It’ s a mighty experience, particularly if you are jaded about local politics, potholes, and load shedding, for it reflects another side of South Africa: a stirring counterpoint to the nonsense and shenanigans, with wonderful people at the core.
Running next to acacias and aloes, and trying to avoid the enormous cow patties, it’ s a stirring reminder of what’ s all around us, if we bother to lace up our running shoes.
Beyond the race, there is much else to recommend. The Oxpecker is unashamedly social. Singles are encouraged to mingle, with red arm bands indicating their unattached status. There is a town square where food and drink, music and merchandise are plentiful, ensuring strangers become friends and the stiff-legged jol on Saturday night is an extraordinary party. Good energy abounds.
Deep in a forest alongside the Tugela, a laser show is the star of late-night clubbing in the heart of the bush. Day one done, runners somehow summon the energy to burn up the dirty dance floor, adding a sense of surreal to a weekend when troubles can be parked.
The weekend I competed as a designated Yellow Pecker( race two) there were 950 entrants, tickets having sold out in 10 minutes. Curiously, the bulk of participants were women, who made up 65 percent of the field.
there was room for a special trail running event.
That first year, 450 runners rocked up. This year, 3,000 came across the four weekends, a testament to what has been built over the past decade.
Inevitably, sponsors have sniffed out the value of Oxpecker, which in recent years has enjoyed some corporate backing. This year it was Standard Bank, which smartly doesn’ t do a hard sell but is nonetheless happy to be associated with an event high on enjoyment.
David Moseley has completed several Oxpeckers and happens to be the man who mucks in on the media side of things. He puts its enduring success down to what he terms“ country flair,” which brings together the virtues of family and homespun values.
“ It all started with Berg and Bush,” he explained, telling of how the family and farm workers cut trails in and around the surrounding mountains and connected these for the cyclists first and then for the runners.
host participants but want to entertain them.
“ They just love Africa and want to make people comfortable,” said Moseley, who happily travels from his home in the Cape each year for his fill of Oxpecker.“ I’ ve been coming here for over 10 years and just love it.” Moseley added that the team never rests on its laurels: every year, they are determined to make it better than the last.
In the end, the Oxpecker trail races are more than just a test of endurance; they are a celebration of community, nature, and human
There are some theories about this, but the most popular is that because Oxpecker is largely run by women, this aspect appeals to women who are drawn to their influence. It’ s all in the detail where things like the classy goodie bags, the tasty meals( plus endless supplies of homemade rusks and crunchies), the tea room, even the flowers on the tables and the insistence on clean bathrooms- all enjoy a woman’ s delicate touch. These things make a big difference.
One of those women is Spoen Green, the daughter of prominent local farmer Gary Green, who dreamed up Oxpecker just over 10 years ago, and is a farmer herself. It all flowed out of the popular Berg and Bush cycling race, hosted at the same venue, with her believing
Oxpecker grew out of South Africans’ thirst for fun and adventure, but the Green family elevated it to something more. Spoen and her team, led by dad Gary, an industrious farmer of Brangus beef and no slouch as an athlete- he’ s completed Comrades, the Dusi and Cape Epic- and sister Roxette, aren’ t satisfied to merely spirit. Every moment is infused with a blend of challenge and camaraderie.
As runners cross the finish line, they carry with them not just the satisfaction of a race well-run, but the memories of a weekend where the beauty of South Africa and the warmth of its people shine brightest.
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