An early and chilly morning greeted runners at the Mandela Capture site just past Howick on Saturday 29August. Participants filtered through registration as the orange moon disappeared from sight and the sunlight started to filter through. The race kicked off at 6:30am with just fewer than 250 participants passing through the start banner. A beautifully cut trail and farm roads awaited them as they explored the majestic surroundings in the various distances that had been marked out.
The 4km trail saw some phenomenal young talent coming through in both the men's (boys) and ladies (girls) categories. Young Luke Newlands (9) showed off his talents as he came in first, followed by Willam Bohnen and Siyabusa Msomi came in third. In the ladies 4km Kim Wiggett topped the podium followed by Dawn Reed and another young talent Palesa Sethlako (7) came in third.
An error in the mapping of the 8km course meant runners got a bit more than they had bargained for in terms of distance, but in in the spirit of Madiba, most runners took the "triumph over adversity" mantra to heart and were understanding. There was some very impressive running done in this race, especially factoring in the few extra km's. In the men's Anele Dlamini flew in to take the top position, followed by Sanele Maphumelo and then Mdu Zondi came in at third. In the ladies race, Alice Findlay took the top spot, with Diana Rietz coming in behind her and Kate Quin taking third position.
The 15km race saw some incredible talent fly through the course in both the men and ladies races. The competition was intense as runners competed for the R10 000 top spot prize. In the men's race, Givemore Mudzinganyama managed to get in just ahead of Edwin Sesipi who had Prodigal Khumalo hot on his heels. In the ladies, Poppy Mlambo managed to pull into the finish just before Andronica Mogotla who was followed by Su Don-Wauchope.
The whole weekend of events is a very special one, celebrating the indominatable spirit and legacy of an incredible man who played such a pivotal role in our country. The trail run saw participants having to dig deep and display some of their own inner Madiba spirit of perseverance and determination.
Up next on the KZNTR calendar is the monthly Giba Night Trail, which will be taking place on the 16th of September at Giba Gorge. More details are available on www.kzntrailrunning.co.za.
Image 3: Mdu Zondi makes his way past some very curious onlookers as the sun rises in the backdrop, photo credit Darren Goddard.
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