It’s a well established sport already in the Cape and Gauteng, and huge in the United State for example, but now the sport of trail running is coming to KZN and the Ridge area.
As part of the Umhlanga Summer Carnival series of events, the Umhlanga Carnival 16km trail run will take eager first timers and seasoned pros alike on a picturesque journey through the beautiful terrain of the coastal “holiday” town.
While you might be eating the dust of the race contenders, this first run is all about fun, so grab yourself some appropriate footwear and get ready to hit the trail.
The brains behind the venture is the livewire running fanatic Buzz Bolton (appropriately named) who is bubbling with enthusiasm for Durban’s belated but much anticipated entry into the trail running scene. He’s being assisted by Jackie Moore, Marketing Manager of Salomon Sports, who’ve come on board as event sponsors.
I asked Buzz a bit about his involvement. “I’ve been road running for many years and was looking for something a little different. Running on the road can be a bit boring. Trail running offers a variety of scenery, you get right into the environment and you see the wildlife and smell the countryside.”
Momentum
Getting the trail together had taken some effort, but Buzz said he was now starting to get some momentum. “I’ve got to thank the farmers involved and the people like Tongaat Hulett Developments, they’ve been very helpful.” He said runners would experience a number of environments, from tar to dirt track, crossing the odd river and finishing up on beach sand. “Hey, why don’t you join us? You could do it, no problem,” he enthused. Well, we’ll have to see about that I thought as I smiled like an idiot.
According to Buzz, he and a group of enthusiastic runners have started doing a fun trail run every Wednesday, meeting on the corner of Broadway and Kensington in Durban North at 5.15am.
He said he was bullish about the potential of the sport in Durban and KZN and was interested in doing something in Ballito, while there were also opportunities in Pennington on the south coast. Andrew Booth has already established three trails in Pietermaritzburg, known as the Duct series.
Jackie said Salomon’s first foray into the area at this year’s Summer Carnival was a low key event and was mostly marketed by word of mouth. “We are looking at KZN as a growth area though; our plan is to establish a network of trails over the next few years.
“With all the stunning scenery and natural resources, there’s plenty opportunity to enjoy trail running in KZN. We’re quite confident it will take off here,” she said.
Jackie has taken part in some of the toughest races in the land, such as the now defunct Cape Odyssey (5 days, 202km), the Mont-Aux-Sources (50km, mountainous terrain), the Three Cranes in Karkloof (three day run through the Karkloof Valley) and the Two Passes at Giant’s Castle (testing run encompassing Bannermans and Langalibalele passes).
“One of the great things about trail running,” she says, “is that you recover much quicker than is the case with road running. That’s because you don’t use the same muscles all the time, you have a much wider variety of movements.”
“People musn’t be scared of this trail,” says Buzz with his usual dose of energy. It’s not too punishing and the recovery time is quick.”
Sounds good to me. – Garth Johnstone
What you need: a decent pair of trail running shoes is a must. Speak to your local sports store or go online.
Entries are limited, so book your place in the first Umhlanga Carnival trail run now.
For info: E-mail Buzz Bolton at buzz.bolton@liblink.co.za