Lonehill resident takes part in Klipspringer Challenge

Lonehill resident, Greg King, together with his daughter Jessica, took part in the Augrabies Falls 21km Klipspringer Lite Challenge, the first ever desert trail run in the heart of the desolate Northern Cape.

SanParks and the management of the Augrabies Falls National Park invited a very limited group of runners to test themselves against the magnificently gruelling canyon and desert environment that is home to the Augrabies Falls Klipspringer Lite Challenge, after realising the love and passion trail runners have for the environment, and the role that they played in conservation initiatives around the country.

Known to be a long-time favourite on the South African calendar, the renowned but challenging Klipspringer Hiking Trail has provided intrepid and tough hikers, and now runners, the unique opportunity to experience the unspoilt desert wilderness first hand.

King explained that the 21km run through the desert began just before sunrise at 6.30am, and runners had to run with headlights for the first half hour.

After about 4km’s of what King described as an easy terrain to run through, runners entered the desert and all the challenges of it. “… you head into the desert to take on boulder hopping, climbing and fighting through thick sand in dried out riverbeds,” he said. “Tough, technical stuff that makes racing difficult – that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.”

Once through the desert, runners are then greeted with the first check-in point – to the relief of many.

The rest of the race is a mixture of long uphills and magnificent views, as well as the much feared Moon Rock – a huge sphere of rock with another long climb to its summit. “The surface is like a dried onion with different layers of peel flaking off,” said King.

Once off Moon Rock, runners entered the exquisite indigenous Kalahari camel thorn and quiver tree landscape, and again had to battle it out with the tough terrain to get through.

Despite a horrible tumble, King and his daughter crossed the finish line in 03:57:00, coming 41st and 42nd respectively overall.