Trail runners break Guinness World Record
TWO local trail runners, Christiaan Greyling and AJ Calitz, broke the Guinness World Record for the greatest vertical distance on foot, on Table Mountain's Platteklip Gorge.
The pair beat the previous record of 13 ascents in 24 hours by completing a gruelling 14 ascents in 20 hours, with 19 376 metres climbed just before midnight yesterday.
Greyling is a 36-year-old coach and engineering consultant. Calitz is a 37-year-old attorney.
The duo said they wanted to challenge themselves by doing something “amazing” for others while raising awareness for Edunova, a non-profit company focusing on the use of technology in disadvantaged schools throughout South Africa.
Greyling has won the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100, Skyrun 100, Otter Trail 42, Table Mountain Challenge, UTD62 and Azores 42km, and ranks in the top four men in the general International Trail Running Association classification in South Africa.
He is first in the XL classification of 90-100km with a 5 000m ascent. He said that fatigue had set in as it was a hot day on Monday, but there was no way they could stop.
“We are absolutely delighted and overjoyed to have broken the world record for the most vertical ascent and descent on a route that is well known to us, Platteklip Gorge on Table Mountain, one of the New7Wonders of Nature.
“It was one of the toughest days of my life with the added pressure of doing it in 20 hours because of curfew, but my K-Way partner, AJ, was strong and motivated me to triumph in what was an achievement of two very dedicated teammates,” said Greyling.
Calitz, whose accolades include being the Fish River Canyon 100km record holder, 2016 South African Ultra Trail champion, four-time Red Bull Lionheart winner, and the winner of the Verdon Canyon Challenge 100km, France 2013, said he was delighted to have accomplished the challenge.
“We are absolutely broken but so happy. This is nothing short of a miracle and a team effort,” he said.
Calitz also holds the Guinness World record for “The Most Vertical Height Gained in 12 hours” (10 257m), set on the same mountain in 2014.