TRAIL
New Venue , Same Magic
BY MARYANN SHAW
The UTD event was established in 2017 by Spurgeon Flemington , though he says it was years in the making prior to that . As a farmer who grew up in the Underberg area , Spurgeon has a deep love for the Drakensberg Mountains , and is cognisant of what a unique location it is . “ We want to showcase that , and share it with the wider South African community and those further afield . The Maloti- Drakensberg Park is a World Heritage site , so it has that extra element of pure wilderness , a unique environment both in fauna and flora , and on the cultural side , there are the many historic Bushman paintings .”
The event brings much-needed attention to the hiking trails and other attractions in the park , and the trails have actually been improved thanks to the event , because a percentage of each entry fee goes into a fund that is presented to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife , who manage the park . Over the years , significant sums have been raised in this way , which have paid for trail maintenance and other improvements , including building of bridges on the trails , renovation of staff accommodation , provision of solar panels , and even staff uniforms and radios .
New Home Base
A big shift this year was the change of venue to Glencairn Farm , and
Spurgeon says , “ The Premier Resorts Sani Pass Hotel has supported this event from the start , serving as our race village , and the 25km race still starts there , but moving to Glencairn
Farm further down the road is part of taking the event to a new level . Glencairn is a venue that ’ s specifically built around a vision of events , like the KAP sani2c . They have all the infrastructure , big gathering areas , and their food halls , toilets and bathrooms are all geared for 1000 people attending an event . The roomed accommodation is fantastic and caters for those wanting a bit of ‘ luxury ,’ but the tented village makes the whole event more affordable for many .”
“ In the current economic climate , the biggest barrier to entry for many runners is financial , and anything that we can do that reduces the cost , we will do . So , if you ’ re a young 25km runner who ’ s perhaps just starting a job , now you can come up on Saturday morning , do the run , sleep in a tent on Saturday night and go home the next day , at a lower cost than when you have to pay for a full weekend ’ s accommodation in the area . Making it affordable to the 25 to 35-yearold age group is important , as that is the 100 miler runner of the future ,” says Spurgeon .
Numbers at UTD will always be limited , both to ensure that the experience is not impacted by growing too large , and to limit any impact on the trails , but Spurgeon says the new venue does allow for some growth . “ By being at Glencairn , we are able to make ultra-trail running in the Drakensberg more accessible to a wider audience . The shorter distances sell out faster , and we ’ d like to see some of those runners
extend into the longer distances , and come back each year for a bigger challenge . We would also like to see more international runners at UTD , and it is growing year-on-year . This year we had runners from 30 countries travelling to KwaZulu-Natal to experience the beauty of the Drakensberg mountains .”
Pure Mountain Running
Some changes to the routes were made to incorporate the new venue , and in the longer distances , further changes were made to enhance the experience , says Spurgeon . “ On the 100-miler , we reduced the amount of mileage in Lesotho to 27km , and it is much more scenic and visually spectacular , as those 27km are all on the edge of the escarpment , and they summit the major peaks of the area , all in daylight hours . The miler runners now go back to the Bushman ’ s Nek side , and then ran about 50km of the Giant ’ s Cup Trail , where before , there were only 20km of Giant ’ s Cup Trail for them . It ’ s a spectacular trail , so I think the miler now has a well-balanced route and it ’ s very beautiful .”
Meanwhile , the 100km race now starts at Silverstreams Trading Post , and runners cover all 62km of the Giant ’ s Cup Trail . “ I think that is pretty special ,” says Spurgeon . “ Then the runners go up the Sani Pass , to the 12 Apostles Traverse , and then along the Khanti Ridgeline , which is a real sting in the tail . The 100km is a pretty challenging run , but a beautiful , pure mountain experience .”
41