Inspired by his love for animals a Brackenfell man is getting ready to take on the Munga, an ultra-marathon mountain bike event known as one of the toughest races on earth in a bid to raise funds for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA.
Tienie Maree (43) will set off from Bloemfontein on 30 November on the 1 100 km endurance event under the banner “Munga4Mutts”.
From there he will have only 120 hours in a one-stage, non-stop race to reach the finish line in Wellington before 5 December without the clock stopping.
Crossing the arid Karoo in the heat of summer, the gruelling race has seen many a rider eating dust and sweating blood in a race against time.
“Riders choose when, where and for how long they stop to eat and take a power nap or rest along the way, as long as you make the cut-off time,” explains Maree. In 2021, the winning time was around 60 hours.
Munga race director Alex Harris says, “At the Munga we celebrate what it is to be human. We know the fight. We know what it means to grovel, and grind, and crawl in desperation to the light at the end of the tunnel.”
You suffer, but you keep on going
Being a social cyclist only, this is the first time Tienie will be doing a race of this magnitude, looking forward with mixed emotions.
“I am scared and excited at the same time. More than anything else, I think it is a mental game, you suffer but you keep on going forward no matter what, something that is very much in line with my own motto in life.”
Having been retrenched a few times and going through a divorce, Tienie has seen some hard times, during which his animals in which he found unconditional love were his anchor.
“My dogs gave me a reason to carry on. Even in the little things such as coming home and taking them for a walk, you keep meaning in your life. They have been invaluable to me.
“Having decided to enter the event, the idea of doing something for the greater good came to mind. Being a dog father, I have experienced first-hand the positive effect of having animals around when life gets tough. Animal welfare is something that I feel really passionate about and I would like to use this opportunity to raise funds and try and make a difference,” said Maree.
The fundraising campaign (Munga4Mutts) was launched by Natasha Johannes, Peer-to-Peer Fundraiser at the Cape of Good Hope SPCA last week.
With many kilometres of training under his cycle bib and many more to go, Maree is determined to let animals gain from his pain during the gruelling race and is appealing for support to reach his goal of R10 000.
“It is my personal goal to finish the race in 100 hours, meaning I will have to cycle 12 km per hour on average. It is attainable, but will I be able to keep it up over 100 hours? It is intimidating and I am excited and scared at the same time when I think about it. But in the end I want to prove to myself that I can finish the race.”
- For more information about the Munga4Muts fund-raising campaign go to www.givengain.com.
