Photo Credit: Jenna Bird

Marinda Bootsma and Attie Tiley got married as soon as they crossed the finish line of the KAP Sani2c Mountain Bike Race.

 

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (17 May 2021) – The renowned 266km three-day mountain bike stage race KAP sani2c took place this weekend and to mark the finish of the race, one couple tied the knot!

The sani2c starts in the Underberg area of KwaZulu-Natal and meanders to Scottburgh on the South Coast, traversing farm and tribal lands as well as game reserves. Dairy farmer Glen Haw founded the sani2c to raise funds for the farm school that his children attended at the time, and as the event grew to one hosting over 3000 riders over 5 days, this original intention has evolved with the event.

The race is rooted in doing good and what could be more good than a love story?

Marinda Bootsma and Attie Tiley tied the knot on Saturday after completing the three-day 2021 KAP sani2c Adventure, which kicked off on 12 May. This was both the bride and groom’s first sani2c ride.

The KAP sani2c is one of the oldest mountain bike stage races in South Africa, offering 266km of spectacular mountain bike trails between Himeville in the southern Drakensberg and Scottburgh on the South Coast in KwaZulu-Natal. Two versions take place over four days – the Adventure event (12 to 14 May) and the Race event (13 to 15 May). For Bootsma and Tiley, the Adventure event was the perfect lead-up to their wedding.

Bootsma says that the idea was first seeded when she and Tiley were driving back from the 2019 KAP sani2c, which they attended as supporters.

“Attie was saying that when we get married, he doesn’t want a big hoo-ha; he just wants something small, but it must be epic,” she says. “And I said, ‘Well, I’m not doing the Cape Epic’ and so he said, ‘How about if we get married at sani2c?’ and so we decided we’d find out if we could go down to the beach from the finish line after the race and get married.”

The couple has been together for 13 years, and after the 2020 race was cancelled, they decided to tie the knot at the next one. So they signed up as soon as they heard the 2021 event would be taking place and started reaching out to make arrangements for their adventure wedding.

One of the sponsors for the event, Restonic, decided to jump onboard after hearing the wedding news and donated the couples’ kit for their final race day. The kit, seen in the selected images, was a printed bridal dress for Bootsma and a tuxedo for Tiley. This ensured the couple could complete their race in comfort and get married in style.

“At Restonic SA, our tagline is ‘Supporting dreams since 1938’ and as a company, we love the chance to help people make their dreams come true. We wish Marinda and Attie many happy years together.” – Dale Harley, Executive: Sales & Marketing at Restonic SA.

Bootsma was blown away by the kind gestures they recieved from the sponsor, happy that their special day inspired those around them.

“When I think about everything that Restonic has done for us, I don’t have words. It’s just… wow, wow, wow!” says Bootsma. “It really shows me that there are good people in the world, and that people want to support love.”

Photo Credit: Jenna Bird

Sources: Press Release
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About the Author

Tyler Leigh Vivier is a writer for Good Things Guy.

Her passion is to spread good news across South Africa with a big focus on environmental issues, animal welfare and social upliftment. Outside of Good Things Guy, she is an avid reader and lover of tea.

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