Race 2 in the 2014 edition of the Spur KZN Trail Series™ kept to the tradition of a wet affair as the rains came down at the magnificent Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve on Wednesday evening.
This race saw the short course Challenge runners traverse a loop of 5.3km with the long course Championship runners having a crack at two loops taking their distance to 10.6km.
Adding to this adventure is the fact that this was of course a night run! There is something quite special about running through forests, along the river and in and around wildlife with nothing but your headlamp to guide you.
In the men’s long course, the wait was not long as Ayanda Mlotshwa cruised up the finishing straight and across the line in a time of 47:17. Along with his third place finish in race 1, Ayanda now sits pretty in the overall Series results and will no doubt to look to keep the hammer down in the next two races.
Second over the line went to Mark Michell who made his first appearance this Series, crossing under the arch in 49:49, with race 1’s runner-up Muzi Madikwa rounding out the overall men’s podium with a time of 51:52.
In the ladies Championship race, it was Christine Whitfield who came home after an epic two loops to take the win in the ladies race, finishing in a time of 01:05:53. This proved to be a dominant display as Yolande Visser and Melanie Kelly finished more than 2 minutes later to take home second and third place over the line respectively with their times of 01:08:17 and 01:09:29.
Bengo hits his straps
After a self-confessed average run in race 1, where he still managed a superb fourth place, Owen Bengo upped his game to take home the win in the short course Challenge race on Wednesday. He completed the 5.3km loop in 26:13 with Godfrey Madikwa trailing slightly but still running an impressive run in difficult conditions to come home in second place overall with a time of 27:39.
Third male over the line went to Mark Scrooby, who after his sixth place finish in race 1 ran strong to finish in 18:26 and keep himself in the hunt for a spot on the overall Series podium.
In the ladies Challenge race, Sabrina Ward crossed the line first, coming home in a time of 32:44 with young Tate Steward continuing to impress, with her time of 33:19 good enough to take second over the line overall. Victoria Coetzee took the last spot on the overall ladies podium by finishing in a superb 36:22.
The stage is set for race 3 next Wednesday, 15 October at Giba Gorge as the overall champions fight for top spot. For more information on this race and to enter online click here.
A big thanks to our sponsors; Spur Steak Ranches, adidas, BOS Ice Tea and Protea Hotels for making this Series possible!
For full results click here and for photos click here.
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