Fish River Challenge Race Information
Download Race Information (463)Introduction
The Fish River Canyon is the second largest canyon in the world, surpassed only by the famous Grand Canyon in Colorado, USA. The Canyon is stark, rugged, magnificently desolate and harshly unforgiving.
On the 13th of July 1990, two South Africans, Bruce Mathews and Ronnie Muhl attempted to run the Fish River Canyon hiking trail in under a day. They managed to achieve their goal, eventually finishing in a total time of 11hrs 42min.
On the 16th of August 2003, four Namibians decided to better this record. They were Russell Paschke, Charlie du Toit, Coenraad Pool and Tommy van Wyk. They succeeded in their quest, finally finishing in a total time of 10hrs 54min (Fish River Record Summary).
The Fish River Challenge is a 90km non-stop self-supporting race whereby runners will be expected to complete the course in 24 hours. Water will be supplied at designated checkpoints that will also serve to monitor progress of the various athletes and provide updates to the organizers. The race will commence at the top of the world famous Fish River Canyon where the race village for the first evening will be positioned on the edge with magnificent views. From there, competitors will follow animal tracks and paths heading cross-country until they reach the point where they will descend into the Canyon. Once down in the Canyon, they will follow the river, with an occasional detour across wide meandering bends in the river, and will eventually finish at the wonderfully soothing hot springs resort of Ai-Ais.
Race Format:
The race is a 90km unsupported (except for water) foot race whereby competitors will be expected to cover the distance in the designated cut-off time. Competitors will be expected to carry along certain basic essential equipment (see race rules).
Dates:
The race will start on Saturday, 28 July 2012. Competitors will meet in the capital city Windhoek on Friday, 27 July 2012, from where they will be transported by bus to the Race Village. A race briefing will be held at the Race Village on the Friday after arrival and the race will start early the Saturday morning, 1 hour prior to sunrise.
Entry Fees:
The entry fee is N$ 6,000.00 plus VAT = N$ 6,900.00 per person and is payable upon entry. The entries will open on 1 December 2011 and will close when 100 competitors have registered and paid. A competitor will only be “officially” registered once they have followed the online entry procedure AND paid their registration fee. Once the organizers have received the necessary registration information as well as confirmation of payment, the competitor will be notified via e-mail of their entry and will receive regular updates pertaining to the event.
Registration and Race Briefing:
Registration of the competitors will take place on Thursday, 26th of July 2012 from 17:00 to 20:00 at the Klein Windhoek Guest House in Windhoek. All competitors will be expected to check in at the various control points at this stage where their basic essential equipment will undergo inspection, their medical forms will be checked and signed and their personal information and entry details will be confirmed. They will then receive their official race packages that will include amongst others, their race numbers, latest race updates and any additional important race information.
The official race briefing will take place at the Race Village after arrival on the Friday, the time to be confirmed on arrival, and is compulsory for all competitors.
Race Start:
The race will officially start 1 hour before sunrise on Saturday, 28th of July 2012 from the Race Village.
Accommodation:
Accommodation will be available prior to the race at The Klein Windhoek Guesthouse in Windhoek. It remains the competitors’ own responsibility to organize and book their own accommodation. The organizers will do their best to assist where possible.
The accommodation at the Race Village the night before the event is included in the race entry fee and will be in the form of tents. The race ends at the hot springs resort Ai-Ais and accommodation will be provided yet again in the form of tents. Should competitors want more formal accommodation, there are limited rooms available that can be booked on a first come basis. The cost of this will be for the competitor’s personal account.
General
All finishers will receive an official “Finishers” trophy as well as a certificate commemorating their achievement. All athletes who enter will also receive automatic entry into the following years event (subject to them accepting and paying for such entry), and preferential entry onto the waiting list for any future events should they not be able to take part in the following years event.
All competitors will be transported back to Windhoek on Monday, 30th of July 2012 from around 8:00 onwards. Competitors should note that they will only be back in Windhoek at around 16:00 and should therefore take this into account when making return travel arrangements
All questions regarding the event and any details pertaining thereto can be directed to the organizers via the website and we will be happy to get back to you and assist where possible.
