Jooste ready for eighth Desert Dash

LIMBA MUPETAMI The Nedbank Desert Dash attracts cyclists from all over the world and this year's oldest participant is 80-year-old Bill Jooste, who will be competing for the eighth time.The Walvis Bay resident, who lives with his wife Babs and has three sons and a daughter, took time out to chat with Namibian Sun.He said his nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren will all motivate him to do better this year. The race kicks off this Friday.“Sport has always been my passion, especially endurance events. In particular, I liked running traditional and ultramarathons. I also loved triathlons in the half-ironman events. I completed quite a number of them. “So far I completed 11 Comrades and 20 Two Oceans marathons and over 200 marathons and ultras,” Jooste said. He said the consequence of so much running was injured knees. “So these days I do mostly mountain biking.” Love for the Dash“It is an endurance race which has really challenged me over the past years since its inception. I find this event very hard to complete in the allotted time and for this reason it gives me the necessary motivation to take on the challenge,” Jooste said.He added his preparations for this year's Dash have not gone as planned. “I was forced to take a six-week break in August and September for eye surgery but my training is nearly on track again.“Being able to participate in sporting events with other enthusiastic younger athletes gives so much satisfaction and I guess age becomes less of a factor. “I do not believe age should be used as an excuse not to participate in sporting events, although there are limitations to bear in mind. One has to accept that physically the body is more fragile and takes longer to recover than 20 odd years ago,” Jooste said.He added that mental preparation for extreme endurance events like the Dash is probably more important than being physically capable. About the raceThe Desert Dash is Namibia's biggest cycling competition and covers 369 kilometres of mainly gravel road between Windhoek and the Namib Desert, down to Swakopmund. The race must be completed within 24 hours.Close to a 1 000 riders have entered the race this year and thousands more are on standby to support the cyclists. The Swakopmund municipality says the coastal town is proud of the role it plays in the prestigious event.Moreover, locals greatly value the multiple perks that come with it. “Each year most of the hotels and guesthouses are fully booked, including the bungalows managed by the municipality,” Swakopmund municipality spokesperson Aili Gebhardt said. Gebhardt agrees that in addition to the surge of visitors descending on the town, the Dash promotes the area as an “irresistible holiday destination”, which increases the appetite to experience more parts of the country. “This in turn, brings in foreign currency, creates more jobs, helps to develop our town and others, and helps us to preserve a diverse culture and the environment.”Additionally, the event also casts a bright spotlight on the town and Namibia as a whole, promoting it as an attractive tourism destination.The stark conditions and the thrill of finishing the tough course is a boon for the tourism industry, which has long worked to promote Namibia as a top-notch adventure tourism hotspot. Gitta Paetzold, Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) executive officer, said the Desert Dash has “truly become one of the most important sporting and adventure tourism events on the Namibian calendar”.Paetzold said the tourism industry, in an effort to promote domestic, regional and international tourism, has for long aimed to identify key events in Namibia to help lure local and foreign visitors.“The Dash fits this model perfectly, as it is an outstanding race that not only attracts local cyclists, but has over the years attracted increasing numbers of international competitors, as is proven by the 2018 entry numbers, with people from more than 14 countries taking part.”More than 60% of the just over 1 000 entrants daring to tackle the route are Namibians, joined by 311 South Africans and 69 cyclists from another 12 countries, including Germany, Austria, Canada, the United States, France and Luxembourg. “Crossing one of Namibia's most spectacular landscapes linking the capital to the coast, the Dash is the perfect opportunity to showcase one of the country's most rugged, soulful, inspiring and liberating terrains,” Paetzold said.She added that the Dash is known far and wide as one of the most challenging day-races across the globe and is undoubtedly a 'must-do' event for every serious cyclist. It is estimated that the event pumps at least N$20 million of additional revenue into Namibia's economy, from flights, car rentals, health services and other tourism-related activities. Gernot de Klerk, head of marketing and communication at Nedbank Namibia, says the unique characteristics of the Dash, including the landscape and rugged route, combined with the quality and professional work of the race organisers, has helped shape the race into the global magnet it is today.“Through the success and growth of events such as the Dash, Namibia has now become a popular destination of premier events.”“Namibia realises the importance of consistently offering quality races to hone the skills and competitive edge of our cyclists, who do not have to stand back for anyone as far as sheer talent, is concerned. We remain exceptionally proud of our flagship event,” De Klerk added.

Jooste ready for eighth Desert Dash

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-07

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Jooste ready for eighth Desert Dash

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-07

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