JEEP + WARRIOR
JEEP JOINS THE ADVENTURE WITH THE WARRIOR RACE “The Jeep Warrior Race is South Africa’s largest obstacle racing series with just under 40000 participants over 8 events in only their first year of existence”
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Pure Pain The shot: Triathlete Chris Felgate grimaces as he prepares to lunge for another grip during the Black Ops event at the Red Barn. Managed to get this shot using my Nikkor 70-200 without flash making sure I didn’t get in the way but got close enough to get the facial expression and emotion. The Spec: 1/500 sec ISO-400 f3 Nikon D7000 body Nikkor 70-200mm zoom lens f2.8 no flash Lightroom Vignette. More info: www.warrior.co.za
Obstacle race
Story and Photographs: Zoon Cronje
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Helping Hand The Shot: The infamous mud monster obstacle is a series of bumps and ditches participants have to navigate where teamwork becomes essential as the day goes by. Getting this shot meant I had to get into the mud to get a low angle and anticipate where the helping hand would come from. This scene sums up a lot of what the Jeep Warrior Race is all about, that all out camaraderie and team spirit. The Specifications: 1 /500s f5.6 ISO 280 Nikon D610 body and Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens no flash More Information: www.zooncronje.com
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”The ultimate
team building event ”
www.zooncronje.com / NIKON Warrior 2014
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03 Tunnel Vision The Shot: Getting up close and personal without interfering with the athletes is always a fine balance but with experience and mutual respect you can get real close. To get this shot I fed the camera and flash into the rope tunnel towards the athlete. I went for the wide angle to soak up the obstacle but still focus sharp on the approaching athlete. The Specs: 1 /160s f6.3 ISO 100 with flash Body Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24 f2.8 wide angle lens SB910 flash Lightroom vignette Info: www.facebook.com/thewarriorrace
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“2014 will see the addition of the new
Commando
middle distance” 04
Making a splash The Shot: Don’t be afraid to get dirty and this is where it helps to have proper sealed equipment that can take a beating. I had to lie flat on the ground to get a low enough vantage point for the action. Timing is everything for that final snap with a little bit of luck and anticipating where an athlete would surface helps getting your focus sharp in advance, the moment passes in a blink of an eye.The Spec: 1/800s F7.1 ISO 200 no flash Body Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens Lightroom vignette. More Information: www.nikon.co.za
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F
ollowing the meteoric rise of obstacle course racing phenomenon through my lens in 2013 has been incredible. Apart from the dramatic imagery it delivers I get a kick seeing how the event inspires participants in an almost primal way to do battle with not only themselves and the obstacles but forge bonds with team mates you would only expect to see in the army. The significant growth spurt this fledgeling sport has undergone is testament to its ever
growing popularity. Sometimes referred to as mud and beer events obstacle course racing is all about overcoming obstacles and what makes it even more attractive is the fact that the only equipment you need is a pair of shoes and in fact the older the shoes the better. What makes this sport unique is that you have athletes from different sporting codes like rugby, cycling, kayaking, running, cross fit etc. competing on a level playing field. South Africa’s largest and argu-
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ably toughest obstacle course race is the Warrior Race. Since the first the Warrior Race in February 2013 there have been more than 38 000 participants in only 8 events! Their larger than life obstacles and innovative courses have not only seen their events grow in numbers but their social media platforms have become somewhat of an animal bursting at the seems and not slowing down by any means.
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Raising the bar The Shot: This shot gave me that battlefield feeling I was going for when I saw the scene through the viewfinder. The zoom lens allowed me to get the shot without having to worry too much about getting stomped in the face.The Specifications: 1 /250s f8 ISO 100 no flash Body Nikon D610 Nikkon 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens Lightroom vignette. More Information: www.usn.co.za
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06 Carla making a run for it The Shot: People forget that there is still a fair amount of running but it is balanced out by the fact that obstacle racing requires upper body strength. Carla van Huyssteen is a well known trial runner and Xterra athlete. I deliberately shot her from behind to show how muscular her back has become from her specific obstacle race training. It paid off, she won the R100000 prize money at the final event in 2013. The Specs: 1/640s f6.3 ISO 200 no flash body Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens. Info: www.xtremedia.co.za
“The 2013
final winning
male and female
walked off
with R100000 each�
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TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN XTREME SPORTS MEDIA 14:00 1ST FEBRUARY 2014 XTREMEDIA.CO.ZA
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Keeping an eye on the prize The Shot: The notorious obstacle where athletes had to crawl under cargo nets through mud mixed with ice. The facial expressions were priceless and getting them meant I had to stand knee deep in the icy mud holding out the camera to get the angle I needed. “Go where nobody else will and get the shots nobody else have�. The Specs: 1/125s f5.6 ISO 220 no flash Body Nikon D600 Nikkor 1424mm f2.8 wide angle SB910 flash not fired More Information: www.advendurance.com
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Wired
The Shot: Danger swamp forces athletes to crawl through mud and water under barbed wire. I wanted to capture the action from a very low angle to bring out the reflection of the water surface and still keep some focus on the actual barb wire. The Specs: 1/160s f6.3 ISO 100 flash fired Body Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens SB910 flash. More Information: www.zcmc.co.za
“It’s about challenging yourself
and overcoming
obstacles” Warrior 2014
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It
was no surprise when Jeep South Africa announced that they will be partnering with the Warrior Race in 2014. According to the Jeep Warrior Race management team they weren’t just looking for a sponsor but rather a partner. The glaringly obvious synergies between the two brands has all
the makings of a very exciting partnership to take the event to new heights.
A
nother addition in 2014 is the middle distance Commando Race. According to the Jeep Warrior Race bringing in the Commando distance will give competitors the opportu-
Race
Venue
Province
Date
#Warrior1
Muldersdrift
Gauteng
1-2 Feb.
#Warrior2
Midrand
Gauteng
1-2 Mar.
#Warrior3
Midrand
Gauteng
5-6 Apr.
#Warrior4
Pretoria
North West
10-11 May.
#Warrior5
TBA
Kwazulu Natal
26 Jul.
#Warrior6
TBA
Gauteng
6-7 Sep.
#Warrior7
TBA
Western Cape
11 Oct.
#Warrior8
TBA
Gauteng/North West
22-23 Nov.
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Leap of Faith The Shot: One of the participants froze on top of the Tower of Rage at a previous event. He came back to face his fears the day before the final event of 2013 and make the 5m jump off the platform. The dramatic skies behind him set the mood perfectly and I blasted my flash at the maximum to get at least some light on the subject. The Specs: 1/80s f4.5 ISO 200 flash fired Body Nikon D610 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens SB910. More Information: www.jeep.co.za
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nity to really grow into the Jeep Warrior Race. You start off with the Rookie and have fun, when you ready you can upgrade to the Commando Race that has been dubbed the ultimate team building challenge and when you really got enough courage you move on to the Black Ops.
www.zooncronje.com / NIKON Warrior 2014
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The Jeep Warrior Race offers four courses to choose from: Jeep Warrior Brats Race – 1km, 8 obstacles tailored for the kids; Jeep Warrior Rookie Race – 6 to 8km, 15 obstacles; aimed at having fun with your mates Jeep Warrior Commando Race - 10km 20 obstacles; labelled as the ultimate team building challenge
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Playing with fire
The Shot: Fighting the elements, earth fire and water. It was hard to resist this shot and the zoom lens allowed me to shoot over the entire obstacle and bring the fire in the background “closer” The Specs: 1/500s f5.6 ISO 200 Body Nikon D600 Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens SB910 flash. More Information: www.twitter.com/thewarriorrace.
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Vasbyt The Shot: Thabang Madiba is a well established trail runner and previous Warrior Race Black Ops winner. It was a question of right time, right place for me here. I saw him struggling to grip the ropes and eventually resort to using his teeth to get him out of the mud pit. The Specs: 1/500s f5.6 ISO 200 no flash body Nikon D610 Nikkor 70200mm f2.8 zoom lens. More Information: www.vimeo.com/channels/thewarriorrace
“Black Ops
is for the hardcore athlete
who knows how
to push
through the pain�
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Watch the video https://vimeo.com/84205177
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The clean-up The Shot: I noticed the sun behind the athletes cleaning themselves post event and used the backlight to freeze the shot. The Specs: 1/500 f5.6 ISO 200 no flash body Nikon D600 Nikkor 70200mm f2.8 zoom lens. More Information: www.instagram.com/zooncronje
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Jeep with 速
OFF THE OFF-ROAD.
New Jeep速 Wrangler.
Jeep Wrangler features even more unique design details with unrivalled off-road performance. It is trail tested and rock steady with the best in class ground clearance, departure angles and manoeuvrability. And it is tougher than ever with its Rock-Track system and exclusive Goodyear Wrangler tyres. Jeep速 is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC.
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Find us on
Warrior 2014
OB 09 12581 The Observatory Ad Co
jeep.co.za