This year Lilyfontein School’s famous Adventure Race took a new turn by going virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though we were unable to host a physical event on our school campus, the Virtual Adventure Race still enjoyed a good turnout, with many teams entering the various challenges.
There were 5 different race categories pitched at various fitness levels, from the Teeny Weenies category of 15km to the mighty Lynx Xtreme category of 300km. The most popular event was definitely the Mudd Overload 30km distance. Each year, this is one of the most favoured distances to complete, as it is achievable and doable in one session, it is made up of a 20km cycle leg and a 10km running/walking leg.
It was wonderful to see the number of families that entered this year, proving once again that adventure racing can be a really enjoyable family fun event. The virtual format definitely made it easy to enter and participate, as the rules around the entries were simple – “Anywhere, Anytime, Anyone”.
The only restriction was for the teams of 4 to have at least one member of the opposite sex. What was also beneficial was the fact that participants could enter and participate over an 11 day period, making those longer distances more achievable.
A special congratulations goes to our adventurous grade 11 learners Ethan Jackson and Luke Swinney from team Swineballs and Ma’am!! Ma’am!!, and Kirsten Nash accompanied by her dad Stephen from team 1Fast 1Furious, who successfully completed the 300km Lynx Xtreme in true Lilyfontein fashion. These two teams were supported by their friends and family and persevered with pure grit and determination to complete their challenge.
Our Adventure Race has been running for twenty years and we were super delighted to be able to offer a solution to our adventure based community this year, in a time of Covid. Thank you to each and every team that participated in keeping the spirit of Adventure Racing alive!