Race review – Christiaan Greyling

Run Forrest Run!

Fairies meander in the forests and when you accidentally stumble upon one, you can have three wishes…

On Saturday 1 March 2014 the 2^nd running of AdventureLisa’s Forest Run took place near Belfast. Runners were once again given the opportunity to explore the friendly forest areas of Lakenvlei. What a beautiful morning it turned out to be. The air was crisp, perfect for a 35/62km trot.

After number collection, Lisa handled race briefing in her very own competent way. At 7 o’clock, just shy of 60 runners were set off on their respective journeys. The race offered runners a real forest experience, combined with lots of fun.

Lisa went through much trouble of marking the trails and cutting the grass in the jeep tracks. Not sure if the grass cutting helped the runners, but for me it was great because it felt like I had a little bit of an advantage above the roadies on the grass polls and uneven terrain. The rest of the route consisted of relatively easy running on forestry tracks, which was pleasantly shady. This was considered a high-altitude race as the highest point was 1959m and it was quite an adjustment for a Capie who lives at 150m above sea level.

The water points at Forest Run deserve a mention, as they certainly were something special! From pink and green fairies to welcome you, to the best varieties of snacks and drinks! This is certainly a benchmark for other trail races.

Wish I had more time to stop at the snack tables, but I had a time deficit to make up after a few kilometre detour. Once again, I have learned to pay attention to route markings and never to base decisions to turn on assumptions!

This event was quite unlike the trail runs down in Cape Town, which normally include more technical rocky terrain and single tracks. I enjoyed experiencing this different running territory.

Thank you Lisa for the special way in which you organised the Forest run. Also a big thanks to everyone who assisted Lisa: Komatiland Forests, Lakenvlei Forest Lodge, all the volunteers, photographers and marshals. You guys did a splendid job.

What to expect at Forest Run 2015? Value for money, personal attention, stunning environment and beauty, excellent water points, friendly marshals, good weekend away and a warm welcome back at the Lodge.

It is indeed in these forests that wishes come true and trail runners get to do what they love!

Author: Christiaan Greyling, 35km winner

Photos by Margueriethe van Rhyn & Marcel Sigg