Twenty of SA's Strongest Take On a Cross-Country Truck Pull for Charities!

Photo Credit: Van Reenen Photography via Facebook / The Bigg Pull Production

They’ll be hauling a truck across the length of South Africa. Many charities will benefit, and the team of 20 strong is gunning for a Guinness World Record.

South Africa (25 August 2026) – Twenty strength athletes are gearing up to make a massive difference with their muscles!

The Bigg Pull had its first run in 2003, when strength athlete Wayne Price led a team of 20 athletes in pulling a truck from Centurion to Cape Town over 35 days. The mission was to raise awareness and support for charities.

Over two decades later, a new generation is picking up the rope for a purpose. Starting in November, a group of impressively strong South Africans will join forces to haul a 15-tonne truck across the length of the country over 41 days.

From 2 November to 12 December, the rotating power team of SA’s strongest men and women will cover 1,650 kilometres and pass through more than 20 towns in support of local charities. Each of the athletes has chosen a meaningful cause to support.

This year’s power team is made up of the likes of Alexander Bezuidenhout, Amelia Smidt, Andre Gerber, Anton de Beer, Antonie Holtzhausen, Eduan Jacobs, Johannes Meyer, Heinrich Herbst, Kerry Botha, Lourens Rautenbach, Lourens Smidt, Mapula and Roy Colin, Martie Fick, Matome Nathaniel, Megan Shaw, Nicolaas Blackie, Pieter Fourie, Stephen Tsalavoutas and Mahlatse William Monyepao.

The golden thread behind many of the athletes’ ‘why’ for committing to the challenge echoes the greater message that together – and when you put your mind to it – anything is possible.

When there is a meaningful cause worth backing, trust South Africans to show up and give it their all.

“The Bigg Pull is bigger than any one person. It’s a challenge that can change lives. When people say it can’t be done, I see that as the reason to prove it can,” says Antonie Holtzhausen.

“I’m doing the Bigg Pull because it calls to me, for the transcendent, life-changing experience, for the team spirit, and to prove to myself I can do anything. While I am physically able, I do this for those who can’t,” says Kerry Botha.
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“I am doing The Bigg Pull as a test of resilience and strength, and as part of something greater, a cause that brings South Africans together in unity. It is also a chance to challenge myself while celebrating the strength and unity of husband and wife, standing for purpose, discipline, and national pride,” says Roy Colin, who will be entering the challenge with his wife, Mapula.

Word is that the team will also be gunning for a Guinness World Record for the distance they cover pulling the truck unassisted, with assisted and controlled sections of the challenge logged in separate categories.

Towns included on the planned route are Centurion, Krugersdorp, Randfontein, Carletonville, Potchefstroom, Bothaville, Welkom, Theunissen, Winnie Mandela, Bloemfontein, Charlesville, Phillipolis, Colesberg, Middelburg, Graaff-Reinet, Willowmore, De Rust, Oudtshoorn, Ladismith, Montagu, Worcester, Paarl, and of course, Cape Town.

The entire event will be live-streamed and open for the public to view. Find out more here!