Trail running to beef up Howick MTB Classic
Even organisers are keen to extend it further by including a 5km, 10km and 20km trail running options before the Enduro takes place.
THE Sappi Howick MTB Classic has added three trail running options to its schedule over the weekend of 3-4 March, responding to the explosion in popularity of the discipline throughout South Africa.
Having increased the event to a two-day spectacle in 2016, organisers are keen to extend it further by including a 5km, 10km and 20km trail running option on Saturday morning before the Enduro takes place later in the day.
With trails that date back to 1986, the Howick Mountain Bike Club’s network of trails through the Sappi Forests plantations lend themselves perfectly to trail running.
“It was quite an obvious choice for us to use the Howick trails for a trail run,” Sappi Forests’s Andrew Booth said. “We met with the Howick MTB Club late last year and discussed whether we would be able to incorporate a trail run in the Sappi Howick MTB Classic program.
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“The event and the trails are so well established that we knew it would be a great partnership and to have access to the Sappi Forests plantations makes it more appealing.”
As the Karkloof trails are relatively nearby, Booth explains the difference between the two and why people might be drawn to the Howick trails.
“Karkloof’s trail running trails, like the MTB track, are very fast flowing and might not take as much technical ability to negotiate,” Booth added.
The 5km race will take runners through the farmland surrounding the Sappi Howick race base while the longer 10km and 20km options will head into the Sappi plantations and will be more testing for the participants.
Gavin Ryan, event organiser, felt that the incorporation of trail running was a great fit for the event.
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“It was a really easy decision for us and with trail running’s increasing popularity now was as good a time as any to introduce trail running to our event.
“Following the harvesting in the Sappi Shafton plantations, we had to rework the trails slightly and create a communication plan to keep riders and runners informed of closures,” Ryan mentioned.
Saturday’s events will take place from 11 Karkloof, an accommodation establishment found along the Karkloof Road. This provides direct access to the heart of the trails, which is beneficial to the trail running event, while Sunday’s Sappi Howick Classic race village will be at the traditional venue of Howick High School.
ENTRIES: www.roag.co.za
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