By Nangamso Mabindla
28 January 2004

Buffalo City Tourism has thrown down the gauntlet to its sporting community, daring all swimmers, paddlers and runners to take part in the first-ever Buffalo City Tri-Challenge.

The Tri-Challenge is a combination of three of East London's most famous races:

• the Surfers' Marathon (February 14), a challenge between paddlers and walkers along the Nahoon River;
• the Daily Dispatch Ocean Challenge Cycle Tour (February 29), where participants cycle 46km and 94km through the Nahoon round table; and
• the Nahoon Mile swim (March 7), a 1-mile swim from the Kwelera to the Nahoon River.

Buffalo City Sports Tourism has linked up with the Daily Dispatch newspaper and other sponsors to get the event off the ground.

The Tri-Challenge will be a fun affair, says Sports Tourism PRO Colleen Durant. "It's not about competing, but will be more like friends challenging each other to have a ball."

Following the success of the Nahoon Mile swim last year, in which 1 200 people participated, Buffalo City Sports Tourism and the sponsors of the different events decided to combine the events and the form Tri-Challenge.

East Londoners love their sport, Durant says, and the attendance figures at the Cricket World Cup matches and rugby games over the years bears testimony to that.

However, it is not only locals that are expected to participate in the Tri-Challenge. Competitors from surrounding areas such as Stutterheim, Butterworth and Queenstown are also expected to take part.

"The beauty of the challenge is that you don't have to participate in categories that you aren't sure about. You won't enter the Surfers Challenge as a swimmer if you can't swim. You'll have to enter as a walker."

Durant, however, won't be entering the Tri-Challenge herself. "I have the job of overseeing the challenge and will be checking the times. Somebody's got to make sure things run smoothly."

Participants wanting to be considered for the Tri-Challenge need to indicate this when they enter the Surfer's Marathon. If runners decide to enter the Tri-Challenge after they entered the surfer's marathon, they may still do so by notifying the marshals at the end of the run on race day.

Durant says the Tri- Challenge is the only event where the participants sweat and still enjoy it. "I'd like to call on everyone interested to join us. Call all your friends and see who's best at sport so that there'll be added respect between friends."