Four mountains, published up front
Every venue, date and route is public from launch, GPX included. This is a self-supported series: knowing where you are going is a safety requirement, not a secret.
Round 1
Sun 13 Sep
Wolwedans Dam · Mossel Bay
Speedy rolling hills- Distance14 km
- Vertical320 m
- Start07:00
Declare by Wed 9 Sep, 18:00
Round 2
Sun 11 Oct
Robinson Pass · Outeniqua
Mountain climbing- Distance18 km
- Vertical910 m
- Start06:30
Declare by Wed 7 Oct, 18:00
Round 3
Sun 8 Nov
Karatara Forest · Knysna
Technical forest- Distance16 km
- Vertical480 m
- Start07:00
Declare by Wed 4 Nov, 18:00
Round 4
Sun 6 Dec
Gericke's Point · Sedgefield
Fun unique section- Distance15 km
- Vertical410 m
- Start06:45
Declare by Wed 2 Dec, 18:00
The mountains are public. The hands are hidden.
Every team optimises the same known puzzle by making secret, simultaneous choices about who runs where. Close racing does not come from hiding the terrain. It comes from revealing the terrain and hiding the line-ups.
Everything about the course
- The full calendar. All four rounds, venues, dates and terrain character, so captains can plan the season.
- The routes. GPX for every round. Route knowledge is a safety requirement in a self-supported series.
- The invited teams. Every team name and all four rosters. Everyone knows who is in the championship.
One thing only
- Who you field this round. The only secret in the series, and the engine of the whole thing.
Send your strongest runner now and you might waste them on the wrong mountain. Hold them for terrain that suits them and you might fall behind while you wait. Because declarations are simultaneous and blind, you are never simply reacting to what others did. You are reading the season.
Each runner races exactly once, so by Round 3 the endgame partly plays itself: captains must send whoever is left into whatever mountain remains.
Blind on Wednesday, open on Thursday
The reveal is the ritual. It is the same three days every round, so captains always know where they stand in the week.
Wednesday
18:00, declarations closeEach captain privately tells the organiser which one of their four runs this round. Nobody sees anybody else's pick. No declaration, no start, no points.
Thursday
Morning, the grid dropsThe full round line-up is published at once. Now every team knows exactly who they face on Sunday, but every team has already committed blind. Expect the group chat to light up.
Sunday
The round runsSelf-supported, own crew, own risk. Positions are scored on the F1 table that evening and the standings update.
Formula 1 driver standings
Finishing positions score exactly like a Grand Prix. The gaps at the front reward winning without letting a leader run away.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
- Top tenOnly the top ten score. Eleventh and back score zero, and so does a DNF or a DNS.
- ChampionThe season champion is the team with the most points after Round 4.
- CountbackTies break by countback: most wins, then most second places, and so on down the order.
The grid
Every invited team, all rosters public. Points appear here the evening of Round 1.
| Pos | Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Four hartenbossies Captain: Alec | · | · | · | · | 0 |
| — | SAMPIES HOOGTE Captain: Alex | · | · | · | · | 0 |
| — | Sample Team: Dune Dogs Captain: Marié L | · | · | · | · | 0 |
| — | Sample Team: Fynbos Four Captain: Wynand B | · | · | · | · | 0 |
| — | Sample Team: Karatara Klip Captain: Sipho M | · | · | · | · | 0 |
| — | Sample Team: Outeniqua Ox Captain: Hennie J | · | · | · | · | 0 |
| — | Sample Team: Proteakop Captain: Alex S | · | · | · | · | 0 |
| — | Sample Team: Tide Runners Captain: Nadia P | · | · | · | · | 0 |
Who each team has left
This reveals nobody's next pick, but it lets everyone read the closing rounds. Scarcity, in the open, is part of the show.
Four hartenbossies
- Alex (34) Available
- Karin steinmann (31) Available
- Fanie (55) Available
- Manie (45) Available
SAMPIES HOOGTE
- Karin (30) Available
- Fanie (55) Available
- Alexander (35) Available
- Sean Duffy (46) Available
Sample Team: Dune Dogs
- Marié Louw (39) Available
- Gerhard de Bruyn (61) Available
- Ayesha Petersen (28) Available
- Daniel Smit (44) Available
Sample Team: Fynbos Four
- Wynand Brand (52) Available
- Sandra Kruger (45) Available
- Neville Adams (57) Available
- Zanele Dube (26) Available
Sample Team: Karatara Klip
- Sipho Mthembu (43) Available
- Carina Steyn (55) Available
- Brandon Els (31) Available
- Frikkie van Zyl (60) Available
Sample Team: Outeniqua Ox
- Hennie Jordaan (56) Available
- Riaan Naude (34) Available
- Lindiwe Mahlangu (37) Available
- Annemarie Fourie (49) Available
Sample Team: Proteakop
- Johan Meyer (41) Available
- Elsa van Wyk (58) Available
- Thandi Nkosi (33) Available
- Pieter Botha (47) Available
Sample Team: Tide Runners
- Nadia Pretorius (36) Available
- Kobus Coetzee (59) Available
- Amahle Zulu (29) Available
- Tertius Grobler (48) Available
The best team is a complete team
Pick your four accordingly. The requirements are what make the strategy interesting: your fastest four is rarely your strongest four.
Four runners
One team, four names, declared before Round 1. Every runner races exactly once across the season.
At least one woman
A complete team is a mixed team. This is a requirement, not a bonus.
At least one runner 55 or older
Experience earns its place on the start line, and often on the steep round.
Combined age 165 or more
Everyone must be 20 or older, and the four ages added together must reach 165.
Read this part twice
This is not a managed event. It runs on open public trails, and the trade for no entry fee is that you carry the responsibility yourself.
What is not provided
No entry fee, no route marking, no marshals, and no aid stations. Every runner is responsible for their own access, navigation, safety, water and weather calls, and runs at their own risk.
Your team is your support crew. Outside assistance is whatever your three teammates can carry.
Before you start
A signed indemnity per runner is required once, before Round 1. No indemnity, no start.
Weather and safety postponements are called by 18:00 on the Friday before a round.
Think you have the team to take the title?
This series is unofficial and invitational. If you are reading this, your team has a place with your name on it. Confirm your four (names and ages), and who is your 55-plus and your woman of steel.
20 Teams maximum. No entry fee.
Confirm your team. Pick your strategy. Earn your mountains.