Background
The Toyota Ruffstuff Challenge reaches a significant milestone this year by reaching its 10th year, showing that this event is truly unique.

The aim of the promotion is to provide a unique competition for SI readers (and sports fans in general) to go on a once in a lifetime trip. Besides standing the chance of winning an unbelievable prize, they get to team up for 2 days with SA sporting icons and compete in fun and challenging tasks at a beautiful resort.

This kind of promotion captures people’s imagination, because it’s not just a competition where you enter your name and if it’s drawn you win a vehicle – it actually involves a degree of effort, skill and sportsmanship.

A event this successful could not be sustainable without great long term partners, and Ruffstuff has had Toyota on board as the title sponsor from the start and this partnership has grown this promotion into what it is today, The event has also had Supersport and Sun International on board as long standing partners and Ruffstuff has been hosted by some of the best resorts in Southern Africa including Sun City, Wild Coast Sun, Royal Livingstone, Zimbali and The Royal Swazi Sun.

The Ruffstuff event is truly a multi-media event, with print (Sports Illustrated as the official print medium), television (SuperSport is the official broadcast partner), and the internet completing the media circle through the relevant web sites.

The grand prize is the Toyota vehicle, but in essence the trip itself is a great prize to win, let alone mingling with the South African sporting celebrities. This is truly one of the most memorable competitions any sports fan could ever dream of experiencing.

Previous sporting celebrities that have taken part include Gary Kirsten, Lance Klusener, Rassie Erasmus, James Dalton, Ollie le Roux, Franco Smith, Hershelle Gibbs; Mark Boucher, Neil McKenzie, Makaya Ntini, Graeme Smith, Jacques Rudolph, Boeta Dippenaar; Andrew Hall, Mark Fish, Robbie Fleck and many more.

From all the entries received eight semi finalists are randomly drawn and brought up to Johannesburg to try and secure their place in the final 4, who will then move onto the final event where they will compete for the grand prize.

This year’s event
This year the event goes back to the venue where it all began, the magnificent Sun City resort in the North West province. The lucky 4 finalists will be treated like royalty and could potentially be partnered up with one of the four SA sporting Icons, who will then compete as a team in the 2009 challenge. The tasks that they will compete in will be specifically designed to incorporate special elements of the Sun City resort and will test them physically and mentally, but most of all will require teamwork to pull them through.

The event takes place on the 24- 26th August and will then be broadcast on Supersport shortly afterwards.