tired of tar?... explore and experience the trails of nature & see the world from a different angle ...

Hello Runners

By now you must know that Trial Running is BIG in SA. For a long time you have been a clandestine trail runner in the making... well let 2010 be the year you get your tekkies dirty. I am not sure if they still have the great special on at Cape Union Mart, but you could get a pair of Montrail Mountain Masochists for only R499-00 which means you get one of the best trail running shoes available to kick start your off road career! And if you decide after a few months that trail running is not for you, the shoes are so sexy you can wear them on casual hikes, trips to the mall, for gardening, and perhaps even work!

TUESDAY MOONLIGHT MADNESS

Now that you have the right shoes, you need to take a few tentative

steps in the dirt. The best place to do this is the weekly

Tuesday Moonlight Madness runs (for the astute reader, you will

recall it used to be on a Monday, but due to Mondays being booked

for Committee Meetings, and normally being used as a recovery day

after a tough weekend, Tuesday's is the date for 2010).

So how does it work... You arrive at about 19:25, then chat a bit,

and then off we go. It is still a bit light when we start, but after

about 15 minutes the headlamps normally start coming on. I have

now got the reputation for always arriving with flat batteries (my kids

love playing with my headlamp) and so often find myself running next

to the person with the brightest headlamp. We stick together and

talk nonsense, but we also discuss upcoming races, nutrition strategies

and past events. After about an hour's running we arrive back at the

point where we started and then everyone says their goodbyes and

we look forward to the next week's run.

The venues for February are: Feb 2 - TBA (might head to Waboomskraal for a longer run as it will be FULL MOON)

  9 - Botanical Gardens

  16 - Saasveld

  23 - Witfontein

They say a change is as good as a holiday, so put the spark back in your romance with running and do something different

in 2010.

OUTENIQUA TRAVERSE

I organised the Outeniqua Traverse to give Garden Route runners the opportunity to run in a trail running event in their own backyard. Most races were in Cape Town and it is not always possible to get there, and besides, our mountains and trails are just as good, if not better than those in CT. I've asked the Outeniqua Harriers to joint venture with me in organising this event. The club has a wealth of event experience and the logistical recources to make sure the event will continue to improve. I'll still be on board and you can expect the same pure trail ethos that saw athletes from as far as Cape Town, Upington, the USA and Pretoria flocking to the 2009 OT. What this also means, is that instead of me organising the run as a business with entry fee costs spiralling out of reach for the normal runner, with the club onboard, we can keep the entry fees as low as possible. We have discussed the concept of extending the Outeniqua Traverse into a series of events that span the length of the Outeniqua Mountain range from Robinson Pass in the west, to Diepwalle in the east. Obviously the biggest hurdle is buy in from the various land-owners - Cape Nature, MTO Forestry and SAN Parks. We would like the event to be affordable and so to this end we need the land owners on board without charging exorbitant land use fees.

1st event: Doringrivier Wilderness/Pass to Pass run between Robinson Pass and Outeniqua Pass. +/-40km, Saturday 6 March '10.

2nd event: Om die Berg run (same route around Cradock Berg as previous 2 Outeniqua Traverses). +/- 40km, 7 August '10.

3rd event: Beervlei to Diepwalle along the Outeniqua Hiking Trail. +/- 80km, tentatively set for Saturday 13 November 2010.

  Athletes who compete in all 3 the above events, and in so doing have done the 2010

  Outeniqua Traverse, will receive a special Outeniqua Traverse T-shirt or some other

  useful memorabilia. The emphasis is also on the journey through the Outeniqua's and

  hence the concept of a series of runs.

  We're also checking if we can get a few shorter introductory events off the ground

  (10-15km). One possibility is a 10km run starting and ending in the Herold area, date

  would be 29 May 2010.

  The Outeniqua Harriers also have taken view that their "road runs" must utilise the

  natural beauty in and around George and quite a few of their runs will take you

  throug the farmlands and forests around George. They already have the following runs

  on that that will enable you to get your tekkies dirty: * Outeniqua Marathon (April)

  * Saasveld 10km (May) * Cheese Festival Half Marathon & 10km (June)

  * Ommie Dam (July) * Saasveld Half Marathon (August) * Palm Tyres 21km (Dec)

If you know of anyone who would be interested in using these off road runs as a marketing platform, please contact me! A small ad only 5 X 10cm in the George Herald will easily cost you R2000-, so sponsoring an event like this could see you reaching a nationwide audience (race reports, websites, forums, magazines and newspapers) with very little capital investments.

Garth Flores 079 694 4000