Beating the heat in Sea 2 Tower run

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The inaugural Sea 2 Tower Trail Run race took place last weekend, putting 52 runners to the test across three distances, traversing the Knysna forests and portions of the Prince Alfred Pass on their way to Buffelsnek.

The race offered 32km, 40km, and 48km distances, all of which would prove to be challenging on race day.

The 40km and 48km races were set to start out on Thesen Island and make their way up Simola Hill along Old Cape Road, where the 32km runners would set out just before the turnoff to the Gouna Pass.

The longer distances set off at 06:00 and the shorter distance soon after, with all three running along the Gouna Pass, Kom-se-Pad, and eventually the Prince Alfred Pass. The 48km runners would however be diverted onto two single trail tracks along the route, making use of existing SANParks hiking trails.

The route was breathtaking too, with the majority of the run taking place in the mesmerising Knysna forests before emerging onto the Prince Alfred Pass which, while brutal under the hot sun, offered up stunning views of the areas around Knysna.

The route wound its way to the Buffelsnek watch tower, where the runners had to climb to the top of the tower to finish - to be rewarded with a breathtaking view over Knysna, and as far as Plettenberg Bay on a clear day.

But first they had to tackle between 1 000m and 1 500m of elevation gain on the route.

The 30°C weather made the run even tougher, but participants were determined and the lead runners in the 40km race would not rest on their laurels, but quickly caught up with the leaders of the 32km race.

In both the men's and women's runs the 40km winners finished ahead of the 32km winners. John April was home first in the 40km, followed closely by the 32km winner, Anderson Ncube. Ilse Marais was the first woman home in the 40km race, while Bianca Grotepass came first in the 32km race. In the 48km, it was Melikhaya Msizi who emerged victorious, with Alice Coetser the first and only lady in this distance. Coetser did, however, get lost along the way and managed to run an extra 6km, which meant she ran a total of 54km instead of 48km.

Sakkie du Toit, Riaan Janse van Rensburg and Prissie Muller ran and finished the race alongside each other.