running

Curious to run the myriad of Newlands Forest tracks, but unsure of exact routes? We take you to the heart of this magical playground, and beyond. Special Stage 3 features Newlands Forest, resplendent in its Spring attire, with extensions into Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and some lesser known trails on Table Mountain back-table for the XL.

If you’re heading to The Forest for the first time, you’ll be entering a piece of Cape history that is as layered as the dense canopies of the forest’s ravines. Newlands is a natural transition zone between endangered Granite Fynbos and Peninsula Shale Fynbos, in an area that also originally supported large indigenous forests. In the late 1800s, most of the indigenous forests were felled and the fynbos cleared, to make way for commercial pine plantations, which still remain.  

The original inhabitants of the area were the Khoi-khoi, who migrated and herded their cattle over much of what is now the city of Cape Town. Jan van Riebeeck (the first Dutch governor of the Cape Colony) came across the extensive indigenous forests on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain and called them collectively "Boschenheuwel". Due to the need for timber, the local afro-temperate forests were, by the late seventeenth century, being severely over-exploited, and the colonial government issued a series of (largely ineffectual) laws to protect the forests. By the close of the eighteenth century most were gone, excepting a few pockets on the steep upper slopes of the mountain. As indigenous wood supplies declined, the authorities decided to clear the eastern slopes of Table Mountain for commercial plantations. When the logging was eventually stopped, the final crop of trees remained un-harvested. There are efforts underway to restore the ratio of indigenous plants.

Rumours of haunted houses, crumbling old ruins and fairy spottings abound; something for every family member to explore.

Visit www.trailseries.co.za for your entry. This special stage is not to be missed.

Entries of the 12th and final Cape Winter Trail Series® will open on the 24th April 2019 at midday.  Our classic winter collection is on offer once again including Paul Cluver, "The Tyger", Paarl Rock and Kogelberg Biosphere in Kleinmond.  Mark it down in your diaries and don't miss out on the Cape's original short course trail running adventure.  

Check out the events tab for more info or contact us on 072 438 32 42.

Share your intent on Insta or Facebook and give us some motivation and stand a chance of winning entries!  Simply add a photo of you on a training trail run and include the following hashtags: #CWTS19 #UnleashYourWildStride

Spoiler alert: It’s going to be HOT!

If you live in the Cape, then you're one of those who has been tossed between scorching heat and some winter throw backs of late. Some of it has been so sizzling that your bios read "In a Relationship with an Air Conditioner". Well that’s just a taste of what’s coming at you, because the 2019 version of the Cape Summer Trail Series® is getting all fired up.

On our summer menu…

15 January           Kirstenbosch Sunset Run 

This one always sells out, so get involved early with an online entry. Choose between the 10km Long Course or the 5km Short Course. You get an exclusive opportunity to enjoy a sunset from within the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Run past the fragrance gardens, up onto the fringes of Cecilia Forest along the contour path. After the beautiful mountain trails, there's a playful technical descent followed by a magnificent indigenous forest. Then back into the gardens and through the magical setting of the cycad forest, and onto the festive finish line.

20 January           Lebanon Forest

The Long Course is 13.4km, and Short Course 6.3km. A beautiful morning of running through the Valley Farm orchards and the Lebanon Forestry mountain bike trails. A trail filled with glorious single track and picturesque views with a heady mix of pine, orchards and fynbos. Good food, good tunes and all your favourite trail peeps will be waiting on the finish line.

30 January           Meerendal Sunset Run

Charge the headlamps, this one must not be missed! For race 3 we head out into the Durbanville Wine Valley and onto Meerendal Wine Estate. Long Course is 12km, and Short Course 6.2km. Run off into the sunset and take in the beauty of an iconic Table Mountain view in the distance. This course runs predominantly on the perfectly manicured mountain bike single track of Meerendal. A playful, undulating course that offers a solid dose of pure fun. We’ve got you covered for a food truck dinner during prize giving.

3 February          Oakvalley

The magnificent country estate of Oak Valley is a fitting scene for the final race in the 2019 Cape Summer Trail Series®.  This is exclusive access to hallowed mountain biking trails through an eclectic landscape from pine forest and open fields to riverine forest and apple orchards.  This is the ultimate feel good run that in practice is a fast, fun and non-technical course. Three options here with a Short Course of 7km, Long Course of 15.1km or an XL of 25km. The XL is an ideal ‘upgrade’ for those who have either banked the Series (3 out of 4) or want to just race something longer. The finale is always a real buzz of celebration, friends and family in a truly beautiful setting.

Remember…

Run 3 of the 4 long / short courses to automatically compete in the Championship / Challenge and receive a medal or cherry pick the races that you wish to run (note: medals for finishers of the Trail Series® Championship/Challenge only). The Trail Series®, heading in to its 12^th year, is where your cross over to trail running begins, your trail speed improves and you get to run new routes within the safety of a professionally run event. It’s about friends, family and fun times in the great outdoors.

The heat is on. See you soon! Entries via www.trailseries.co.za

#UnleashYourWildStride

#CSTS2019

What an adventure on Titan’s Forest trails in race 2 of the Gauteng Summer Trail Series!  A brand new addition to the trail running scene, it was with great anticipation that trail runners lined up at the start line from 7 am on Sunday to run this magic piece of private Broederstroom property.  Majority of the route focus was the spectacular forests that lined the source of the Broederstroom spring. Being able to drink from the spring during the run was a really unusual highlight for many.

The trails were undeniably busy, with a huge variation in steep technical climbs & descents, fast winding trails through the forests complete with lots of tricky valleys and slate-covered ridges.  Diversity second to none. This busy run meant you hardly had time to realise where you were before you found yourself back at the finish! Carl Sandrock commented, “It’s like a complete cerebral overload!” We think this summarised the Titan’s Forest experience to a T!

For the full race results click here

For all the photos, click on the Trail Series Facebook page

13km Championship race

Shorted from 14km before the start due to some unforeseen circumstances, the Championship (Long) course took on more of everything as we stretched out the route to cover a large portion of this magnificent property.  

28-year-old Bernard van der Kuil totally owned the route, completing the 13km in 56:38, over 5 minutes ahead of second place Leon Scholtz.  Craig Makopela rounded out the top three in 1:02:47. Behind Bernard in the Open Senior category, Stephen Atkinson took 2nd place with Tim Price rounding out third.

Wildcoast Wildrun record holder Marelise Retief and Penny Bowren were separated by just 53 seconds in the ladies race, with Marelise taking her second race win in a row in 1:03:19.  Their respective times put them at 4th and 5th place over the line respectively. Michel Botha completed the top three over the line in 1:18:30. In the ladies open/senior category Thea-Mari Franken moved into 3rd behind Michel Botha.

The veteran men's race is was Leon Scholtz in the lead in 1:01:51, with Craig Makopela and Mark Phipson in 2nd and 3rd respectively.  Karen Ellithorne lead the charge in the Vet ladies race, winning in a time of 1:34:28. Karen was chased hard by Sharon Masson in 2nd, just 9 seconds back, and third was Sarah Hanson in 1:36:22.

Gert Steyn held on to a narrow 32 second lead over Martin Stumbles in the men's Masters race, with Douw O’Kelly rounding out third.  Behind a rampant Penny Bowren in the ladies Masters competition, came Lois Spies in 2nd and Jacqueline du Toit in 3rd.

And last but not least a special shout out to George Lupton-Smith for his lead in the provisional Grand Masters category!

7.4km Challenge race

14 year old Tiaan Dorfling clearly revelled in the technical trail, dancing his way to the finish line in the 7.4km Challenge course in an incredible time of 30:11 - over 10 minutes ahead of second placed Rob Donkin, who in turn was less than two minutes ahead of his 12 year old son Joel.  That puts two 11-14 year old “Minimee” into the top three over the line! Rounding out the minimee category was Stuart Phipson in 42:46.

Charine Kruger completed a top 10 finish in the short course ladies race in 45:47, with a two minute lead on Leanri Williamson.  Domenique Walters rounded out the top three ladies over the line just one minute back from Leanri in 48:51.

In the 6-10 year old “Peewee” category is was the usual all guns blazing approach by the little runners.  10 year old Scott Williamson took line honours in this category in 45:36, which also secured him a top 10 placing.  Chasing him down with pedal to the metal was Kayden Durrie (10yrs) and rounding out the top three was Noe Cadion - also 10 years old.

In the Veteran category, the ladies race was won by Janette Bewsey in 58:21, followed by a close tussle for 2nd and 3rd between Elke Thompson and Marinette le Roux - with Elke managing to eek out a mere 4-second advantage at the line.  The Veteran men's race was won by Rob Donkin (2nd over the line) in 40:08, followed by Johan Kruger in 45:44 and Jason Reeves in 48:05.

Gerrie & Christa Coetzee took charge of their respective Masters categories.  Tyrone Gower and Johnnie Jonker took 2nd and 3rd respectively in the men's race, and Eva Alexandrova & Linda van der Gryp 2nd and 3rd respectively in the ladies.

Two down, two to go

The second half of the 2018 GSTS takes on a sunset garden running experience at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens on the 7th November and concludes with the magnificent B’Sorah - one of the all time favourites!  If you are not entered already, make sure you don’t miss out on one or both of these two by entering on www.trailseries.co.za

Huge thank you to Titan’s Forest for hosting us and to our key sponsors Jaybird and Raidlight!

Like we said, same same but different! We’ve freshened up our 2018 Gauteng Summer Trail Series® offering, and look forward to welcoming you and your crew to another summer of trail loving fun.

We have a special offer of 10% off for family bookings that include 2 adults and 2 children between 11 and 17, and don’t forget that kids 10 years and under run free if pre-registered.

Hennops Beast - 21 October Race 1
You can't escape the Hennops Beast. This one stays the same!

 
Titan’s Forest - 28 October Race 2
You know how we love diversity when we trail run, well this brand new inclusion into the Trail Series® portfolio brings exactly that!  This spectacular private farm unlocks an exclusive winding trails through lush green forests, over technical rocky hills and ridges, along muddy riverside trails and over the cleanest natural spring water streams the highveld has to offer.

Sunset Garden - 7 November Race 3
The first sunset run for the Gauteng Trail Series®. After great success in sister botanical garden in Cape Town, we've added the Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden Sunset Run to the Trail Series® portfolio. Runners make their way through the gardens before a steep lung busting climb to the top of the waterfall. Once at the top, after taking in the view of the city, a fun mostly downhill single track takes runners back to the finish for the short course. The long course runners first make their way down into Hobby Park where they will run through some fun mountain bike trail before making their way back down into the gardens, around the dam and back to the finish line.

 
Enchanted B’Sorah - 11 November Race 4
B'Sorah will host the grand finale with the exciting new addition of an XL course. This venue’s trails just keeps getting better and better and we're so excited to show you what the XL route has in store!

#UnleashYourWildStride

The 2016 edition of the 32km Spur Silvermine Mountain XL began under grey skies as some of the Cape’s top trail runners came out to enjoy the magnificent Silvermine Nature Reserve.

This race sees runners traverse both Silvermine East and Silvermine West and really is a race of two halves.

In the men’s solo event, it was tight at the top as the top 5 were all within 30 seconds of each other at the first check point, 13km in, with up-and-coming Raydon Balie all smiles as he led veteran and defending champion Nicholas Rupanga, Ben Brimble, Rory Scheffer and Chad Gordon through the check-point in 01:15:20.

The second half of the race saw solo runners tackle 14km of Silvermine West trails and it was soon evident that this race was to become a game of cat and mouse, with the leaders marking each other until the final 5km to the finish.

At the 27km mark and the second check-point, it was Balie and Rupanga who once again checked in as the top 2. This is where Rupangas’ experience came to the fore as he pulled away on the descent to the finish to wrap up his second consecutive Spur Silvermine Mountain XL in a time of 02:47:48. Balie sealed his 2nd place on the podium in a time of 02:49:31 and Ben Brimble rounded off an impressive top 3 by crossing under the arch in 02:52:35.

In the Ladies 32km solo race there were two clear favourites and friends - Megan Mackenzie and Kate Mapham, who locked horns with Sandra Koblmüller, a professional triathlete from Austria who was first to the 13km check-point in a time of 01:25:18. Megan was hot on her heels in 2nd place with a time of 01:26:21 and third to check in was Kate Mapham, 01:34:23.

The next 14km saw Koblmüller put the hammer down as she relished the technical terrain and downhill to run into the second check-point in an accumulated time of 02:44:05, four and a half minutes ahead of Mackenzie and more than 20 minutes ahead of Mapham.

In the end there was no denying Koblmüller the victory as she powered her way over the 32km course in 03:07:49 with Mackenzie, who seemed to take a tumble out on course, cruising home in second place in a time of 03:14:24.

Mapham held off the charge to seal her spot on the podium with a time of 03:37:16.

TrailBusters leave their mark

In the Men’s team event the duo of Niel Swanepoel and Edward van der Merwe blew everyone away with a dominant display of running, coasting home in 2:45:31 - more than 15 minutes over the 2nd placed team, Team DJ. Team DJ claimed second place in 03:01:46 despite tough competition from the Llandudno trail surfers, as Robert Shaff and Michael de Kwaadsteniet ran a good race to take home third place, with an overall time of 03:05:24.

The Llandudno trail team rounded off a superb day for the lifeguards as the ladies (consisting of Linda Detering and Daniella Mihal) ran home in first, with a time of 03:30:23, with trail stalwarts Maxine Reilly and Charlotte Noble claiming an impressive 2nd overall in a time of 03:44:46. The Mamas, comprised of Natalie Marcus and Mmamapudi Kubjane, rounded off the top 3, crossing under the arch in 04:21:21.

In the Mixed team event, Cornel Smuts and Leentjie Visser proved that consistency counts as their respective leg positions remained unchanged, to come home first over the line with a time of 03:15:18 with team Just Wing It, made up of Ben Kooyman and Tessa Engelhardt, claiming 2nd mixed team overall with a time of 03:20:23.

Rounding out the top 3 mixed teams went to Jason Lammers and Marta Jakot of team Dos Cabras, who cruised home in 03:33:10.

It was another magical edition of the Spur Silvermine Mountain XL and a big thank you must go to our sponsors; Spur Steak Ranches, BOS Sport, La Sportiva and Protea Hotels.

For results click here and take a look at the photos here.