KNYSNA NEWS - Early Saturday morning, July 15, runners huddled together deep in the Knysna Forest as they waited their turn to get going in the Momentum Knysna Forest Marathon and Half Marathon. The excitement and hope in the air was palpable as runners came together at this event to support Knysna in its relief efforts. Dignitaries were also up early as they joined the runners at the start to wish them well.
As one of South Africa’s most sought-after running events, the Momentum Knysna Forest Marathon offers some of the country’s most spectacular natural scenery in and around the Knysna forest, offering several highlights unique to its location.
Much of the race took place in the famed forest area, with breathtaking views of the lagoon and the spectacular Knysna Heads for inspiration towards the finish at the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival grounds.
The full marathon was won in dramatic style by Mzwanele Maphekula in an earth-shattering 02:34.09. In the half marathon, Nkosinathi Mdau took the win in the men’s category in 01:09.52, while Vicky van der Merwe cinched the women’s race in 01:23.03 ahead of Melissa van Rensburg.
This is certainly one run that many are eager to return to do again in 2018. Don’t miss your chance and make sure you enter as soon as entries become available, especially as every year the race is oversubscribed and sold out.
The early-morning start is bitterly cold, so along with the 2 000 blankets that Momentum donates, the runners have a long-standing tradition of bringing warm clothes, which they wear to the start and then, along with the blankets, leave behind to be collected and donated. Literally truckloads of warm blankets and clothes are then driven to local communities and distributed and donated to those in need.
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