That’s it! It’s all over. The 2016 Munga has come to an end. 79 Riders began this epic journey just 5 days ago. The number of riders who didn’t get to the finish line is an indication of how tough the Munga really is, and it’s the riders who come in at the bitter end who suffer the most. For them, the Munga is more than just a race; it’s a life changer.
This year’s Munga has been super tough. So tough in fact, that almost half the field that started out in Bloemfontein didn’t make it to Wellington. We were sad to see some our favourites being forced out of the race because of injury or mechanical failure. But at the same time, we are overwhelmed by the incredible determination shown by some our riders.
Mark Harris, brother to Munga race director Alex Harris, who in 2015 was helping to get water points up and running, was so inspired watching others race by that he can now proudly call himself a Munga finisher. Or Jerrard Le Roux, who is also a Munga first-timer, was almost hospitalised with serious illness days before leaving Bloemfontein. He continued to struggle with the flu for the entire race, but finished with just 2 hours remaining.
There are plenty of other stories like this, and we are humbled by the sheer will power our riders have shown over the last few days.
The men and women of the 2016 Munga have shown us, once again, how amazing we really can be. We hope that all our riders found the journey they were looking for, and that the experience will be with them for years to come. We hope to see them all again next year for the 2017 Munga.
You haven’t heard the last from us just yet, though. We have lots of stats and stories to share. We’ll have official times soon, and we’ll send out a mail with those as soon as they’ve been signed and stamped. We also have some news about next year’s race, so expect some more from us in the days to come.
If you have been even just a little inspired by any of the riders from this year’s race, we think that next year’s Munga might be for you. Make no mistake, this is a seriously tough race, and we don’t think you’ll be the same at the end. But maybe a single-stage, self-supported mountain bike race over 1000 km, across the harsh environment of the South African interior in the middle of summer is exactly what you need. So how ’bout it? In a year’s time we’ll do it all again with new riders, new stories, and new winners.
Lastly, we would like to give a massive thank you to all our sponsors. Without your input, passion and sleepless nights we would not be able to do what we do. A giant thank you to our title sponsor Extract/MCC for their valuable assistance. To all the race villages, the owners and staff who were there for each rider as they arrived at 2 in the morning, your service was incredible. To the mechanics and medics who kept everybody upright – they had an incredibly hard job and they did it without complaint and smiles on their faces.
To every single person who has been involved in this amazing race–no matter how big or how small–we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
Want to know who was involved? Check out the sponsors page on our website.
Source: The Munga MTB
