Two out of two Cape Summer Trail Series® races have brought a little drizzle to our drought – can we go full on down pour for the next two? We’re guessing the entire trail community would be stoked to jump in to a puddle or two.
Tuesday 30 January was another magic evening at Kirstenbosch Gardens. Both the short and long course events sold out beforehand, and the Trail Series® Facebook page became a bit like the stock exchange with some mad last minute trading of subs. The crowd poured in from 5pm, and enjoyed a pre-race snack or cup of coffee as the pros went about their warm up routines.
The A batch in the long course kicked off with their usual pre-race banter. Jono Black and Dylan Stevenson were off the blocks at high speed. Dylan pulled Jono up the climbs on this rollercoaster of a route, and Jono regained ground on the flats and downhill sections as the two friends fought it out. The course took runners through a section of the hallowed gardens, and then straight up towards the contour path with plenty of single track and mountain stair action to keep all on their toes. In the end, Stevenson finished just 20 seconds ahead of Black in a time of 41:46. Stephen Millard wasn’t far behind as he closed the men’s podium in a time of 43:19. Katja Soggot enjoyed a huge win in a time of 48:14, followed by Megan Skowno in 54:02 and Julie Huckle in 55:52. The last of the runners in the long course came off the mountain an hour later, well after dark, and for many their first taste of night running.
In the short course, youth dominated in a big way as Tom Byron (16 years) took the win ahead of Jethro Dunn (14), followed by Clayton Booysen (35). The top three times were 28:53, 29:03 and 29:49 respectively. On a course that delivers very little “flat” these finish times indicate a lot of budding talent in SA trail. Even the Peewee division (10 years and under) chewed this course up post-bedtime. They aren’t as cute as they look on the start line folks, the kids are MEAN out there! Cullen Clarke (10 years) finished in 32:17 with 8 year old Nicholas Etherton chasing him in a time of 32:30. In the women’s race, Rosslee Guess finished in 33:05 with Jada Linstroom in 34:04 and Tanya Posthumus just 2 seconds after her.
The magic of night running held the full field of runners in its usual grip, and the crowed eventually filtered out full of smiles and trail stoke after prize giving and lucky draws were done.
Next up is the picturesque sunset run at Meerendal on 7 February. For all those who missed the Kirstenbosch experience, and those wishing for more night running adventure, please enter online before the day to guarantee your spot. 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. Remember that headlamps are compulsory.
With thanks to the great brands and businesses that add so much to each event; Raidlight, Peak Performance Fitness, Steenberg, Mountain Dew and WWF.
A selection of images is on our website, with many more on the Trail Series® Facebook page. So like, tag, share and update your profile pic or wow the family whatsapp group! Full results are here.
In the mens short course challenge, it was almost an identical podium as the first two races, as Dino Adams kept his winning streak going claiming his hat-trick win in an impressive time of 28:21. Making sure Dino had to run hard for his win, coming in right behind him to take his third 2nd place was Evan Fortuin. And wrapping up the men’s podium and newbie to this series’ podium was Gershon Aziza a mere 8 seconds behind Evan.