The obstacle course racing world champion took on one of his biggest personal challenges yet, crossing 600 monkey bars beneath the Bloukrans Bridge arch in a test of strength.
South Africa (27 October 2026) – Thomas van Tonder arrived at the Bloukrans Bridge believing he had a good idea of what lay ahead. As he would later admit, he was feeling a little confident. The bridge, however, had other plans.
“I almost want to say that the bridge humbled me to a certain extent,” he said. “I came in a bit cocky. I came in a bit confident, and that incline humbled me for sure.”
It takes quite a challenge to humble someone like Thomas. An obstacle course racing world champion, he has climbed 90 metres of free-hanging rope to set a Guinness World Record. Holding on is usually one of his strengths, but the Bloukrans Bridge pushed his grip and endurance to their limits.
On 26 October, Thomas took on 600 monkey bars suspended beneath the bridge’s famous arch, crossing approximately 280 metres at a height of 216 metres above the river. The route included a steep 45-degree climb, a challenging middle section across the crown of the arch and a demanding descent on the other side. It was a test of the longest monkey bars ever built.
“I just completed one of my biggest dreams and missions for the last two years,” he said at the finish. “I’m just grateful for it all. We actually made it to the other side.”
The scale of the bridge had made an impression on Thomas long before his attempt. The first time he stood beneath it, he realised that seeing the structure on camera was very different from standing directly underneath it.
“It was like standing at the base of a tall building,” he recalled. “I thought, ‘What have we done?’”
There was a simpler route available: a straight line of monkey bars across the top. But Thomas chose the arch because he was not entirely sure he could complete it.
“This is by no means something I know I can do,” he said before the attempt. “Which means it’s the right challenge.”
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Thomas began his attempt at 10:21, with a light breeze blowing and his support crew watching closely. The opening climb was immediately demanding. At a 45-degree angle, he could not face forwards while moving upwards. Instead, he had to turn his back towards the bars, pull himself up and reach for the next one repeatedly.
The effort quickly took its toll. His heart rate was already around 150, and within minutes his hands were struggling.
“Hands are not feeling great,” he said at one point.
Reaching the crown of the arch brought a different challenge. Although the structure flattened out, Thomas was more exhausted than expected and struggled to find a rhythm. His hands were no longer responding as he had hoped, and simply keeping his grip closed became an enormous effort.
Looking towards the finish did not help either. With so many bars still separating him from the end, the task appeared almost impossible. He began focusing on smaller targets instead, communicating with Richard Lievaart over the radio about the next point he wanted to reach.
It did not make the physical challenge easier, but it helped him manage it mentally.
The final stretch was a fight
The descent brought another test. Gravity was now pulling Thomas downwards, and he had to control his speed, catch every bar and stop his momentum from taking his grip with it.
He began finding a little more rhythm, but the fatigue was far greater than he had expected. Even towards the end, he was unsure whether he would make it.
It was only in roughly the final 40 metres that Thomas began to believe he might finish. With the end finally becoming his next immediate target, he allowed himself to imagine completing the challenge.
“The rest of it,” he said, “was a fight.”
The final 20 metres demanded complete concentration. Thomas repeatedly reminded himself to check every bar, determined not to let a momentary lapse or slip cost him the finish.
His hands were sore, and the tape around his fingers had been torn through. Thankfully, his palms held up better than he had feared.
“At least I can close them again now,” he said. “Yeah, they hurt.”
A team effort behind the achievement
Although Thomas was the one hanging from the bars, the achievement depended on a team working behind the scenes.
The team worked through the night to prepare the course, with independent safety systems in place to protect Thomas.
While being the first person to cross the Bloukrans arch in this particular way is a remarkable achievement, Thomas sees the accomplishment as something bigger than a record.
“To me, today means the pinnacle of a year of work, six months of commitment, and multiple people coming together,” he said. “That’s a bit surreal.”
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