African sports calendar. The top three men’s and women’s participants of the HI-TEC Walker Bay Xtreme will be paired against each other in a unique, never been seen before, event. They will be dropped off in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and will have to swim, cycle and run their way back to the race village near the Old Harbour. There, a final couple of mystery challenges await; before the winners will be able to walk away with their share of R50 000 in cash prizes.
Non-athletes will also play their part in the HI-TEC Dash4Cash. 6 lucky winners, from a social media competition, will partner with the athletes once the race reaches its final phases, in the race village. There they will help the athletes complete the final 2 challenges of the HI-TEC Dash4Cash.
Monday, the 26th of April, brings the HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor to its conclusion with the triathlon and open water swim events. The Sprint and Junior Distance triathlons provide options for the young and young at heart triathletes in the field, while the open water swims offer 5- and 2.5-kilometre routes.
Multisport athletes can choose to take part in any number of events across the entire HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor. There is however the HI-TEC Walker Bay Xtreme which combines the festival’s big 6 events. In order to be in the running for the HI-TEC Dash4Cash athletes will need to enter the Twilight Run, the MTB Adventure (Long), the See and Sand Swim Run Jump, the Trail Adventure, the Triathlon and the Open Water Swim (5km). The places after the Trail Adventure, on Sunday morning, will determine who qualifies for the HI-TEC Dash4Cash. While the overall HI-TEC Walker Bay Xtreme Champions will be crowned on Monday after the Open Water Swim.
Keep an eye on the HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor social media handles for more information on the HI-TEC Dash4Cash. Stay updated by following Walker Bay Outdoor, on Facebook, @walkerbayoutdoor, on Instagram, and @WalkerBayODR, on Twitter. For more details on the events and for online entries visit www.walkerbayoutdoor.com.
2021 HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor Schedule | ||
Friday, 23 April | ||
Ledlenser Twilight Run | 7.4km | 17:30 |
Saturday, 24 April | ||
MTB: 2-Day Stage Race (Day 1) | 46km | 07:30 |
MTB: 1-Day Adventure (Long) | 46km | 07:30 |
MTB: 1-Day Adventure (Short) | 34km | 07:45 |
Trail: 2-Day Stage Race (Day 1) | 19km | 08:15 |
Trail: 1-Day Adventure | 19km | 08:15 |
See and Sand Swim Run Jump | 4km | 14:00 |
Run: Windsor Cliff Path (Long) | 12.2km | 16:30 |
Run: Windsor Cliff Path (Short) | 5.6km | 16:45 |
Sunday, 25 April | ||
MTB: 2-Day Stage Race (Day 2) | 36km | 07:30 |
MTB: 1-Day Adventure | 36km | 07:30 |
Trail: 2-Day Stage Race (Day 2) | 14km | 08:00 |
Trail: 1-Day Adventure | 14km | 08:15 |
HI-TEC Dash4Cash (Participation by qualification only) | 12km | 13:00 |
Monday, 26 April | ||
Triathlon: Open | Sprint Distance | 08:00 |
Triathlon: Junior | Junior Distance | 12:00 |
Open Water Swim | 5km | 13:00 |
Open Water Swim | 2.5km | 14:00 |
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For more information on the HI-TEC Walker Bay Outdoor please contact Monique de Villiers on 021 712 3130 or via email [email protected].