running

On Friday 9 December, Cape Town resident and mountain runner, Hugh Hacking, took one of those calls that every dog owner dreads. He stepped out of a meeting to receive the news from his wife, Jess, that their 1 year old Ridgeback pup, Rusty, was missing in the Newlands Forest area. What transpired was an epic example of community support, canine loyalty and a story with all the potential to become a Hallmark movie.

Women’s Record Smashed at Ultra-trail Cape Town 

On 1 December, the 100km Ultra-Trail Cape Town presented by Salomon (UTCT), was dominated by the international contingent in the mens and the womens races, with the performance of the day being Great Britain’s Beth Pascall’s convincing breaking of the women’s record by over an hour, and placing 9^th overall.

A record 68 countries were represented across the 4-race event, with South Africans in firm support of the trail seasons grand finale.

Summer is here, and our beloved trails are alive with floral beauty, and a myriad of insects. While we are out there soaking it all up, it is worth remembering that some of our creepy crawly friends present mild to moderate danger. Most bites or stings are not going to interrupt your run, but a few will cause discomfort if not treated correctly. Here is what you need to know about the many-legged friends who are just going about their daiy business while you enjoy your trail stoke.  

BEES

If you’ve spent any time with trail runners lately, you have probably heard the term “buying land” or similar. This does not mean that said runner has invested in a pretty piece of single track, it means that they have left some of their dignity, and perhaps some DNA, out on a trail. Wipe outs happen, and it is important to know what to do when you, or a member of your crew, has eaten some dirt.

Sue Ulyett

Ok, so you’ve seen the stoke radiating off your friends when they come off the mountain, you’re envious of their Instagram content, and you know that there is magic out there beyond the “dreadmill” or the tar of the burbs… so where do you begin?

An iconic stretch of coastline, a long-standing course record, and one tenacious, talented runner. That is where this wild journey began.

During the heated aftermath of the recent murder of a tourist near East Fort, SANParks announced the deployment of some 120 new additional monitors, funded by the Department of Tourism, to assist in reducing crime within SANParks managed areas.

On Sunday 9 June, South Africa sat glued to their TVs watching Gerda Steyn obliterate the Comrades Up Run record, becoming the only woman to run the event under 6 hours and finish well within the top 20 overall. 

Trails are to be shared, and trail runners should welcome the presence of the full trail community in all our wild and wonderful spaces, unless permits suggest otherwise. But, with shared space comes shared responsibility. A few weeks ago, local road and trail running champ, Siviwe Nkombi, was attacked during the first few kilometres of a race, on a beach where dogs are permitted to run without a leash. This incident has sparked some debate in the trail community, calling on dog owners to be more responsible.

The Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge was launched by Wildrunner in 2011, hot off the heels of the inaugural Helderberg Mountain Challenge in 2010.  The opening JMC offer consisted of 30km, 21km and 11km routes combining the best of Cape Nature & Cape Pine properties in the then relatively unknown Jonkershoek Nature Reserve.  736 runners entered the opening event and for the next eight years, this Cape classic has been a firm favorite on the trail and mountain running calendar - becoming infamous from the get go!