Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 119, June 2019 | Page 56

I f you thrive on challenging trail running courses that push you to the limit, then the Vino de Montana Mountain Run is the event for you! Taking place from the 13th to 15th September from the Hawequas Scout Adventure Centre near Wellington in the Western Cape, there is plenty of time to train for this amazing event, but we advise you to enter now, as space is limited to just 300 runners! This brand new three-day stage race will take in the picturesque Limiet Mountains, where the Du Toits Kloof Pass snakes its way towards Worcester, and the race commemorates the Italian prisoners of war who began the construction of the original pass during the Second World War. AN IDEA IS BORN... On the 31 st of December 2016, Lans Pepler of Onsite Events hiked up to the Italian Cross on the Miaspoort Hiking Trail with some friends. The history of the cross intrigued him so much that he started planning a run to the cross, and just over two years later, after lots of planning and meetings, the inaugural three-day stage trail run was put on the calendar in September 2019. The first person to suggest the building of a pass through the Du Toits Kloof between Paarl and Worcester was Governor Simon van der Stel, in 1699. Over the next 240 years several people tried and failed to build this pass, until eventually in 1940 the route was selected to become part of the new National Road scheme. This would see what was to become the N1 Highway pass this way, instead of going through the extremely winding Bains Kloof Pass. However, nearly all the engineers and road-makers were off fighting in the war, so in 1941, some 500 Italian prisoners of war interned in South Africa were sent to build the new pass. When the war ended in 1945, the Italians were repatriated back to Italy, and the remainder of the pass was finished by local labour, eventually being opened in 1949. Seventy years after the pass was opened, the new Vino de Montana Mountain Run will celebrate the history of the scenic pass, and the role that the Italians played in its building. ISSUE 119 JUNE 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za 56 THE RUN The Run will consist of three stages to make up a total of plus/minus 70km over the three days: Day 1 – 5km Proloque, followed by a traditional braai. Day 2 – 35km including sections of the original Du Toits Kloof Pass and a tag point at the Italian Cross, followed by a gala dinner with Italian theme, music and food. Day 3 – 30km in Palmiet Mountain Range near Wellington, followed by the final prize-giving.