South African obstacle course racing world champion Thomas van Tonder completed one of the biggest challenges of his career on Monday, crossing more than 600 suspended monkey bars along the arch of Bloukrans Bridge, 216m above the river below.
The challenge in the Western Cape took Van Tonder 49 minutes and 38 seconds to complete, testing his grip, strength and mental endurance as he made his way across a 290m structure with a vertical gain of 61m.
Despite months of preparation, Van Tonder admitted that the crossing was much harder than he had expected.
“I underestimated how long and how difficult it would be,” he said.
He said he had expected to complete the challenge in about 30 to 35 minutes. But when he reached the 30-minute mark and realised he was only halfway across, he knew he was facing a much bigger test. “That was one of the big moments where I realised I am now out of my depth and I’m going to have to find some way to push to the finish.”
For Van Tonder, the challenge came from years of obstacle course racing experience, more than a year of technical planning, and six months of focused physical preparation.
He described it as the biggest challenge of his career.
“My journey as an obstacle racing athlete has taught me a lot mentally, and as a person, it has kind of grown me into the person who dreams up challenges like this.”
The team spent more than a year on technical planning, working out how to build the structure and whether the crossing was possible.
Van Tonder said he would have preferred more time to prepare physically, but other competitions and the need to take advantage of the weather conditions meant he committed to six months of focused training.
He said preparations for the challenge went smoothly, and a bucket of rice helped ready his arms.
“I had suffered a pulled neck muscle, a back muscle injury, tendinitis in my right elbow and a shoulder strain. Using a bucket of rice is a resistance training method,” he said.
To strengthen and condition his hands, wrists and fingers without putting too much strain on his body, he used a bucket of rice as part of his training routine.
The method allowed him to work his wrists and fingers against resistance in different directions, helping with conditioning and recovery.
But even with the preparation, the bridge presented challenges he had not fully anticipated.
Van Tonder said his hands began to fail as he approached the middle section and continued towards the final quarter of the crossing.
He had to find a balance between giving his hands time to recover and keeping his body upright to avoid feeling dizzy.
To keep going, he focused on smaller goals instead of thinking about the entire distance ahead.
“I’m aiming for that piece. So I mentally commit to it instead of aiming at the finish,” he said.
The final 20m became a turning point.
As he approached the end, he saw his family waiting for him and heard people cheering. Their support helped him find the strength to complete the crossing.
“You somehow find that extra something. I guess that’s the beauty of sports sometimes. You just find this another gear, and afterwards you don’t know how,” he said.
Van Tonder said the experience reminded him that people were often capable of more than they think.
“It’s possible to do more than you think. And I think that’s maybe why I love sports so much. It brings out the best in you,” he said.
Beyond the physical achievement, Van Tonder wanted his children to learn something from watching him take on a challenge that was both difficult and frightening.
He said they might not yet understand the significance of what happened, as they were busy eating ice cream and running around after the attempt.
But he hopes they will look back on the experience one day and draw inspiration from it.
Van Tonder said the challenge was also about celebrating SA and taking on something extraordinary in one of the country’s most beautiful settings.
He described Bloukrans Bridge in the Garden Route as the perfect place to attempt a challenge that would push him beyond his limits.
“Only South Africans would know how crazy proud we are of just being South African,” he said.
After completing the crossing, Van Tonder was relieved that his hands had come through the challenge without serious injury.
“Nothing is broken, nothing is bleeding, which is to me, success,” he said.
He said he was not rushing to think about another extreme challenge, however. For now, he wanted to appreciate what he had achieved.
His immediate plans were hugging his wife and high-fiving his children.
“I’m grateful at this stage. I’m trying to take it all in,” he said.
TimesLIVE
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