Athlete dies at Otter challenge
PLETTENBERG BAY - Tragedy struck during the highly popular Otter African Trail Run last week when one of the Otter Challenge participants collapsed and died about 2km from the finish line.
Southern Cape police spokesperson Cpt Malcolm Pojie said that the incident happened at about 17:25 on 6 October.
He said it is believed that the participant, a 34-year-old man from KwaZulu-Natal fell down an embankment close to the Storm’s River near the border between the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
"Attempts made by paramedics to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he was declared deceased on the scene. The body of the deceased had to be airlifted and transported by helicopter to be handed over to [police] forensic pathology services," Pojie said.
Storms River police have opened an inquest docket for further investigation.
The cause of death was not known by the time of going to print.
Organisers of the event extended condolences to the participant's friends and family. "The tragic incident is the first such occurrence in the event's 14-year history. Participant safety is always the Otter African Trail Run's primary concern and as such, the heartbreaking news is felt acutely throughout the race village," they said in a statement.
The Otter African Trail Run takes place annually and the direction alternates every year.
The Otter Edition traverses east to west, starting in Storm’s River and finishing in Nature's Valley, while the Retto Edition runs west to east, from Nature's Valley to Storm’s River. This year, participants completed the latter.
The 42km route features rugged Indian Ocean coastline trails, indigenous forests, river crossings and an average of 7 000 steps. The Challenge takes place in the build-up to the main Otter race, and allows participants more time to finish with an extended cut-off time of 11 hours instead of the more competitive nine-hour cut-off at the main race.
Read more about this year's Otter African Trail Run on pages 9 and 20.