Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 108, July 2018

ADVERTORIAL Q: How did the idea for the Nissan The explosion in popularity of trail running in South Africa has taken another step up with the new Nissan Trailseeker Legends series, a six-part national trail run series organised by leading SA adventure endurance event company, Advendurance. We asked Event Organiser Francois Theron about the new series, and what it has in store for trail enthusiasts! Trailseeker Legends Series come about? The idea has been brewing for a while now, because we felt it a waste to have all the infrastructure and great routes only for our mountain bike events. All of the guys who organise these events are active trail runners and participate in events ourselves, but we felt better infrastructure was needed, and with what we are doing on the mountain bike races, we saw the opportunity for a trail running series. Q: What is your goal for the series? Ultimately we want to grow the sport of trail running by getting more people outdoors and living a healthy lifestyle. Our competition isn’t other trail running events, our real competition is shopping malls, TV couches and snooze buttons! Our hope is to see more and more newbie runners participating in our series, and also to create a following for the top trail runners through great prize money and exposure. That will in turn hopefully attract more sponsors for these talented individuals, and create ambassadors and role models in the sport. Q: How do you plan the trails for the s out ady run, make sure you don’t mis With two races in the series alre on the rest: e • 14 July – Grabouw, Western Cap Cape rn ste We , ton lling We – ust • 19 Aug popo Lim we, ing bal • 15 September – Ma g ten Gau n, lina Cul – ber • 4 Novem ce.com More info at http://advenduran series? We’re in an experimental phase, which means we rely completely on customer feedback – and after our first two events, it would seem we are on the right track! When we plot a route, our first priority is to make sure it ‘flows’ as much as possible, with little to no overlap between the different distances. After that, we look at the technical side, adding what we like to call the ‘fun bits,’ avoiding open roads and rather opting for jeep track and unique sections. The only exception to this is the 3km Pram Jam, which needs to be pram-friendly while still being off-road. Q: How technical are the courses, and will newbie trail runners be able to handle them? All routes are made to suit the runners’ abilities, so the 5km is a fairly easy, fun route, while the 10km becomes more intermediate, but nothing risky. The 21km is for your fitter, more experienced runner, with a lot more technical sections to make things interesting! Q: What makes your trail runs different from other events? We aim to make the process from start to finish as seamless as possible, from the time you enter and get information, to parking your car, queuing for the toilet and lining up. Our routes are extremely well marked, and when you get to our water points, you won’t want to leave! Then when you finish, not only will you find hot showers, but also a great food court and beer garden with a lekker vibe. We also have lady-specific toilets, top notch medical crews, a safe child-minding area, and safe parking with dedicated security. Furthermore, we offer great goody bags, over R40,000 in prize money, and photographers at each event. Our race organisation takes everything into consideration to make sure the runner’s journey is something they want to repeat again and again! 29

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 108, July 2018 | Page 29