4 Peaks Mountain Challenge
22 Sep 2023 (Fri)
10km, 24km


Join 4 Peaks Mountain Challenge
The Thule 4Peaks Mountain Challenge is a rugged 24 kilometres (15 mi) mountain skyline route for trail runners, held every September since 2002 in the Witteberge 32 kilometres (20 mi) NNE of Ficksburg in South Africa’s Free State province near the Lesotho border..
A record field of 210 mountain runners tackled the route in 2010. The large number of entrants necessitated a start of 3 batches at 15 min intervals. Ryan Sandes, the 2010 men’s winner, set a new record time of 2h 41m 58s. Fit athletes complete the course in about 6hrs with the backmarkers finishing in about 9hrs.
This race exists to enlighten all those who think the Free State is that flat part on the N1 on your way to Cape Town. Come and challenge yourself in with the unique and extreme 4Peaks mountain race. The race’s home is in the picturesque Moolmanshoek Private Game Reserve. This unique circle race runs along the tops of the Witteberg Mountain range that makes an unforgettable horse shoe that encloses the Moolmanshoek valley.
The race is hosted by the Nel family at Moolmanshoek. Most athletes make the race a weekend affair with family and friends and added value like a breathtakingly beautiful mountain bike ride the day after the race. Apart from these two races there are several hikes, bird hides, lots of game that can be viewed on horseback, or from a horse cart or from a 4×4 game viewing vehicle
The route rates as extremely demanding, but is made bearable by spectacular mountain scenery. The start and finish are at Moolmanshoek.
Course highlights
The skyline route runs clockwise around an amphitheatre curving around the valley of Moolmanshoek. Starting at 1750m, the first high peak is 'The Pyramid' at 2167m. There are some sections of fairly flat terrain along the high ridges. Grassy tussocks form a large part of the landscape, broken by rock bands and steep scrambles to reach the saddles and high points. The terrain is definitely not for the faint of heart and good preparation is a must. Four very distinctive peaks, make up the race as one circle the Moolmanshoek valley. The route is not marked but very easy to navigate with marshals and very clear signage at key places. There are some very steep places that needs to be navigated with the two toughest places being behind Jakobs berg and Visierskerf. The other thing that makes the challenge of the 4 Peaks so unique is that it is an unsupported race with every athlete required to carry a list with some safety items and also a provision of water. The race is a combination of steep up hills and steep descends with some parts that are just amazing to run. The easiest part and probably most enjoyable being the section between the second pyramid up to the descent behind Jakobs berg. After that comes the tricky section behind Visierskerf and the climb up to the highest point of the race at Sikonyela’s hat. After this is it is slow, or rather fast descend (depending on the condition of one’s legs) to the donga’s. Coming out of the dongas leaves one with a short and relatively flat portion to the start/finish line. The total distance is only 24km, but one will never think of 24km in the same way.Bewertungen
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