ROAD RUNNING
Racing on the
Wine Route
I recently had the opportunity to race the Sportsmans Warehouse Winelands Half Marathon , and once again , I found myself blown away by the scenic route through the wine estates around Stellenbosch . – BY GRANT JOHNSON with SEAN FALCONER
The Winelands start in central Stellenbosch
The Louw Se Bos section on Stellenrust Road
The Modern Athlete Ed was part of the commentary team , and mightily impressed by the spirited club supporters
The Winelands is one of the most scenic and iconic races in the Western Cape , starting and finishing in Stellenbosch and running through the wine country surrounding South Africa ’ s second-oldest town . The event , which offers marathon , half marathon , 10km and 5km distances , is always superbly organised by Helderberg Harriers , and being one of the last ‘ big races ’ of the year in the province – it is always mid to late November – it is well supported by the local running community . Also , the prize money offered for this event is decent , so it attracts the top runners , too .
The 2023 edition saw the 44th running of the marathon , and the 21st running of the half marathon . The organisers also added a new 10km this year , due to popular
demand , and still they couldn ’ t accommodate everybody . The marathon was limited to 1000 entries , and the half marathon offered 3000 entries , while the new 10km had a further 1000 entries available , and all entries were sold out four weeks before race day . But there were still people trying to get in the day before the race ! ( The 5km fun run added a good few more entries to the mix .)
Tremendous Scenery
In 2022 , I lined up in the half marathon and finished 21st overall in 1:17:53 , as well fourth in the veteran category , and I was hoping to go a bit faster , and place a bit higher , if all went to plan . Knowing the route meant I knew what to expect , and also knew that this course is a good one for going after a good time , in spite of having a
Grant received a complimentary entry into the Half marathon in exchange for some coverage in the magazine , and official race photographer Shuyb Hendricks of ABPhotoZA kindly supplied the accompanying photographs . You can see more of his pics at
56 ISSUE 164 | www . modernathlete . co . za www . facebook . com / HelderbergHarriersClub
Images : Shuyb Hendricks / ABPhotoZA