Cape Town hosted the third Special Edition trail event at Homestead Park in Oranjezicht yesterday, Saturday, 28 May 2022. Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith represented the City of Cape Town as a sponsor of the Special Edition.
Approximately 500 local and international trail runners took on the gritty 50km trails of Table Mountain.
The trail route includes some of the most iconic sections of Table Mountain, including the upper slopes of Kirstenbosch Nature Reserve, Newlands Ravine and the Saddle, Oppelskop and Devil’s Peak, the Pipe Track above Camps Bay, Corridor Ravine and the Twelve Apostles, which all form part of the iconic natural world heritage site and one of the New7Wonders of Nature.
The two loops are both extremely challenging and provided the runners with a mix of technical terrain, single and jeep tracks with steep ascents and descents.
Runners could choose if they wanted to run the 25km Devils Loop or the 25km Atlantic Loop, or do both. Almost 60 runners chose to do both.
While the majority of the field came from the Western Cape, other parts of South Africa and countries like Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, USA, Zimbabwe, Switzerland, Finland, Ireland, Belgium and Reunion were also represented.
‘It was thrilling to welcome all the trail runners to Cape Town for the Special Edition, an event that encourages a healthy lifestyle and contributes to nature conservation, while also putting our city on the international stage. This race and other events hosted in Cape Town over the last couple of months is an excellent indication that the events ecosystem is steadily navigating its way back to pre-pandemic levels,’ said Alderman Smith.
The event took place for the third time and has been supported by the City since its inception at the end of 2020.
The event provides a competitive platform for the global trail running community to display their skills, while also showcasing the trails of Table Mountain.
The event also contributes to nature conservation through the Ultra-Trail Cape Town Fund set up for the maintenance of the trails and for social clean-up campaigns within the greater Table Mountain Park.
The fund also supports runners who cannot afford the entry fees for the race.
This also applies for the flagship event, the Ultra-Trail Cape Town, which takes place in November.
Ultra-Trail Cape Town, the biggest trail running event in South Africa last year introduced a 24-hour cut off for the 100km. It will host its first 100-miler this year, which will take runners to the Southern trails of Kalk Bay, Silvermine and Simonstown.
Source: City Of Cape Town