The Munga: The Toughest Race on Earth… and Why We Love the Suffering
Hi everyone, my name is Jaco Cromhout, and I am a Munga-holic.There, I said it. Feels good to get that off my chest.
I’ve completed two and a half full Mungas—yes, we’ll talk about scratching at some point. I’ve also done five Grits, almost all the Sword Series events, and one Munga Equipped. So, let’s just say I know a little bit about what this race entails in all its brutal and beautiful formats.
Oh ja, have I mentioned I’m 6’3″, 120kg, built like a vault door, with the finesse of a wrestler at a ballroom dance? Picture a buffalo attempting ballet—that’s me on a bike. But somehow, I keep coming back for more.
And because I also love writing, reflecting on deep (and sometimes absurd) philosophical thoughts, and sharing my experiences in a way that makes you laugh, cry, or question your life choices—I’ll be blogging about the Munga and all its madness throughout the year.
Expect stories of suffering, grit, hallucinations, roadside naps, and the existential crisis that hits somewhere around checkpoint three. Expect lessons learned, mistakes repeated, and the ongoing quest to answer one of life’s most perplexing questions:
Why do people voluntarily do extreme ultra races?
Is it the challenge? The suffering? The chance to eat a hefty amount of snacks and call it “fuelling?” Is it some deep, primal urge to test our limits, or just a spectacularly bad case of FOMO?
We’ll explore all of this and more. I’ll be writing each blog in English and Afrikaans (so brace yourself for some solid Freestate English along the way), and I’d love to hear your stories too—because let’s face it, every Munga rider has at least one tale that sounds too ridiculous to be true.
So, let’s start this journey. For my first blog, I’ll explore the big question: Why on earth do we do this to ourselves? Stay tuned, stay strong, and keep pedalling.
Munga on, suffer well and let’s embrace the madness.