Hi-ho-hi-ho it was off to the Botanical Gardens on Sat 23
Nov to support the RWFL XMAS CHARITY RUN. It was great to see many fellow club
members supporting this fun run. PB’s were not on the agenda & for some of
us it was seeing how slow we could run for a change.
Our “semi-pro” triathlete Euan Ormiston graced us with
his presence as he used his 2013 ASA number for the first time this year, so he
was really getting his money’s worth with this run. Heading our “bus” were
Steve & myself to keep Euan on a comfortable pace and guiding Mark
Gailbraith as he blew a hammi a couple times along the way. But we stuck
together throughout this “gruelling” 8.7km run hahaha.
The most entertaining part of the run was running over
the suspension bridge (even though we spotted a sign saying NO RUNNING !!!) As
more runners run on the bridge it heaves & sways beneath you, so much so
that you feel like its going to throw you over, Adriaan had a great time trying
to see Elsa flung overboard. Luckily the bridge held strong and all runners got
over safely & with lots of laughter.
Time to run a proper trail! One our members, Clive Smart, will be hosting a trail race up at Kaapsehoop on Saturday. Don't miss out on this one, you wont regret it! Here's some more info:
The 6km route (fun run) is for the whole family with most of the run on single track on the beautiful, plateu edge.
12Km Race – Start Time: 07h45
The 12km race is well suited for the novice runner or road junkies who would like to cross over to the other side!!!!! The route is on good paths most of the time with no serious hills. There will be one water point on this circular route and lots of good food & beer at the end.
20Km Race – Start Time: 07h45
The 20km route is a circlular route. This is not for the novice runner with 30% of the run on technical rocky terrain. Definite ankle twisters if you are not well prepared for off road running.
You will be expected to carry at least 1.5 liters of water as there is only water point at the 6km mark You may want to include some food.
Entry Fees
6km – R50 pre-entry and R60 on the day
12km – R80 pre-entry and R90 on the day
20Km – R120 pre-entry and R130 on the day
Pre entries to close 13 November)
Compulsory Gear:
All terrain footwear
A backpack capable of carrying 1.5l of fluid
Hat and sun block
Cold and wet weather gear (rain jacket, light fleece or polypro long sleeve top, beanie or buff)
Whistle
Cell phone that is fully charged
A very big THANK YOU to Komatiland Forests for helping to make this event a success.
We will be starting at Bohemian Groove Cafe (Third building on the left as you enter the village of Kaapschehoop).
All routes are run on the popular Berlin Hiking Trail on land managed by Komatiland Forests. I would like to thank them for their help in obtaining the nessesary permits etc.
The trail distances and return loops were identified by a Comrades Gold medalist, Rudi Du Plessis, now living in the village. He has the privilege of maintaining the Berlin trails and gets to spend his days in settings we can only dream of. His knowledge of the area, its ecology and history made my exploration a very fascinating experience.
Starting in Kaapschehoop, the trails run through the village turning right towards the Kaapschehoop Overnight hut of trail.
The route follows the Kaapschehoop to Florence Hills route all along the escarpment edge. The 6km route turns back to the village through the blue swallow reserve. The 12km course turns back behind the Blue Swallow Reserve. The 20km route turn back at the Trig Beacon after passing Adam's Calendar, an interesting archeological site. After some winding through forestry plantations the 20km course rejoins the the 12km route, past the stone miners hut on the left and the diggings on the right. The largest gold nugget found in South Africa, the "Peacock Nugget" was found in this area in 1912.
Route Maps & Profiles
Clicking on the maps below will enlarge them - Please note that they are large (1Mb+) and will take a while to load.
The maps are NOT 'North UP' (see top right of each picture for North)
Red Route 20km
Click twice to enlarge - Press Esc to close
The route is a combination of single track, jeep track and some graded dirt roads. Once out of the village it follows the Kaapschehoop - Florence Hills route all along the escarpment edge. The 50m detour to the look out at 2.2km is worth the delay. You now set of along the escarpment edge with specular view (weather permitting). After passing Adam's Calendar (7.7km), an interesting archeological site, the route heads around the escarpment towards the 'Trig Beacon' at the 8.5km mark at a hight of 1706m. The trail cuts across to return route from Florence Hills about 4km short of the hut. You start a steady climb back up to 1695m After running through forestry plantations with enormous pine trees, the course rejoins with the the 12km route, past the stone miners hut on the left (18km) and the diggings on the right. It is pretty much down hill all the way home now. Crossing the main tarred road (please take care), you run through the Pear Orchard, along the ravine edge, cross the road again, back to Bohemian Groove Cafe.
Blue Route 11.4km
Click twice to enlarge - Press Esc to close
The route is a combination of single track, jeep track and some graded dirt roads. Once out of the village it follows the Kaapschehoop - Florence Hills route all along the escarpment edge. The 50m detour to the look out at 2.2km is worth the delay. You now set of along the escarpment edge with specular view (weather permitting). At the 6km mark the trail leaves the 20km route and cuts across to return route from Florence Hills where it rejoins the 20km trail. After running along side forestry plantations with enormous pine trees you pass the stone miners hut on the left (8.8km) and the diggings on the right. It is pretty much down hill all the way home now. Crossing the main tarred road (please take care), you run through the Pear orchard, along the ravine edge, cross the road again back to Bohemian Groove Cafe.
White Route 6.4km
Click twice to enlarge - Press Esc to close
Running most of the way on existing trails the route is a combination of single track, jeep track and some graded dirt roads. Once out of the village it follows the Kaapschehoop - Florence Hills route all along the escarpment edge. The 50m detour to the look out at 2.2km is worth the delay. You now set of along the escarpment edge with specular view (weather permitting). At 4.3km you leave the 20 & 12km trails, turning right down agravel jeep track to the main tarred road (please take care crossing). You now run towards the Pear Orchard but turn right just before you get there, along the ravine edge, cross the road again back to Bohemian Groove Cafe.
I can’t believe
we are sending out RIC the November issue. The year has flown by but not
without significant sporting achievements and successes on all levels of
running in our club!
Andrew = #100, Wimpie = #1
Well done to all
who made huge effort to participate at Gods Window and congratulations to all
the category winners!
Many of you
put in some serious training for Kaapsehoop and we were so delighted to share
in your successes! Well done to all of you!
The Ehlanzeni
Race is coming up on the 30th of November and we will accept as much
help as possible from members. This race will hold the highest prize purse of
any 21km in Mpumalanga and most likely one of the highest nationally in a half
marathon. We are also hoping to get as many fun runners/ walkers for the day so
please spread the word. The flyer is on the blog. The route will also be
changed with at least 50% of the 21km run on tar.
ON THE SAME
DAY we have our year end function so as to have an all fall down celebration
with no excuses of runs the next day! The theme of the evening will be “The
80ties” which was a decade of excess fashion. Bright neon, electric music and
loads of fun. Please find the attached invitation and RSVP accordingly. Prizes
for the best dressed so let’s all come together to celebrate 2013 as the best
running club in Mpumalanga.
Please
support our time trial on Thursday evenings. We will be giving away a voucher
to the value of R 1500-00 for a lucky attendee (must be a club member)at the
end of November. This will be in the form of a lucky draw. To qualify for this
you must have attended at least 3 of our November time trials. You also need to
be available to help on the 30th with our Ehlanzeni race. If you
qualify your name will go into the draw which will take place on our year end
function the evening of the 30th.
So, let’s see if we can make an effort and in the process win yourself
some brand new Comrades shoes!
Reminders for
membership renewal and cost will be coming out to all existing members during
November. Together with updates on kit changes and plans for 2014.
Last but by
no means least we have reached over 10000 hits on our blog! Like it or not this
is seriously working as a communication tool together with our tweeting. What
we do however lack is feedback and comments.
See you on
the road!
SKUKUZA REMINDER
This is our away run and exceptionally tricky to try and co-ordinate. As a club we do a group booking to stay at Pretoriouskop please see the communication from Helette about this.
Hi All Runners
The booking for accommodation at Pretoriuskop for next year has been confirmed. The race takes place on Saturday, 2 August 2014. The accommodation is for the Friday AND Saturday night. The total cost is R930 for a hut and R450 for a camping site, which is for a standard 2 adults. The additional adults or children will be paid for on the date you book in at the camp. Please book before 31 October by paying a deposit of R465 for a hut or R225 for a camping. Please use reference – Skukuza & name. NBBBB: Please fax – 0866 485 127 or mail – helette@lvt2001.co.za your proof of payment to me. Kind Regards
Just a reminder if you are battling to download or print the calendar as an agenda or link it to your phone please let us know at lvccrun@gmail.com Keep yourself up to date with details and your comments
rolling in on the blog!
