By Scott Hallauer
IG: @scotthallauer Strava: Scott Hallauer
Nelson Mandela Day was approaching and Forge, in collaboration with the UCT Mountain and Ski Club was hosting a 67 minute trail run to celebrate the date.
In the days leading up to it (and in the heat of the marketing phase), the rain gods threatened to turn the coming Thursday into a downpour. Devil’s Peak Brewing Company’s generous donation of 120 beers (including five different brews) was the one playing card we held that we knew could tempt some unsure trail runners into their shoes.
Finally, the exciting day arrived and although the morning was wet and the clouds were
looming, mother nature offered some respite shortly before the activities kicked off. We set
up the donation station in UCT’s New Lecture Theatre, which appeared to be packed with
overly dedicated students getting in their evening study session. As a result, noise was kept
on the down-low while we made plans to move the post-run festivities to a better location.
Shortly after 5:30PM, once everyone had given their R30 donation (which got them a complementary beer at the finish), everyone gathered round for a briefing of the running plans. After splitting up, three intrepid groups headed off into the sunset, each equipped with headlamps and plenty of enthusiasm.
The fast group (code name: King’s Blockhouse) – led by the one-and-only Tim Chambers – tackled a tough ascent up to, you guessed it, King’s Blockhouse followed by some slippery contour path cruising. The middle group (code name: First Light) trustingly followed my lead as I attempted to stick to the route I had originally planned (actually ended up quietly winging it as we went). A lekker slip-‘n-slide down the muddy paths of Plum Pudding Hill ended our run on a fun note. Finally, Camden Ravenscroft (head of UCT Mountain and Ski Club Trail Running) took charge of the chilled group (code name: Zero to Hero) and completed a short and sweet jog through the forest.
Approximately 67 minutes later and a couple of bruskis down, our dedicated group managed
to raise a grand total of R710 for Wilderness Search and Rescue. Overall, a mighty successful
collaboration with UCT’s Mountain and Ski Club and hopefully the first of many!
