midmar mile

Eight days, 800 kilometres and some seriously steep ravines – this is the Absa Cape Epic, one of the most extreme things a person can do with a bicycle. The hors catégorie event is the most televised mountain bike stage race in the world. Each year a new route is chosen, as difficult and as beautiful as the last.

The Berg River Marathon is probably the most gruelling way to spend four days in mid-winter. The canoe race sets off from Paarl and ends 240 kilometres away in Velddrif, in the Western Cape. Throw in howling wind, driving rain and lots of portage, and you've got a recipe for extreme sport.

While most people are tucked up warmly indoors during winter, a group of dedicated extreme athletes is out riding the Freedom Challenge. The mountain bike race takes riders more than 2 000 kilometres across some of South Africa's harshest but most beautiful scenery.

Some of the world's most extreme races are held in South Africa, where elite athletes – and ordinary people – pit themselves against the unforgiving elements and huge distances. Perhaps the most well-known is the Comrades Marathon, a gruelling 90km run between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.

Backstroke, breast stroke or even doggy paddle – it's all welcome at the Midmar Mile, the annual gathering acknowledged by Guinness World Records as the largest open water swim on the planet. It's a happy, vibrant community event, with champions swimming alongside newbies, and everyone out to have fun.

Amateur athlete Terry Bantock is taking on all eight legs of the gruelling Midmar Mile, aiming to raise funds for Mandeville Sports club to identify and nurture talented disabled swimmers in South Africa. 

There’s more to the Bloodhound SSC than just mind-boggling speed – the project is aimed at inspiring a new generation of scientists, and a Northern Cape community is benefiting through job creation, better communications infrastructure, and tourism.
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