4 Lowveld adventure racers set to take on new frontiers

A group of four adventure and thrill-seekers from the Lowveld are gearing up to fly the South African flag during an adventure race like few others. Lowvelderreportsthat Mbombela residents Harry Wiltshire, Craig Metherell and Dewaal Visser, along with White River local Sara Archdeacon, will take on the Expedition Africa Back to the Berg race in March. The 500km-long team adventure race sees participants spend six days tackling the rugged and gruelling terrain of the Drakensberg Mountains.

They will be representing South Africa against teams from around the world, as the race forms part of the Adventure Racing World Series. “Adventure racing is one of the world’s most demanding endurance sports. Unlike traditional races, there is no single discipline and no fixed course.

Teams must navigate their way across vast wilderness using only maps and compasses, often with minimal sleep, while completing a relentless mix of disciplines that can include trail running, mountain biking, paddling, climbing and technical rope work,” says Archdeacon, who, along with Visser, is new to the sport. The pair have only competed in the 250km-long Expedition Africa Magoebaskloof race in 2025, making the looming Back to the Berg event double the distance and a daunting yet exciting new challenge. Fortunately, the other half of the team – Metherell and Wiltshire – has no shortage of experience, having completed more than 75 adventure races between them.

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“I was invited to do an adventure race in 2018 in eSwatini as part of a team where none of us knew anything about adventure racing. Needless to say, we were ill-prepared!” Wiltshire quipped. “We were armed with enthusiasm, ignorance and zero navigation skills.

We were laden with way too much gear, of which half was not necessary and most very heavy. But, as one does, we soldiered on, got lost often, but managed a full course finish in 20 hours – and I was hooked! From there it’s just got better!” Reflecting on what drives someone to take part in such extreme races, Wiltshire had a simple, almost primal answer.

“The absolute purge of life’s modern stresses and technology is what drives me to do the longer races. You have only a compass and map and your teammates to navigate and survive the most spectacular but often brutal terrain. This often includes entire nights of non-stop racing with no sleep.

I reiterate – no phone, no office, no outside contact… reduced to survival mode in the great outdoors!” The team is now raising funds to support their participation in the race. Anyone who would like to get involved can contact Archdeacon on 082 228 3745. Breaking news at your fingertips…Follow Caxton Network News onFacebookand join ourWhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak.Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus opFacebooken sluit aan by onsWhatsApp-kanaal.

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