UPDATE 2 | First day of 2025 Toyota Fortuner Challenge pushes competitors to the max

The 2025 Toyota Fortuner Challenge powered by Quartz Engine Oil got off to an exciting start on Monday afternoon. 

After leaving the luxurious Arabella Hotel just outside Hermanus, the four challengers and local sporting heroes were shuttled to Kleinmond beach for their first four tasks.

Before the action commenced, each challenger was paired with one of four sporting heroes in a dramatic reveal.

After being taken beyond the breakers on an NSRI JetRib, each challenger was assigned a colour. On their return to shore, the sporting heroes set off smoke bombs matching the colours. As the craft landed on the beach, challengers and sporting heroes came together, officially marking the start of this year’s competition.

The pairings were as follows:

• Lloyd Marlowe (Arena Holdings) with Toyota Cheetahs captain Victor Sekekete.
• Isabel Roux (SuperSport) with former Kaizer Chiefs star Willard Katsande.
• Claus Kempen (Media24) with equestrian show jumper Nicole Horwood.
• Hennie Terreblanche (Independent Media) with Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Saood Variawa.

Challenge 1 | Sprint for the flags

Ready to show the judges what they’re made of, the teams began the first of four lifeguard-themed competitions. The first was a timed sprint where challengers and heroes had to sprint – from a lying down position and facing the opposite direction – to flags buried in the sand at different distances behind them. Designed to test fitness and strength, it rewarded those blessed with explosive power and unwavering endurance. 

Challenge 2 | Blindfolded navigation

The second contest was a trial of trust and concentration where the heroes were required to direct their blindfolded challengers around a cornered off section of the beach where each had to retrieve five colour-coded flags. It was a chaotic scene with the heroes shouting over each other and the challengers trying their best to tune in and perform with one of their most important human senses temporarily out of action. 

Challenge 3 | Dig and build

After a short break for some much-needed hydration, it was time for task three – a grueling test of mental resilience and endurance. Challengers had to dig through a section of the beach scattered with 40 buried, colour-coded tennis balls, all while enduring the relentless afternoon sun. Each competitor was tasked with uncovering 10 balls before teaming up with their sporting hero for the next challenge: building a sandcastle tall enough to reach a colour-coded ribbon suspended about a metre off the ground. To achieve this, one team member had to haul wet sand from the breaker line to create a sturdy foundation, adding an extra layer of strategy and physical effort to the task.

Challenge 4 | Search and rescue

The final challenge of the afternoon was a fully simulated search and rescue mission. Under the guidance of NSRI lifeguards, each challenger ventured into the water on a JetRib to retrieve a swimmer caught in a riptide. After successfully hauling the swimmer aboard, they raced back to shore, where their sporting hero awaited. Together they carried the distressed patient to a designated medical area further up the beach, completing the rescue operation.

Challenge 5 | Night orienteering

Salt-crusted, sunburned and exhausted, the teams returned to the hotel for dinner and rest before heading back out for their final challenge of the day.

Under the cover of darkness the challengers and heroes reconvened on the Arabella golf course for their fifth endeavour: an orienteering competition comparable to a large-scale escape room. Engineered to test problem-solving abilities, teamwork and navigational skills, it saw the heroes, with their hands bound together, attached to a Fortuner GR-S parked on the tee box. Scattered around the course, the challengers had to navigate their way through the disorientating night to free their heroes by solving clues presented as GPS coordinates, morse code and cryptic messages written in UV ink on the Fortuner's body panels. These were relayed to the challengers via two-way radios. 

The day had been relentless, but for the competitors, the 2025 Toyota Fortuner Challenge powered by Quartz Engine Oil had only begun.

Stay tuned for updates as the action unfolds. 

For more information visit the Toyota Fortuner Challenge 2025 website.