Race Review: Bastille Day Trail Run

The Facts

Location: Upper Berg River Dam, Franschoek, Cape Town, South Africa (Jonkershoek Nature Reserve)
Distance: 12km, 25km and 35km trail run
Surface: Mostly awesome single track and rough jeep track
Website:  Trail Running
Organizer: Trail Running for the Volunteer Wildfire Services
Cost: Cost is to support the Cape volunteer firefighters! R175 to R395

The Experience

Entry for the race was a simple process on the Trail Running website. Payment by credit card or EFT. Registration was on the morning of the race - 6am. And in 2012 that was at a bitterly cold 7degC. Fresh snow on the high lying mountains, some of them having apparently never seen snow before. However, the mood was festive with barrel fires, tots of OBS and a coffee tent available. The event was sponsored by Salomon SA and they decked out the start/finish area with banners to add to the occasion.

Rainbow over the Berg River dam start/finish area

I realise that I haven't run that many races or routes but this was an awesome course! True trail running. Lovely climb up from the dam on rough jeep track then along a contour path. The recent rain had covered the path in mud and puddles. Then an exciting descent back to river level over loose boulders. Then the real fun, the first of at least 4 river crossings. The river was revitalisingly cold and thigh deep. The fast flowing water made for some fancy foot work.

Then we made our way back down the river to the dam and the finish area. Great single track over rock, then through reeds and mud sections. Some single track sections were in reality little streams. The final crossing took you back to the only section of 'decent' gravel road back to the finish line for the last 2kms or so. My Garmin FR305 had the course at 10.9km.

Kippie tired but happy

I managed to loose my much loved orange cap on this race. Didn't feel that I lost it with my buff one. Oh, well better secure my next one!

For my race results and map please check my RunningAhead page here.

The 'parking area' was an interesting mess  as the cars churned everything into a quagmire.

 The Touran also sunk down to its axel and eventually had to be towed out by a tractor.