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Thursday, 03 May 2012
Southern Cross Trail Run Review
This past weekend (27-29 April) saw the
inaugural running of the Southern Cross Trail Run over 3 days. Pine
Lake Marina in Sedgefield played host as base camp, with runners
exploring the trails of the Southern Cape. Race organisers, the
husband and wife team of Hano & Sonja Otto promised 3 days of
running on 3 different terrains, berg, bush and beach, and they did
not disappoint.
With Teams like Gauteng Speed Stars
(Thabang Madiba & Limpson Maifu), Batman and Robinson (Nic de
Beer & William Robinson), Salomon (Nicholas Rupanga),
Salomon-Hammer (Derrick Baard & Dom Wills) and Contego (Eddie
Lambert & Dion Middelkoop) in the Open Mens categories was going
to be race on from the onset.
Stage 1 would take runners from
Karatara Forestry station via trails of the Outeniqua Mountains to
Farleigh Forestry station. This 25km Mountain stage had 1400m of
climbing involved on technical single track. With 2 river crossings,
and slippery underfoot conditions, total concentration was needed at
all times. Due to the severity of some of the climbs, you did however
get time to take in the beautiful panoramic views when humbled down
to a slow jog, walk or even crawl.
Stage 2, the 30km Forest stage was
something unbelievable. Running nearly 17km of indigenous forest
single track in the Millwood Forest, crossing several streams and
rivers where miners searched for that one gold nugget that would
change their lives forever during the 1880s gold rush. Although
one would expect a less technical and easier run through a forest, it
was still a tough day out with over a 1000m of climbing involved on
the undulating trails that lead from one valley to another in the
lush green forest. One could be forgiven for thinking you were
running through scenes of Fiela Se Kind or Oliver Stones
Vietnam War movie Platoon. This time however the only shots being
fired are your quads trying to shoot surrender messages to your
brain. With one last climb out of the valley below, and a short
descend to the finish, runners were cheered on by fellow competitors,
and could relax with a nice fresh scone from Mother Holly Tea Garden.
Although the final day of a stage race
is normally the shortest, it is my now means an easy stroll to the
finish. Stage 3 was classified the Beach stage, 20km of technical
coastal trail climbing 900m leading from Blue Whale Resort to
Kwelanga Lodge just outside Pacaltsdorp near George. Running through
several Milkwood forest ravines, climbing down countless times to the
waves crashing below, and then back up to the plato above the cliffs,
this section of trail on narrow ledges felt more like a mini Otter
stage than a beach run. With one last dog leg and climb through the
Milkwood forest tunnel system, runners would eventually see the
Lodge, and the finish line in the distance, where the cold pool was
welcome relieve for tired and aching bodies.
The first running of the Southern Cross
Trail Run was a huge success. It is probably one of the toughest, but
most beautiful runs you can have over 3 days. It started with a
climb, had more climbing involved, and ended on a climb!
The friendly team of Southern Cross
Adventure really did deliver on an amazing experience of showcasing
the Southern Cape trails. This is definitely going to become one of
the premier stage races in South Africa!
For more information on the Southern
Cross Trail Run visit www.southerncrossadventure.co.za
Download full results |
