MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

The Great Zuurberg Trail Run: the route revealed

By

The organisers of the Great Zuurberg Trail Run are delighted to announce the route for the inaugural race.

Taking competitors through diverse terrain the 60km three-day stage race is set to be a must-do for every trail runner.

Day one: the valley day

Day one takes athletes through the valleys of Addo and Zuurberg where they will cover 21km and climb 900m.

Running along the famous Zuurberg Pass, competitors then enter SANParks property and run the popular Seven Dwarfs mountain bike trail. Here athletes can take in the spectacular views over the Sunday River Valley before they descend the mountain ridge to the forest and the Wit River Valley. “Runners can enjoy the cool river before the climb through the Addo National park back to the race village,” advises race organiser Siska van der Bijl.

Day two: the mountainous day

Exploring the region’s mountains runners will be able to take in the stunning vistas that Addo and Zuurberg have to offer as they traverse the 24km and climb 800m.

The Queen stage of the GZT run. From the race village, athletes use a horse trail to take them into the Wit River Valley. Once in the valley, they run under forest canopy which includes beautiful yellowwood trees, and along the river before embarking on Monti’s Python. From the top of Monti’s Python competitors descend the trail towards Slagboom Dam, the ideal location for a breather and refreshments before the final push up to Camp Figtree. Once at Camp Figtree, athletes will be greeted with some well-earned beverages before tackling the Zuurberg Pass up to the finish line.

Day three: the exclusive day

Competitors end on a high, as we open up exclusive trails for the final day of the Great Zuurberg Trail Run. The shortest of the days, runners take in 18km of the wild bush and climb 650m.

With a loop around the race village and your family cheering to send you on your way, you enter beautiful single track down towards Hayterdale. After a short trot down the Zuurberg Pass, runners hit their first little uphill of the day before hitting the descent into Hayterdale. Runners will have a taste of the cross country course before testing themselves as they head up the Pass before entering newly cut single track to take them home.

The Great Zuurberg Trail Run entries are still open, and entry fees start from R6,000 per team. Visit www.gztrun.co.za to find out more and enter.

Author: Kimberley Clare Ogden
Website: http://www.gztrun.co.za

The following two tabs change content below.

Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.