acsis VOB Trail Runners

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: OTHER GREAT TRAIL RUNS AND EVENTS

2012-01-31T07:56:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone

WEDNESDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2012

BRONWYN’S FAMOUS INFORMAL WEDNESDAY KLOOF NEK TRAIL RUN

There will definitely be a run. But can we ask that if you are planning to attend this run, please rsvp to Tim (timbe@boe.co.za) just for this week. This so we can contact you if we decide to move the start of the run this week.

For now the start is at Kloof Nek car park in front of the SANParks Info Centre at 17h15 but this could change. So please rsvp; event the Usual Suspects. Did I mention, please rsvp ?

CRAG TRAIL RUN

Leader: Barry Washkansky

Date: Wednesday 01 February 2012

Time: ready to start running at 17h45 sharp

Location: Twelve Apostles, western slopes of TM

Route description: Starting from Theresa Ave, Rontree Estate in Camps Bay, we head steeply up to the Pipe Track, that venerable and popular promenade along the lower reaches of the Twelve Apostles, originally constructed in 1887 to allow access to workers (and materials) building the water pipeline from Slangolie Ravine to Kloof Nek. A left turn along the Pipe Track allows a bit of stretching of the legs for some distance towards Kloof Nek, as far as the start of the Diagonal route. Now it’s a long slog and scramble up the steep path around Porcupine Buttress, up the rock-stepped watercourse in Porcupine Ravine, and continuing around Jubilee Buttress before the final ascent to reach the Apostles Path in the Valley of the Red Gods. A short run along the top brings us to our descent via the dependable but sometimes slippery Kasteelspoort (Castle Gateway) to the Pipe Track, and we retrace our route to the starting point. Sunset is at 19h51.

Duration and distance: approx 120 mins, 8 km

Walkers: John Damata will lead walkers on a BRISK walk, leaving from the same place at the same time, for the same approximate duration. Walkers are advised to bring the appropriate equipment (see below).

Grading

— 40 % runnable

— mostly A1, some B2 (minor rock scrambling involved, but skills required not much more than when climbing a ladder; some exposure)

— pack run

Starting point: Theresa Avenue, Rontree Estate (Google Maps link: http://tinyurl.com/32d7zz5)

Directions: From Kloof Nek take Camps Bay Drive M62 down into Camps Bay. Take the THIRD left into Fiskaal and follow this road as it snakes up the mountain. Fiskaal becomes Francolin and eventually Theresa. About 500 m from the start of Theresa you’ll find our starting point at the end of a little side road on the left. Parking in the side road is limited, so please find yourself a spot somewhere along Theresa Ave. I suggest we all park on the sea side of the road, taking care not to obstruct any driveways or bends in the road (solid lines). This run will take a bit longer than the usual Wednesday outing so it is important that we start on time — PLEASE don't be late.

Equipment

— valid Wildcard/Green Card

— water/energy drink/munchies

— foul weather gear, if required (see http://tinyurl.com/CRAG-weather)

— personal medication (if required)

— something for rehydration after the run

— warmer/dryer clothing for the rehydrate session

Car guards: 01 Feb: Rod Prodgers & Agnes Noell

CAPE SUMMER TRAIL SERIES – RACE 4

Tygerberg Nature Reserve

For full details check out www.trailseries.co.za

THURSDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2012

CELTICS SUMMER TRAIL RUNS

On Thursday 2^nd February we meet at Kloof Nek for the run to start at 18h00. We will do the Deer Park Route.

The route starts from the Kloof Nek parking area (where the Sanparks info centre is.) Meet in the parking area on the left just 100 metres up Tafelberg Road from the traffic circle on Kloof Nek. It heads in the direction of Devil’s Peak taking in the humps and hills of Deer Park. It then climbs steadily to Dead Man’s Tree on Tafelberg Road and heads back along Tafelberg Road past the base of Platteklip and Lower Cableway back down to the start.

Distance: +/- 9km.

Great for ‘night’ running and if it is a clear night, the views from Tafelberg road of Table Mountain on the one side and the city on the other as you run back to your cars will be fantastic!

NB: PLEASE ALL DO YOUR BEST TO STAY IN YOUR GROUPS – MOST PARTICULARLY DO NOT RUN AHEAD OF YOUR GROUP LEADER. If you are new to the runs and unsure of the pace of the various groups, then rather run with a slower group initially. Thanks

CRAG STELLENBOSCH / SOMERSET WEST TRAIL RUN

No details yet. I won’t send out a general email when they arrive so if you want the details, drop me an email and I will forward them.

OTHER RUNS AND EVENTS

WILD CARD RENEWALS – MESSAGE FROM AWARD- AND SHOE-WINNING TRAIL RUNNER ALLISON LAMB

………. Sanparks Green card 12 entries for R85 which is a whole lot cheaper than the R305 individual Wild Card. It covers Silvermine, Boulders, Cape Point, Tokai and Ouedekraal so ideal for the occasional trail runner. It’s not individual specific like a Wild Card so your visiting aunty can use one of the 12 annual entries. I’m pasting in the link for info, you need to bring your ID, 2 ID photos, a utility bill and R85. You can’t buy it online like a Wild Card but Kirstenbosch Tourist info centre will issue it as well as a few other places listed on the web page:
http://www.sanparks.org/parks/table_mountain/tourism/access-cards-permits.php#green

Cheers
Allison

SUMMER TRAIL SERIES

Check out below or at www.trailseries.co.za for full details.

VALENTINE’S DAY TRAIL RUN

Looks like you have to enter via the Runner’s World Facebook page.

GARDEN ROUTE TRAIL RUNS IN FEBRUARY – FROM HANO OTTO

For those of you that might be around the Garden Route area over the first weekend of February:

Entries are now open for the Diaz Festival Adventure Run taking place on 5 February 2012. This exciting Adventure Run coincides with the popular Diaz Festival in Mossel Bay. The longest section of Trail will be run on the spectacular St Blaize Trail. This Trail is a popular hike that follows the 30 metre contour along the cliffs eastwards from Dana Bay towards the Cape St. Blaize Lighthouse. The trail offers dramatic sea views, excellent whale and dolphin watching, good birding, and interesting fynbos.

Enter online:
www.southerncrossadventure.co.za

That’s it for now.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

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acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2012 - SILVERMINE EAST TRAIL RUN LITE

2012-01-30T10:31:00.001+02:00

Good morning All

MONDAY HILL RUN

Bad news again. I won’t be able to lead a hill run today. If anyone is keen on running a “hill” please let me know before 14h30 today and I will co-ordinate it. But if I hear nothing, and you hear nothing further, consider it cancelled today.

SATURDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2012 – DEPARTURE FROM THE SCHEDULE – AN EASY ANTI-CLOCKWISE RUN IN SILVERMINE EAST (GATE 2 / R5 GATE / MUIZENBERG SIDE OF OU KAAPSEWEG)

For numerous reasons, inter alia, the bodies are taking strain and there are now some more strenuous Bat Run Training Runs on Sundays with MATES etc , we are going to be doing a Trail Run Lite this weekend and it is a departure from our ‘planned runs’ schedule. Jane will be updating the Facebook page.

Start Time and Place

07h15 from the parking area inside Silvermine Gate 2 (the R5 gate / the gate on the Muizenberg – Kalk Bay side of Ou Kaapseweg). To get there, drive up Ou Kaapseweg from the Tokai side (keeping an eye out for the Gate Guard walking up from Westlake – give him a lift). At the top, the road flattens out for a short while and you PASS the turn to Gate 1 on your right. Ignore it and keep going till the road starts dropping down to your left. At this point start looking for Gate 2 on your LEFT. It comes up quite suddenly so don’t drive as fast as the lunatics trying to get over the pass. Go through the boom on your left and park in the parking area on your right. That’s where we start.

Route

We head straight down the road to the waterfall and then continue on the contour path above the valley. We then take the path up towards the top of Echo Valley / Cave Peak turnoff area. Up to the Amphitheatre and across to the top of Spes Bona valley. If it’s a cool day we will go down Spes Bona and then up to Nellie’s Pool. If it is a scorcher (as forecast by Peter Rogers) then we will head “straight across” to Nellie’s Pool for a splash. Then it is over to the foot of Muizenberg Peak, left and over to the foot of Lower Steenberg Peak, across the Higher Steenberg Peak and then right down the valley before Wolfkop and back to the cars.

Distance

Only between 12 – 15km. Closer to 12km I think.

Running Time

2 – 2 ½ hours.

Difficulty

Moderate but quite short.

Important Notes

I think the entrance fee is still R5 but bring some extra and give the attendant a tip (as in financial gratuity, not free advice). A small price to pay for car safety these days.

Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and carry the necessary wind-proof jacket, whistle and cell phone.

And PLEASE carry water. Lots of it. Do not rely on mountain streams at this time of year. And bring some energy snacks.

Sunblock and a cap. If anyone wants lessons on how to apply sunblock (and also how to remove it in a desperate emergency) speak to Sandra Murray.

Watch out for snakes.

Fill in the register before starting out.

Have fun. It’s not a race.

Bringing ICE cold rehydrating be’erages for afterwards.

On the topic of having fun: Please be aware that trail running and related activities are inherently riskier and more dangerous than road running. You are participating in these runs voluntarily and whilst acsis VOB and the organisers of the runs take all reasonable precautions to ensure runner safety, it can never be fully guaranteed. To this end, acsis VOB and the organisers personally cannot be held liable for claims relating to injuries, disabilities and deaths, inter alia, that may occur during these events. You are participating entirely at your own risk. Please ensure that you are medically fit to be participating and make sure that you are properly kitted out for each particular run so as not to place yourself at undue risk.

TABLE MOUNTAIN TRAILERS – SATURDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2012

They will be sortie’ing from Constantia Nek at 06h30 – route to be announced.

FEEDBACK FROM THE MYBURGH’S WATERFALL RAVINE RUN (THE DISA RUN) – PHOTOS TO FOLLOW (HOPEFULLY)

I don’t what the heck was going on on Saturday but many of us were in agreement that we just felt “pap”. Personally, I blame last week’s solar flare that was supposed to knock out all of our satellites and half the world’s electricity supply but thankfully disappointed the doomsdayers. But there was definitely something sapping the energy out of people and if it wasn’t for the sheer beauty of this run, I think a lot of us would have been a lot grumpier than we were. The malaise kicked in early. As we commenced our rare downhill start, Margaret thought better of things and decided it was time to head back to bed. She did a swift “omkeer” and telephoned her apologies (thank you Margaret).

Chris Whales did a very fine job of leading us to the Boskykloof Road start (which I had never done before but gets a solid tick in the “to be repeated” book) and then into the correct ravine. Thank you very much Chris. A certain well known runner tells a very amusing story of what happens when you start up the wrong ravine……….. To hear this you need to attend the post-run debriefing session one week and ply the well-known runner with ICE cold beer (I think Castle is his preference). He also implicates another well-known runner but it would be unfair to name Kevin Ewers when he is not here to defend himself……..ooops.

The climb up Myburgh’s is simply spectacular. It must be noted that there are some steeper, slightly exposed sections which can make one a little dizzy if one hasn’t had a good breakfast. But as long as you take your time it is perfectly safe and these areas tend to give you stunning panoramic views which I would bet that the vast majority of Capetonians have never seen and probably never will. Breathtaking! Whilst the fields of red disas did not materialise (as Gideon put it) there were sufficient around to make the trip worthwhile for those who did it for this reason. There were already a few hikers up there who were less than pleased to see a sweaty bunch of trail runners heaving past them. As one of them remarked: “for trail runners, there is not a lot of running going on” – ouch!

I know that a number of people took photos. If you are happy to do so, please would you send them to me and I will ask Jane if she can put some of them on the Facebook page.

Karen and Grant found a few blue disas (significantly less obvious or spectacular then their red cousins) near the top of the ravine and stopped to take pictures……..and nearly got left behind by the rest of us who were thinking “well that was fun but now let’s get running already”. And so it was that Jane split the group up so that the faster runners could push on. The rest of us followed as best we could. I remember describing the route from the top of Myburgh’s to the finish as “easy easy easy”. I may, in fact, have glossed over things a bit. By the time we got to the dams we were exhausted and half of the group decided they had had enough excitement for the day and took the concrete road back to the cars. The rest of us decided to take the Ash Valley track as a slightly easier option than Nursery Valley. We got to the hut in the valley, no problem, and then the path seemed to disappear. “Here it is” cried Elvira and charged off, with all of us in tow, into an area that could only be described as “unfamiliar”. We ground to a confused halt and this was accompanied by the traditional sniggers. A little backtracking and we were soon on the right path again…………..HOWEVER……….. Elvera, because you were at the head of the misadventure……..please accept this Missing Margaret Award from the Committee. J

As we stopped for a little water break at the bailiffs cottage, who should run past us on his way down the mountain? None other than Ryan Sands. So as we started running again, Elvera and Robyn, with the speed, strength and agility of mountain lionesses (aka ……), took off in hot pursuit, leading the charge down the mountain. However, when it seemed that Ryan was determined to run down on the road, they abandoned him in disgust and took the single track. I could have sworn I heard him say “phew” but maybe he was just tired.

And so our run (and this email) drew slowly to an end. Just when it seemed that we would be without a Sailing Sandra Award, I heard a rumour that Glenn Buchinsky (very subdued for most of the run) took a fall to end all falls on the last piece of single track down from the Eagles Nest. But unlike the eagles, he “did not so much fly as plummet” (apologies to Monty Python). Now I didn’t see Glenn afterwards as he had already dashed off to his car. But Glenn, I hope you are okay and Happy Sailing Sandra to you.

Finally, although the CEO of Trail Running had been absent from the run, citing a hangover, lack of sleep, a lazy bladder and a faulty alarm clock, it was good to see him waiting in the car park to open the ritual “quaffing of ale” (his preference being Castle) to close the morning’s proceedings. Quaffing being “like drinking only you spill more” (I think that might be Blackadder).

Have a great week Everyone.

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: VERY IMPORTANT FRIDAY WRAP UP

2012-01-27T08:01:00.001+02:00

Hi Everyone

SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2012 – acsis VOB TRAINING RUNS

IMPORTANT CHANGE TO START OF SATURDAY MYBURGHS WATERFALL RAVINE RUN (REPEAT FROM TUESDAY)

By now you will note that our acsis VOB Saturday runs are ON. For those doing the Myburghs Waterfall Ravine run, please note that the start will be from CONSTANTIA NEK, not Farriers Way as previously advertised. 06h30 start. Please pass this message on to our notorious “Monday only skim readers”.

For all other details check out: http://vobtrail.blogspot.com/ .

The Table Mountain Trailers sortie is also on. 06h30 at Kirstenbosch Rycroft Gate (also known, to VOB runners, as Top Tap or Top Gate). For all other details check out: http://vobtrailwrg.blogspot.com/

SATURDAY WEATHER FORECAST thanks to www.yr.no

Nice pleasant morning. Don’t forget to bring water. Constant “breeze” so a windbreaker will be a thoroughly good idea.

SUNDAY TRAINING RUN – 29 JANUARY 2012

MATES BAT RUN TRAINING RUN

“It is time to start training for Bat Run! For the next couple of weeks we will be focussing on ups and downs of Devil’s Peak, Platties and Maclears, and even if you are not thinking of doing the actual race (why, I don’t know) this sort of training will be exactly what you need to get rid of those final dregs of all that Xmas pud that is still lingering in your system. And you get familiar enough with the route that you can do it at night. Without ending up in Newlands.

Where: Kloofnek Parking: As you drive up Kloofnek and turn left into Tafelberg Road, turn left into the second parking area where they TMNP information hokkie is.

When: 06h30 start.

What: Bring water, snax, weather appropriate kit. And ICE cold beer for afterwards.

Route: From Kloofnek along Tafelberg Road (t*r) to bottom of Devil’s Peak. Along the way, you can do the Royal Wave at your roady buddies doing Kloofnek Challenge coming the other way while you coolly stride along in your trail kit. Up the zig zags, up Devil’s Peak, down to Tafelberg Road. A bit more t*r, then up Platties (maybe even all the way to Maclears), down and some more t*r to Kloofnek. The beauty of this route is that you can customise it to suit your fitness – if Devil’s kills you, then slope along Tafelberg Road back to the car park.

Duration and distance: The distance is rather insignificant, Devil’s Peak should take about 2 – 3 hours and the whole thing maybe up to 4 - 5 hours.

Seeya!

Douglas Rossouw

082 418 5945”

SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2012 – RACE

TSiBA EDUCATION NEW BALANCE TRAIL RUN SERIES

Map : Helderberg Farm

Whatever you’re up to, have a great weekend.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: OTHER GREAT RUNS AND EVENTS

2012-01-24T16:42:00.001+02:00

Hi Everyone

Sorry this is a bit late. But this email relies on me receiving a number of other emails. I try and leave it until the last of them gets in so this can result in delays. Even then, sometimes we don’t get all of the info in time……..

CHANGE TO THE START PLACE FOR THE acsis VOB RUN ON SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2012

The applies only to the group that is going to run the Myburgh’s Waterfall Ravine Run, not the Table Mountain Trailers.

All we are doing is making a change to circumvent the Car Admin factor. The run is going to start at Constantia Nek, not Farriers Way in Hout Bay. So toss that map away. Chris Whales is going to lead us on an alternative path to get to the path to Myburghs. This will involve an extra 2km, mostly downhill as a nice little warm up before hitting the ravine. A portion of this will be on the Main Road going down into Hout bay so extreme caution must be exercised.

So please, no-one is to go to Farriers Way to start. We won’t even be running past it. Please go to Constantia Nek in time to fill out the register and get running by 06h30 at the latest.

WEDNESDAY 25 JANUARY 2012

BRONWYN’S FAMOUS INFORMAL KLOOF NEK TRAIL RUN

Despite our gallant leader’s injury, we will be there for a run starting at 17h15 sharp. Start from the Kloof Nek car park in front of the SANParks Info Centre. Between 8 – 12km at a medium pace.

CRAG TRAIL RUN

Wednesday 25th Jan:

Leader: Dirk McIntosh

Date: 25th January 2012

Time: Ready to start running at 17h45 sharp

Location: Northern slopes of Table Mountain

Route description: From the start on Tafelberg Road (where the Blue gum trees are), we head upwards on the Devil’s Peak Saddle Path until we reach the Lower Traverse which we follow towards Oppelskop and King’s Blockhouse. Once we’ve reached King’s Blockhouse and have recovered suitably, we head right and start the climb up Mowbray Ridge, turning right onto the Middle Traverse, and hoping to get a glimpse of the lonely Tahr that’s been seen there, follow the path through to the Saddle. Once we regrouped we begin our descent down the Saddle Path to our starting point.

Sunset is at 19:56.

Duration and distance: approx 90-120 mins, 10 km

Walkers: Christo Steyn will lead walkers on a BRISK walk, leaving from the same place at the same time, for the same approximate duration. Walkers are advised to bring the appropriate equipment (see below).

Grading

— 70 % runnable

— Grading: A1 (B2 for the short ascent above the Blockhouse – note that there is some scrambling up the steep rocks above the Block House which may intimidate those who are afraid of heights – so, if you are at all acrophobic, you may want to avoid this one).

— pack run

Starting point: Tafelberg Road (The Saddle) (Google Maps link: http://tinyurl.com/38d2kum)

Directions: Get to Kloof Nek via Kloof Nek Road from the city, or Camps Bay Drive from Hout Bay/Camps Bay side, and follow the Cable Car signs into Tafelberg Road, past the Lower Cable Station; about 2 km further there is a parking area under gum trees on the left, opposite the clearly signboarded Saddle Path, which is the starting point.

Equipment

— valid Wildcard/Green Card

— water/energy drink/munchies

— foul weather gear, if required (long-range forecast is slightly cloudy, no rain, 18–26 ºC, wind SE 35 km/h)

— personal medication (if required)

— something for rehydration after the run

— warmer/dryer clothing for the rehydrate session

Car guards: 25 Jan: Gavin Goldsmith, Ezan Wilson

CAPE TRAIL SERIES

RACE NO 3: SILVERMINE WEST

For full details check out www.trailseries.co.za .

THURSDAY 26 JANUARY 2012

CELTICS SUMMER TRAIL RUN

No details received yet, sorry.

CRAG STELLENBOSCH / SOMERSET WEST TRAIL RUN

No details received yet, sorry.

SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2012

In addition to the acsis VOB Myburgh’s Waterfall Ravine Run

THE TABLE MOUNTAIN TRAILERS (acsis VOB Medium Distance, Slower Group)

28 January: Kirstenbosch-Newlands Forest

Brief Description of Route

From the Kirstenbosch Rycroft Gate [Top Tap] through the gardens to contour path and then along towards Newlands and returning via an alternative route. This is a bit of a surprise route as Veronica Barnes is planning it so I know not the details.

Rendezvous and Start Time

RV in the parking area off Klassens Rd. Be ready to start running at 0630

How to get there? Follow the M63 out of town towards Constantia Nek, drive past the main entrance to Kirstenbosch Gardens and up Canterbury Rd to the top where it turns sharp left. Klassens Rd is hard left again opposite the top entrance to Kirstenbosch which is the Rycroft Gate. Parking is along the left hand side of Klaasens Rd.

Terrain and Distance

Probably forest trails with some inevitable uphill. Actually have no idea as it depends where Veronica leads us!
Distance will be about 12 kms taking us more or less 2hrs 30min.

TSiBA EDUCATION NEW BALANCE TRAIL RUN SERIES

See race flyer below.

OTHER RUNS AND EVENTS

WILD CARD RENEWALS – MESSAGE FROM AWARD- AND SHOE-WINNING TRAIL RUNNER ALLISON LAMB

SUMMER TRAIL SERIES

Check out below or at www.trailseries.co.za for full details.

TSiBA EDUCATION NEW BALANCE TRAIL RUN SERIES

Map : Helderberg Farm

VALENTINE’S DAY TRAIL RUN

Looks like you have to enter via the Runner’s World Facebook page.

GARDEN ROUTE TRAIL RUNS IN FEBRUARY – FROM HANO OTTO

Enter online:
www.southerncrossadventure.co.za

That’s it for now.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2012 - MYBURGH'S WATERFALL RAVINE / GROOTKOP / DAMS / NURSERY ARBORETUM / PUFFER PATH / CONSTANTIA NEK

2012-01-23T10:25:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone

MONDAY HILL RUN

Nothing this week, I’m afraid.

Back in action next week with a proper hill rather than the exploratory trips we’ve taken over the last few weeks. Next week we will tackle Devils Peak at speed.

SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2012 - MYBURGH'S WATERFALL RAVINE / GROOTKOP / DAMS / NURSERY ARBORETUM / PUFFER PATH / CONSTANTIA NEK

Start Time and Place

This is a car admin week. As many runners as possible to meet at Constantia Nek at 06h00. We will leave as many cars there as is viable and jump into as few cars as possible and head down at 06h10 to the start in Farriers Way in Hout Bay in time for a 06h30 sharp Start.

Directions to Farriers Way: See attached document, block CM18, X marks the spot. From Constantia Nek, straight down towards Hout Bay, right into Disa River Road, left into Valley Road, first right into Garron Ave, right into Connemara Drive, first left into Hunters Way, first right into Farriers Way. Get it ? Got it ? Good!

Route

WARNING: the last thing I expected at this point in January was rain. Quite heavy too, as I was scrambling around bringing washing in and got soaked. Why am I yammering on about the washing? What is crucial for Myburgh’s Waterfall Ravine is that you do it when it is DRY. It can be a little too slippery when wet. I will investigate conditions beforehand BUT if we start going up and it appears that it is going to be slippery then be warned that we will NOT PROCEED. I am not going to take chances. If it is even slightly dangerous we will turn back, run the contour path towards Suikerbossie a la Table Mountain Challenge and head up Hout Bay Corner and Llandudno Ravine instead. Makes it a bit longer but that’s okay because the planned route is not that long anyway.

All going well we head up the spectacular Myburgh’s Waterfall Ravine, oohing and aaahing about the red disas all over the place. If you’ve never seen them, they’re much smaller than you think! As things flatten out and we near the Apostles Spine Path (ASP), look out for the rare blue disa. We saw a few of them there last year. Yes, I know they’re just flowers and we’d all rather see lions and leopards but they’re really quite pretty. We turn right onto the ASP and head over the eastern shoulder of Grootkop and proceed down the other side past the tops of Oudekraal Ravine, Corridor Ravine, Slangolie Ravine (with its little scramble which can be avoided) and Woody Ravine. Then it’s right at Margaret’s Cairn (I never get tired of telling that story…..it’s the origin of the Missing Margaret Award) onto the old railway track to the concrete road near the huts. Keeping to the left of Woodhead Dam we follow the road around to the far end of the Hely-Hutchinson Dam wall, left onto the single track, first right onto the path that leads to the top of Nursery Ravine. At the top of Nursery turn right and follow the Puffer Path to the Bailiff’s Cottage and then straight down to the cars at Constantia Nek on as much single track as possible.

Distance

I am guessing at about 15km-ish (if we have to do the Llandudno Ravine detour it is more like 20km).

Running Time

Allow at least 3 ½ hours for this one. 4 hours for the slower runners.

Difficulty

Tough climb to start with and then another nasty but short climb over Grootkop. After that it is easy, easy, easy stuff.

Important Notes

1. Please note the car admin arrangements above. 06h00 at Constantia Nek to drop cars. 06h30 start at Farriers Way, Hout Bay.

2. There is some mild(ish) exposure going up Myburghs Waterfall Ravine. Certainly nothing worse than anything we have done to date. If you get nervous, please tell me and we will start singing something appropriate like “That’s Amoré”. It seems to calm people down.

3. Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and carry the necessary wind-proof jacket, whistle and cell phone.

4. And PLEASE carry water. Lots of it. There are still people not understanding this point. It boggles the mind. For those who have been transgressing: it’s a clear liquid with relatively little taste but a constant supply is essential to human life. Although it is fairly easily available some people have been battling to get their hands on it. It needs to be carried in a container. So you need a container/s which can hold about 2 litres (3 litres if it’s hot). I know there are some experienced, extremely fit trail runners who can do without it so I am not nagging them. They know their limits. Facetiousness aside, if you are in doubt, then please bring water. Do not rely on mountain streams at this time of year. And some energy snacks.

5. Sunblock and a cap.

6. Don’t stand on snakes. Might cause you to turn and ankle over.

7. Fill in the register before starting out.

8. Have fun. It’s not a race.

9. Bringing ICE cold rehydrating be’erages for afterwards.

FEEDBACK FROM SATURDAY 21 JANUARY 2012

Going straight into the India-Venster climb is a tough way to start a humid, sweaty Saturday morning. There was no time for slacking either as the Table Mountain Trailers were hot on our heels. But as we warmed up, the quads screamed less and we started enjoying the spectacular views (see some of Roger Ronnie’s photos attached). Our American guest started off full of energy and enthusiasm but the humidity seriously started taking its toll by the time we reached the scrambles. By the time we reached the Arrow Face Final where we go around the Camps Bay side and onto Fountain Ledge the “good feeling’s gone” (Dori from “Finding Nemo”). He looked ready to jump. But to his credit he slogged it out to the Platteklip cairn regroup and gleefully said goodbye to us. Then came the breaking into groups. Thanks again to Jane for taking the fast / non-regrouping group who sped off in the direction of Maclears Beacon and we never saw them again.

Thank you also to Karen Jennings who took on the task of Short Route Leader in the absence of poor Bronwyn who is with injury again and confined to “walking in the pool” (recover soon Bronwyn). More will be said about Karen’s short route below (all in good humour).

The marginally slower group decided to avoid the humiliation of eating Jane’s dust and we took the scenic route to Maclears Beacon, along the front face of the table. Stunning run in stunning weather. Roger Ronnie up front took a little wrong turn and realised his mistake too late as he was confronted by a wall of rock. This put him in line for an award……..does he receive it ???? Read on.

From Platteklip to Echo Valley our group had a lovely, extremely runnable flat and downhill gallop. Then a little climb over to the dams, a quick drink from the tap and then more flat to the top of Woody Ravine. SUCH EASY RUNNING. We then had a slow descent of Woody Ravine which is steep but very safe and has been stabilised nicely. For those who want to know, it is perfectly do-able now. We then had a lovely flattish 4.5km run in along the Pipe Track where, lo and behold, we caught Karen and Robyn from the Short Route Group. What happened there?????? The Short Route Group had taken the path straight down to Echo Valley from Platteklip, then Isolation Valley, Valley of the Red Gods (some then ducked down Kasteelspoort) and then took the path all the way to Corridor Ravine. Karen, for taking a much tougher, more technical and only marginally shorter route than the Long Route (700 meters doesn’t count as shorter) the committee is unanimous in awarding you this week’s Missing Margaret, sparing Roger the blushes.

The winner of the Sailing Sandra is equally deserving. Mike (I think it is Pithey, please confirm Mike – definitely not Ohlsson ………. who is standing behind me with a gun to my head) left it to the last 200m of Pipe Track before being brought to ruin in avoiding a very little dog (what Robyn described as “stoepk@kker”) who refused to give way. Mike rolled in with all the little tell-tale signs of a Sailing Sandra candidate. The entire right hand side of his body was covered in sand and the grazes on arms and legs were bleeding more than sufficiently to earn him this week’s Award. Congratulations Mike!!!! And well done for taking it in such great spirit. I’m not sure I would have been smiling.

It was hot now. We were tired. But all was made better by ICE cold beer.

Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 21 JANUARY 2012 - INDIA-VENSTER / MACLEARS BEACON / DAMS / WOODY RAVING or CORRIDOR RAVING / PIPE TRACK

2012-01-16T09:29:00.001+02:00

Hi Everyone

MONDAY HILL RUN

My intention was to meet at Platteklip car park at 17h15 this evening and then head over to Union Ravine / Cave along the contour path and then go up Yellowstone Gully to get a view of the Africa Amphitheatre from the other side (compared to last week). However, I seem to have picked up a mild stomach bug (why is it always 02h00?) and am feeling a little weak today so I will probably have to postpone. If there are any interested parties, please would you drop me an email during the day anyway and perhaps we can make a call later in the day if I am feeling stronger. Please RSVP so I can communicate with you individually. I will not send out another general email to all with the details later today.

SATURDAY 21 JANUARY 2012 - INDIA-VENSTER / MACLEARS BEACON / DAMS / WOODY RAVING or CORRIDOR RAVING / PIPE TRACK

Start Time and Place

We will start at 06h30 from the Lower Cable Station on Tafelberg Road. To be more specific, just as you get to the cable station building there is a coach parking area / turning area. Just at the start of this parking area you will see a path (sign posted) leading up onto the mountain. We will gather at the start of this path.

The Route

From the cable station we head up straight beneath the cables to the contour path. Straight across the contour path and head up and around Venster Buttress and across the top of India Ravine to the scrambley bits. Up the scrambles, now peppered with solid steel staples which make it no worse than climbing a ladder (if the ladder is perched on the edge of a mountain). Just above the scrambles we bear right and around the Camps Bay side of the mountain to Fountain Ledge and Fountain Ravine and pop out at the cairn at the top of Platteklip Gorge. From there it is a relatively flat canter over to Maclears Beacon. We then take to the Smuts Track and head down in the direction of Window Gorge but then take a path off to the right which leads to Echo Valley. At the first major intersection we retrace our steps a few meters and hopefully look at the Disas in the little dell under the footbridge. Then it’s back to the intersection, turn left, do a short climb and then a long, gentle drop down to Dams. We then take the old railway track to the Apostles Spine Path where we turn left and then probably right and down Woody Ravine. However, some doubts have been raised about the suitability of Woody Ravine as it has been closed for a while. Anyone been down recently? Feedback? If it is unsuitable, we will choose between Kasteelspoort (yuck!) and Corridor Ravine (preferable but more distance). From there it is a few kms of Pipe Track back to the cars.

The Strategy

We are going to try and fully utilise the services of Jane Holdcroft while she is available. What we will try and do is split the group in two. I will lead one and Jane (subject to her final approval) will lead the other. Both groups will be medium-ish paced but one will be slightly faster and will not stop and regroup nearly as often as the other. Let’s call that Jane’s Group. The other group will still do a reasonable pace (we don’t want to be out there all day) but will regroup fairly regularly so that no-one gets abandoned.

Please decide beforehand which group you want to be in. If in any doubt as to your ability to keep up with the faster group, please stick with my group instead.

Distance

In all honesty I don’t really know but would estimate about 20km.

Running Time

3 1/2 to 4 hours

Difficulty

This is quite a tough run. Having said that, the only really big climb is at the beginning. From just after the Platteklip summit cairn there is tons of downhill and flat with one small climb from Echo Valley over to the Dams and then the possibility of some speed bumps on the Apostle Spine Path depending on how far we go and on the Pipe Track but nothing serious.

Important Notes

1. Water is crucial on this run. Bring as much as you can carry. 2 litres as an absolute minimum. I will carry 3 litres for myself. Be well hydrated before you start. There is very little shade on this route although I have tried to plan the run so that we finish in the most shade possible (along the Pipe Track) when it is hottest. Bring energy snacks. Lots.

2. Dress appropriately for weather conditions. As we will be on the top of the mountain for a while this will include a solid windbreaker, whistle and cell phone.

3. Regarding the Start, please note that Tafelberg Road can be very busy, even at that time of the morning so you may need to park a few hundred metres from the start point. Please allow a little extra time for this.

4. There is some moderate exposure to heights on the climb up India – Venster. But now that SANParks has put steel staples on the scrambles it is not bad at all. Even the big sissies we had with us last time we did the route handled it fine. Only an extreme fear of heights should keep you away from this one.

5. Take precautions against the sun. Sunblock and cap.

6. Take precautions against snakes on the path i.e. watch where you are putting your feet. Seamus sent me a terrifying few pictures of what can happen if you get bitten by a puffadder (shocking stuff; definitely not family viewing). Suffice to say that you DO NOT WANT TO BE BITTEN BY A PUFFADDER. Please exercise extreme caution and read point 10 below.

7. Decide before the run which group you wish to run with and stick with that group.

8. Fill in the register before starting out.

9. Have fun. Remember, it’s supposed to be fun. It’s not a race. The race for the morning is over on Red Hill.

10. Please be aware that trail running and related activities are inherently riskier and more dangerous than road running. You are participating in these runs voluntarily and whilst acsis VOB and the organisers of the runs take all reasonable precautions to ensure runner safety, it can never be fully guaranteed. To this end, acsis VOB and the organisers personally cannot be held liable for claims relating to injuries, disabilities and deaths, inter alia, that may occur during these events. You are participating entirely at your own risk. Please ensure that you are medically fit to be participating and make sure that you are properly kitted out for each particular run so as not to place yourself at undue risk.

TABLE MOUNTAIN TRAILERS (acsis VOB’s Medium Distance, Slower Pace Trail Group)

21 January: Table Mountain Oppelskop

Brief Description of Route

From the lower Cableway station up to the contour path and then right across the North face of the mountain around Oppelskop on the middle traverse and then down East side of Blockhouse ridge and back via the lower traverse.

Rendezvous and Start Time

RV in the parking are just beyond the Cable Station ready to start running at 0630

How to get there? Follow the signs to the Cableway and park in the parking area along Tafelberg Rd just beyond the Lower Cableway Station.

Terrain and Distance

Rugged mountain single track trail with some precipitous parts. Not as hard going as it sounds as its most along the contour path but there will be some uphill and downhill work. Last 1km on tar! Distance about 12 kms taking us more or less about 2hrs 30min.

FEEDBACK FROM SATURDAY 14 JANUARY 2012

Well I can’t really give any as I was off doing roadie stuff. But Jane has reported that all went well and she modified the route to suit as many runners as possible. No awards were made which is a great sign.

I saw lots of trail runners on the Hohenort 15km on Saturday though. Fantastic race that and well suited to trail runners who can tolerate tar as it encompasses nearly every hill in Hohenort. Even Mike Ohlsson was there and it appears that the psychological warfare between him and Douglas is coming to a head with only one week left to go before Red Hill and both of them still vehemently denying that they are training for it yet both of them are doing lots of road work. Mike certainly appeared to be determined to stamp his authority on the tar as I saw him at about the 2km mark and he was FLYING. But he still had enough humour left to swear at me for not greeting. To be honest I was more concerned about my ability to keep breathing than greeting fellow runners (road-mode). By all accounts Mike finished in a blistering 68 minutes but I guess we will have to wait for official confirmation from the time-keepers to see if we got those digits the right way around.

Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 14 JANUARY 2012 - TOKAI FOREST / VLAKKENBERG / CONSTANTIABERG

2012-01-09T09:01:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone

PHOTO APPEAL

If anyone has photos from the Chairman’s Run Trail Version on 2 January 2012, please would you let me know. We would like to get hold of them.

MONDAY HILL RUN

As discussed towards the end of 2011, we will only be doing a hill run every second Monday now. I am going to try and use every other Monday evening to do a little exploring of my own regarding new routes while we still have some later summer daylight left in the evenings.

Tonight is going to be a more exploratory trip. I am going to head up the India-Venster and look for where the Sky Walk intersects with that path. If I can find it I will follow it across the big India and Africa amphitheatres and come down Yellowstone Gully / Union Ravine. If I can’t find it I will head up to the top of India-Venster and come down Platteklip.

Anyone interested in joining me please RSVP so we can organise a meeting place (Tafelberg Road is chaos at the moment). Please note that my Blackberry decided to stay at home today. You can still contact me telephonically on the same number which will divert to my dodgy old phone (twin-SIM) but which doesn’t have anyone’s number on it so don’t think I will recognise your number.

SATURDAY 14 JANUARY 2012 – TOKAI FOREST / VLAKKENBERG / CONSTANTIABERG

Start Time and Place

06h30 at the Arboretum car park in Tokai Forest. Coming from Cape Town, take the M3 as far as Tokai and take the Tokai Road offramp. At the traffic lights intersecting with Tokai Road turn right and follow Tokai Road up to a traffic circle. Straight over at the circle. Steenberg Golf Course now on your left and Forest Glad residential development on your right. Keep following the tar road straight on into the forest where it narrows significantly (ignore Swaanzwyk Road going off to your left). When you come to a t-junction with the Tokai Manor House straight in front of you turn left and follow the gravel road up to a parking area normally teeming with mountain bikers. This is where we will meet.

Route

We will make our way over to the big zig-zags (also known as the Bridle Path) used by the mountain bikers. Up this path and then over to the path up Vlakkenberg Nek. We will take a small path off the main path and work our way up to the beacons on top of Vlakkenberg. Then we will make our way back to the tar road. Here we will decide whether to take the Puffer Path Traverse or head up to the Mast and back down past Elephants Eye. Either way we will end up on the Elephants Eye Path and head straight back down to the car park on it.

Distance

Somewhere between 15km and 20km.

Running Time

3 – 3.5 hours

Difficulty

Moderate to tough (especially if we head up to the Constantiaberg Mast).

Important Points

1. It is now crucial that you carry water. Lots of it. 1 litre won’t cut it for this run and you cannot rely of getting water on the mountain at this time of year. Bring energy snacks too.

2. Please dress appropriately according to the weather conditions. Bring a good windbreaker. Moisture-management gear is preferable. Plus charged cell phone and a whistle for emergencies.

3. There is very little shade on this route so take precautions against the sun.

4. Keep an eye on the path for snakes (and, obviously, don’t stand on them).

5. Even more dangerous than snakes, please keep your eyes out for mountain bikers in the Tokai Forest area. Please be courteous and try and keep out of their way as they will be moving at greater speed and it is easier for us to leap out of the way than for them to change direction at speed. And we can hear them long before they are aware of us.

6. Fill in the register for starting out.

7. Please be aware that trail running and related activities are inherently riskier and more dangerous than road running. You are participating in these runs voluntarily and whilst acsis VOB and the organisers of the runs take all reasonable precautions to ensure runner safety, it can never be fully guaranteed. To this end, acsis VOB and the organisers personally cannot be held liable for claims relating to injuries, disabilities and deaths, inter alia, that may occur during these events. You are participating entirely at your own risk. Please ensure that you are medically fit to be participating and make sure that you are properly kitted out for each particular run so as not to place yourself at undue risk.

8. Bring ICE cold be’erages for afterwards.

TABLE MOUNTAIN TRAILERS

THEY’RE BACK after their Festive Season Break !!!!! For those not “in the know”, this is the acsis VOB-organised medium distance, slower group which is organised by Peter Rogers and led by Peter, Gaeleen Tompkins, Sandra Ackland and Neil Garbers.

Details from Peter:

“Rendezvous and Start Time

RV in the Arboretum parking area ready to start running at 0630 on Saturday 14 January 2012.

Terrain and Distance

As this will be our first run in the New Year we will start with a relatively easy run along the contour trails in the Tokai Forest on gravel roads with a few bush trails. Inevitably some uphill work to be done to access the upper levels. Distance about 11 kms taking us more or less about 2hrs 15min.

Special Notices

I use a Google-mail Group to send out these notices so if you no longer wish to receive them please use the unsubscribe facility at the end of this message. (This is only for people already on his mailing list)
Please be aware that trail running is inherently riskier and more dangerous than road running. You are participating in these runs voluntarily and whilst acsis VOB and the organisers of the runs take all reasonable precautions to ensure runner safety, it can never be fully guaranteed. To this end, acsis VOB and the organisers personally cannot be held liable for any claims whatsoever relating to injuries, disabilities and deaths, inter alia, that may occur during these events. You participate in the acsis VOB organised trail runs entirely at your own risk.
Please ensure that you are medically fit to be participating and make sure that you are properly kitted out for each particular run so as not to place yourself at undue risk.
Although each runner is responsible for their own safety in the event that an accident occurs or one or more runners get lost then all runners are expected to assist in the search and recovery.

looking forward to seeing you all again next week

--Peter”

FEEDBACK FROM CONSTANTIA NEK TO BLOCKHOUSE AND BACK RUN

I am suffering from total writer’s block so cut me some slack here. This was a relatively incident-free run despite being quite a long and hot trek with at least two of us setting out with major, thumping hangovers. It was pretty much all a blur with me trotting along at the back watching everyone else whenever they felt they had had enough (that is the beauty of this run). I do remember seeing Katya coming back at a gentle pace i.e. the speed of sound rather than the speed of light this week. I also remember turning at the turnstile below the Blockhouse and then suddenly I was sitting drinking something that tasted like beer (WARNING: beer is addictive, bad for you and will make you talk nonsense and also look like us ……….Michael, Kevin, Douglas, myself etc………..don’t say you haven’t been warned. Don’t drink and drive blah blah blah) in the car park with the usual bad influences and a couple of newcomers (a big welcome to all of you). In fact one of the newcomers, a certain Kerry, was sporting a recently bliksem’d knee oozing just enough blood to earn her the Sailing Sandra Award (aka The Dancing Daisy Award) for the day. Well done Kerry. We all felt very sorry for you until you jumped into a big fancy car and sped off to a breakfast at a swanky restaurant in Hout Bay while the rest of us rummaged through the bins and scrounged bruised fruit off the hawkers. The sympathy was then over. Lekker run though. Thanks everyone.

Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 7 JANUARY 2012 - CONSTANTIA NEK TO KING'S BLOCKHOUSE AND BACK

2012-01-03T10:00:00.001+02:00

Good Morning Everyone and a very Happy New Year

We are going to kick off the New Year with something a bit flatter than usual, mainly because there is a HUGE road race on the Sunday which lots of regulars like to run i.e. The Bay to Bay. And because we will do an Out-and-Back Course, those wishing to do a shorter run can turn any time they like. Be warned though, that because it is a bit flatter, the pace inevitably creeps up a bit so it is not a slower run, just a flatter one.

SATURDAY 7 JANUARY 2012 – CONSTANTIA NEK TO KING’S BLOCKHOUSE AND BACK

Start Time and Place

06h30 sharp start and Constantia Nek car park.

Route

We will keep this as simple as possible to avoid losing people who want to turn back early. It is essentially doing the OLD Table Mountain Challenge Leg 2 (i.e. excluding the murderous detour up Rooikat Ravine) in reverse and then the right way around. We will follow the higher jeep track over to Cecilia “Forest” and then up to the top of the gum trees at the border with Kirstenbosch. Then we just follow the contour path through Nursery Ravine, Skeleton Gorge, Window Gorge and then up the little climb known fondly as The Aloes (for those who love aloes) and then just keep following the path through little ravines to the turnstile below the King’s Blockhouse and above Rhodes Memorial. Then turn around and run back. It is marginally easier running back.

Distance

The full route is just shy of 20km. If you turn just after Window Gorge and just before The Aloes climb then you should get about 10km.

Time

Give yourself 3 ½ hours for the full route.

Difficulty

Easy enough but there is a lot of single track so the distance can tire the legs.

Important Notes

1. Please dress appropriately for the weather conditions. This is a more forgiving run in terms of cold but if it’s raining you get VERY wet and if it’s hot you can get very hot and it gets humid under the trees.

2. Please make sure you are carrying enough water for the whole run and more, especially if it is hot.

3. When you are running the boardwalk sections in the Newlands area please be very careful as these can be very slippery and the walkways camber the wrong way i.e. outwards so that they are often tilted towards a nasty drop.

4. The closer you get to The Blockhouse the more you move into mugger territory. We need to stay in groups and be very aware of our surroundings. I recommend carrying a whistle in your hand. Blow it loudly if you become isolated and worried.

5. Remember the sunblock and cap.

6. Fill out the attendance register before setting out.

7. Have fun.

8. Bring ICE cold refreshments for afterwards.

9. Please be aware that trail running and related activities are inherently riskier and more dangerous than road running. You are participating in these runs voluntarily and whilst acsis VOB and the organisers of the runs take all reasonable precautions to ensure runner safety, it can never be fully guaranteed. To this end, acsis VOB and the organisers personally cannot be held liable for claims relating to injuries, disabilities and deaths, inter alia, that may occur during these events. You are participating entirely at your own risk. Please ensure that you are medically fit to be participating and make sure that you are properly kitted out for each particular run so as not to place yourself at undue risk.

FEEDBACK ON CHAIRMAN’S RUN – TRAIL VERSION

It seems that we can be guaranteed at least one day of rain each January and know exactly which day it is. It will be the exact day we plan to have the Chairman’s Run. It is usually a delight running in the rain but it is just nicer to start before it starts raining. This was not to be. From the time we drove into the shadow of the mountain it started raining. Not heavy rain but enough to get you (and the attendance register) nice and wet within minutes. Willow was looking particularly forlorn sitting in the rain as she waited for us to start. 23 of us started up towards the contour path and slowly the rain eased. It was one of those glorious mornings in the natural forest on the contour path where there had been enough overnight rain to have the streams flowing strongly but not making them too difficult to cross. So the feet were soon soaked in surprisingly cold water. No-one was complaining though. Then came the dreaded boardwalk. The soaking overnight rain meant slippery boardwalks and those who had not experienced the phenomenon before soon learnt why the others were suddenly taking much shorter strides and weren’t making any sudden turns. No less than three runners went clattering to the woodwork. No serious injuries, just bruises and a particularly spine chilling shriek from Mariette as she started skidding towards that nasty drop-off mentioned above. It’s amazing how deeply human fingernails can sink into hard wood when the need arises but she managed to claw her way back and we decided to walk most of the remaining boardwalk.

We got to the turnstiles below the Blockhouse with no further incidents and here we met up with one of the Chairman’s Run road running groups en route to Signal Hill. At this point Richard Acheson decided to demonstrate his running versatility by abandoning us to run in to Signal Hill with the roadies. Down to 22 runners. Just before the climb to Oppelskop Traverse Mariette and Odile decided that they had had enough of splashing through puddles and that it was time to head back. They dropped down onto Tafelberg Road and headed back to the cars. We reckoned that in that weather, the muggers were still snuggled up in bed. They got back safely. Down to 20 runners and Mike and I had to try and play catch up. By the time we caught up with Jane who was waiting patiently at Saddle Rock, the group was down to 5. It seems that the main group had split in three and all gone slightly different routes. The crossing of the Saddle was a very damp trek. They say that plants are largely made up of water. It appears that these bushes were made up entirely of water. The fact that is was no longer raining went largely unnoticed as we were still getting soaked. By the time we got to the top of Newlands Ravine we had mostly regrouped and only the faster group (Ewers, Ronnie and Dampies et al) was missing……….ah well……..

The descent of Newlands Ravine was another slippery affair with lots of whoops, screams and a little good-humoured swearing. We regrouped briefly at the picnic table and decided that the best way would be the most direct route and set off straight downhill and all arrived safely in the car park to find the faster group already there not drinking beer at all.

Beautiful run. Lesson of the day was that we definitely need two group leaders for that run to look after the large variety of pace amongst those who attended. Perhaps next year we can twist a few arms?

Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

LAST ONE FOR 2011: JOURNEY TRAILS / MATES RUN .......acsis VOB CHAIRMAN'S RUN.......BASIC CLIMBING COURSES

2011-12-29T10:09:00.001+02:00

Good morning Everyone

Here is the last word (or two) for 2011 at last.

In this email:

1. JOURNEY TRAIL / MATES RUN – 31 DECEMBER 2011

2. acsis VOB CHAIRMAN’S RUN (TRAIL VERSION) – 2 JANUARY 2012

3. acsis VOB Trail Running comment on “B grade” scrambling routes on our runs in future

4. TONY LOURENS COURSES ON EASY SCRAMBLING TECHNIQUES AND BASIC ROPE WORK FOR EASY CLIMBS (particularly on Table Mountain)

5. “TRAIL” MAGAZINE

1. SATURDAY 31 DECEMBER 2011 – MATES NEWLANDS FOREST / NEWLANDS RAVINE / SADDLE / KING’S BLOCKHOUSE

Feedback: For certain Scottish reasons which I shall not go into (what goes on Newlands Ravine stays in Newlands Ravines) our run didn’t quite shape out as we planned it. We still had a lot of laughs and had a good time, but that leaves us in the unique position that we don’t have to plan a new route this weekend because we have the means available to cut and paste last week’s run. And so that is what we shall do J

This will be a very special event indeed for two reasons: It will be the last run of 2011 which was a very nice running year for some of us, and it will also be the absolute last time that we get to run on the 31st of December of ANY year. Yes, facts are facts, the Mayans said that the world is going to end on the 23^rd of December next year. So be there or be square!

Run Leaders

The run will be led by Douglas Rossouw, Michael Ohlsson and Jane Holdcroft.

Start Time and Place

06h30 start from the car park at the Newlands Forestry Station (where the helipad is as well as the VWS offices) on Union Avenue, Newlands.

Route

Up to contour path along to and up Newlands Ravine, over saddle to one of the traverses, round to Block House and home via Newlands forest or Contour path- will decide when we get there.

Running Times

3 hours +-

Bring all the usual clobber like water, snacks proper clothes and kit and of course, ICE cold beer.

2. MONDAY 2 JANUARY 2011 – acsis VOB CHAIRMAN’S RUN (TRAIL VERSION)

Start Time and Place

06h30 (sharp) start from the car park at the Newlands Forestry Station (where the helipad is as well as the VWS offices) on Union Avenue, Newlands.

Route

We will make our way up to the contour path and around to the turnstile just below the King’s Blockhouse. Up to the Blockhouse and then take the Lower Contour Path around Oppelskop Ridge and over to Kloof Corner. From there, whoever has organised picnics and lifts will proceed to Signal Hill to join the road runners and families for picnics. Whoever wants to return to the start will turn and head back along the contour path to the split on the Devil’s Peak side of Platteklip. Proceed up and across The Saddle then down Newlands Ravine to the cars for ICE cold beers.

Distance

About 15km to Signal Hill. Maybe a little more.

For those doing the return trip, well, it depends where we choose to turn but we can make it anywhere between 15 – 25km of relatively easy stuff.

Running Time

Probably about 2 ½ hours to Signal Hill.

For those doing the return trip, I guess you know me well enough by now to know that I don’t really know. 3 hours? Ish?

Difficulty

Easy stuff as trail runs go.

Important Notes

1. Make sure you are carrying enough water for the full distance you are running. I would suggest a minimum of 2 litres unless you want to risk ecoli-belly (drinking from the now sparse streams) for the New Year’s Eve.

2. Dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Last year it was freezing and poured with rain. Make sure you check the weather report and as I always say, also stick your head out of the window on the morning as you are getting ready. At the end of the day it boils down to common sense.

3. Take the usual precautions against the sun. Don’t be embarrassed by headgear. Roger Steele wears something like Darryl Cullinan used to wear on a cricket field but he still runs faster than most people I know. People will just think you’re eccentric (which is cool) and in most cases they would be right.

4. Watch out for snakes on the paths or if you dash off into the bushes to do what the CEO is famous for.

5. Don’t forget that the Blockhouse area is Mugger-land so let’s be careful there and stick together. You can put the hammer down when we get onto the Lower Contour after the Blockhouse.

6. If you are returning to Newlands Forest, remember the ICE cold beer.

3. SOME FUN ON A SERIOUS NOTE FOR THE NEW YEAR plus SCRAMBLING / EASY ROCK CLIMBING COURSES 2012

Some of you will have noticed that occasionally our runs have been taking in some more “interesting” sections (some would call scary or even dangerous). MATES have been doing the same but they have some experienced rock climbers in their group who provide the necessary assistance / advice for the less experienced scramblers. This has not necessarily been the case in the acsis VOB Group.

But rather than abandon doing these spectacular paths we have decided to approach the issue in the following way:

a. On the basis that we are a trail running group and not a rock climbing group, GENERALLY our Saturday runs will NOT contain these tricky sections very often. We will just use them to spice things up from time to time;

b. However, when we do take these scary paths on, we will not be tackling anything worse than a “B” scramble on any of our runs. To give you an idea of what a B scramble is, this includes Agatha’s Gully (on the MATES CEO’s Christmas Run), India - Venster, Right Face - Arrow Face Traverse, Carrell’s Ledge and the ascent of Devil’s Peak via Mowbray Ridge. This puts The Ledges route OUT of range for us unless we do a small party of interested runners only. The Ledges is a “C” scramble / climb on which a rope is not absolutely necessary but is highly recommended.

c. We will always try and have a safe / easy detour for runners to follow around the scary bits;

d. If there are no easy detours then this will be specified upfront;

e. I (Tim) will be doing a course (see below) on safe scrambling techniques and rope work for easy climbs so that I am more than prepared / trained to assist runners on these easier scrambles if they start freezing up and panicking etc.

f. And of course, once again I need to draw your attention to our little club disclaimer: “Please be aware that trail running and related activities are inherently riskier and more dangerous than road running. You are participating in these runs voluntarily and whilst acsis VOB and the organisers of the runs take all reasonable precautions to ensure runner safety, it can never be fully guaranteed. To this end, acsis VOB and the organisers personally cannot be held liable for claims relating to injuries, disabilities and deaths, inter alia, that may occur during these events. You are participating entirely at your own risk. Please ensure that you are medically fit to be participating and make sure that you are properly kitted out for each particular run so as not to place yourself at undue risk.”

Now because we have had a very good response to these quite challenging bits on runs I am investigating doing some courses on basic scrambling and rope techniques (as mentioned above) which will enable people to tackle “C” (The Ledges and Spring Buttress etc) and even “D” grade (easy rock climbs with ropes) with confidence and competence. Sonia Beard has put me in touch with Tony Lourens who is going to send me some information on his courses. For those of you who don’t know about Tony, he is the author of “Table Mountain Classics”. If you are interested in details of unusual and exciting routes on Table Mountain then I highly recommend that you get your hands on the latest updated version (2011) of this book. I have been messing around on the mountain for the best part of 30 years and he has come up with lots of relatively easy routes that I have never even heard of or imagined. I can’t wait to get out there and try them out.

However, the main point here is: If you are interested in joining me in doing a course or two on safe scrambling techniques and basic rope-work for easy climbs then please let me know and I will send you the details and co-ordinate convenient dates and times. Why wait for other people to help you? Learn to do it yourself and then help others.

TRAIL MAGAZINE

For those who haven’t seen it yet, South Africa’s first magazine strictly on Trail Running has been launched by the same publishers as “Go Multi”. Unsurprisingly, it is called “Trail”. It is available at CNA, Dischem and a few other places (check out www.trailmag.co.za ). It’s actually a great read. What is particularly impressive about it is the trail runner models that they have used for some of their action photos. Check out page 52 in particular…………….. J.

Have an awesome and above all, safe, New Year’s Eve Everyone and I will see you all on the trails in the New Year.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

MATES RUNS THIS COMING WEEKEND + acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY - MARCH 2012

2011-12-22T12:00:00.001+02:00

Hi Everyone

FRIDAY 23 DECEMBER 2011 – THE MATES / CRAG SUNSET SKYLINE TRAIL RUN

If you are unsure of whether or not it is still on, you can either just pitch up as they suggest, and do an alternative run OR contact MATES (in this case mkleynhans@gmail.com) directly OR drop me (Tim) an email and I will try and find out from Cher or Martin.

“So our little jaunt up Mowbray Ridge and Ledges didn't happen as planned last week due to rain. So we are going to do it plus a little extra this coming Friday evening 23rd!

If you are interested in coming, pay close attention to all the details - this is NOT your usual CRAG-type run! If you struggle with heights or rock scrambling, give this one a skip and we'll see you next year at the first Crags. If putting your life on a tiny little ledge is more your style and you fancy yourself as the mountaineering type, then see if you can join us.

Route: Up the front of Devil's Peak on Mowbray Ridge to the summit (some scrambling and exposure to heights) from the Blockhouse. Then down the other side and up Ledges to MacClears (even more serious scrambling and exposure to heights). Run the front face, admiring the setting sun and twinkling city lights, and down dependent on visibility, speed and energy, either Kloof Corner (chains and exposure to heights) or India Venster. Run the contour path back around to the Block House and down to Rhodes Memorial and then down to the cars in UCT. The scrambles are 3-5 meters at Ledges and the chains at Kloof Corner are about 5 m and way harder than India Venster or Lions Head, so be warned. We are going at a comfortable pace so we can admire the changing light on our amazing mountain and beautiful peninsula. Cher will set the pace, so don't stress that I'm leading and she says she wants to see the views :-)

Duration: Plus minus 4-5 hours (BRING HEADLAMPS!!! And of course water/food for duration. Not likely to be any good water on this route at this time of year).

Start Time: 17:00.

Start Location: Sports Hall/Info Centre, UCT Upper Campus (lots of parking space, secure and the cars won't be locked in like they would at Rhodes Mem).

Extra Info: Due to the extremity of this run, if the weather is bad, we won't go! If you're unsure, show up anyway and we can make a decision to do a lower mountain run or take on the full route.

And one last time, just in case you missed it earlier in the message, this is not the usual CRAG style run. It has some serious cliff exposure and rock scrambling - be ready for that if you join. Oh yes and this is 100% at your own risk.

Cheers
Your questionably intrepid leaders Martin and Cher!”

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2011 – MATES NEWLANDS FOREST / NEWLANDS RAVINE / SADDLE / KING’S BLOCKHOUSE

Run Leaders

The run will be led by Douglas Rossouw, Michael Ohlsson and Jane Holdcroft.

Start Time and Place

06h30 start from the car park at the Newlands Forestry Station (where the helipad is as well as the VWS offices) on Union Avenue, Newlands.

Route

Up to contour path along to and up Newlands Ravine, over saddle to one of the traverses, round to Block House and home via Newlands forest or Contour path- will decide when we get there.

Running Times

3 hours +-

Bring all the usual clobber like water, snacks proper clothes and kit and of course, ICE cold beer.

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING SCHEDULE OF SATURDAY RUNS FOR JANUARY – MARCH 2012

Please find attached hereto. Note that these might change closer to the time but it is largely representative of what we will be doing. Any changes will be advertised in plenty of time before the run.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING - CHILL TIME

2011-12-19T09:11:00.001+02:00

Good morning All

MONDAY HILL TRAINING

Today will be the last hill run for the year. To round things off we will be sticking to the theme of “trying to doing things a little differently”. We will start up Platteklip Gorge but then at about half way up we will traverse out to the right in the direction of the Right face Arrow Face Traverse. We will probably have a sniff around to see if we can find the start of the ledge from this side but will then retrace our footsteps a little and descend via either Yellowstone Gully or Union Ravine. No undue exposure to terrifying heights and precipitous drop-offs on this run. Now this is not entirely guesswork. The route is taken from the 1972 (yes, some of us were alive in 1972) Mountain Club of SA Table Mountain Guide book (see extract attached) which features many routes that do not appear in route books today. One must ask why but I guess we will find out soon enough. We will be exploring some of these old routes in 2012. So there is lots of exciting stuff to come in the New Year to spice up our existing routes.

So today we start at 17h15 from the car park at the foot of Platteklip Gorge on Tafelberg Road. It is just under 2km past the Lower Cable Station.

Please let me know if you are going to attend.

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNS FROM NOW UNTIL 31 DECEMBER 2011

………………………..………………………………

Hahahaha! Okay, I think it’s time for a short break. My body is telling me it is time to sit and drink beer without having to go for a run first.

I know Jane Holdcroft is keen to do a run this coming Saturday (24 December) but I am going to schedule in all of my Christmas shopping for Saturday morning (after a long sip of Rescue Remedy). So it is quite possible that Jane will be taking a run or that MATES will organise one or even a combo between the two…..although Jane is a MATES runner………oh, you know what I mean……. In that case I will send the details out as soon as they are available.

I will also be circulating the schedule of acsis VOB-organised runs for January 2012 fairly shortly too, so this is not the last you’ll be hearing from me this year.

FEEDBACK FROM THE SILVERMINE NORTH / WEST RUN

We couldn’t have picked a more perfect day for this run. Glorious weather. Bright sunshine with just a very gentle breeze to cool things off. 22 of us set off down toward the mountain bike car park. Half way up Steenberg Ridge we were 23. Huh ? Yes…….. Then the big climb. Good grief but that climb to the mast is longer than I remember. You know you’re having a sluggish day when you get to the regroup point at the tar road and someone (not sure if it was Jackie or Dirk) had brewed up a pot of tea !!!!! That is definitely a first. No, I lie, Michele Priestman did it once but that was when she was doing a gentle run at the back. These two were at the front! Nevertheless, years of gentle abuse from my trail running colleagues have hardened me to these “insults” and so we soon set off again light hearts and heavy legs.

At the very highest point of the run, the fence around the Mast, Allison Lamb was overcome with the excitement of: having conquered the climb / her new trail shoes / altitude sickness / all of the above and slammed herself into the ground, as one does when excited. I must say that I expected the Sailing Sandra to come on the descent to Blackburn Ravine but no, Allison stole a yard on the rest of the pack and displayed just the right amount of blood and pain to not be in any danger and yet convincingly scoop herself a Sailing Sandra Award. I didn’t actually see the fall but the usual agents of treachery drew my attention to the incident and of course the wounds could not be hidden when we were swimming in the Dam afterwards. Well done Allison. Glad it was no worse though.

At the regroup at the Blackburn Ravine platform we decided to split the pack. The run had been very technical to that point and some seemed keen to stretch the legs out a bit so half of the pack decided to head down the stone highway so they could do a bit of a gallop on jeep track up and over past Noordhoek Peak and then down to the Dam. The rest of us took the more technical Panorama Trail over towards Noordhoek Peak (a tradition at this time of year). After a shortish while we saw in the distance ahead of us the group who elected to RUN the jeep track……….they were WALKING!!!!! HAH !!!!!

It was absolutely perfect at Noordhoek Peak. Sunny, wind-free and so clear you could see forever. This is fairly rare at this time of year as the peak is often plagued by a brisk south-easter. But by now we were all thinking of the Dam and a refreshing dip followed by ICE cold beer. So we picked the shortest route and headed straight down and over Crassula Ridge / Hillcrest Path and down to the Dam, plunged in and then basked in the sun.

What a way to end the year. Thanks everyone for a great run and great company.

WRAP UP

I know I will be seeing some of you at the Manor House 16km on Family Day / Boxing Day but I guess I won’t be seeing most of you until next year now. So it just remains for me to leave you with the following:

First of all, to all of you who have supported these runs over the last year, thank you and it has been wonderful having you along on the runs. They would have been very lonely Saturday mornings without you. A group of runners slugging down beer in a car park early on a Saturday morning is very socially acceptable. One person on their own is just weird and a bit sad. J

To all of those who have assumed responsibilities of leading groups, whether formally like Jane, Mike and Douglas have done over the year or informally when a run has split up on a particular day, a massive thank you. And also a big thank you to the MATES crew with whom we have worked so well and seamlessly over the last year. Often one couldn’t tell whether the Saturday run was a VOB run or a MATES run. And quite honestly, did it really matter ? Thanks everyone.

To those celebrating Christmas, have a blessed and peaceful Christmas. Don’t hold back but be safe. To those who are simply taking a break, have a wonderful chill out and come back rejuvenated and stronger for having had some rest (and probably a bit fatter…..not that you’re fat now, you understand…….of course not…..no…..).

Have a fantastic, successful, happy and, very particularly, an injury-free (the usual scrapes, bumps and bruises don’t count) New Year Everyone.

Cheers for now and have a great week.

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 17 DECEMBER 2011 - SILVERMINE NORTH / WEST plus MATES NIGHT RUN

2011-12-12T09:49:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone

MONDAY HILL TRAINING

This is the penultimate hill run for the year.

Today we will do Devils Peak. 17h15 start from The Saddle car park on Tafelberg Road, about 3km past the lower cable station.

Next week we will do Platteklip as far as the traverse to Yellowstone Gully. We will traverse across towards Right Face / Arrow Face but WILL NOT do the ledge. I am so OVER ledges for the year. Instead we will descend via Yellowstone Gully and Union Ravine with a short dash back along the contour path to Platteklip. Probably nothing potentially fatal on this run.

SATURDAY 17 DECEMBER 2011 – DOUBLE HEADER (SLIVERMINE NORTH / WEST) and MATES NIGHT RUN

I was going to cancel the acsis VOB run in favour of just teaming up with MATES for the evening run. But then I discovered, with my busy social schedule, that I can’t do the night run as I am due to attend a small soiree on Saturday evening. I guess it’s just that time of year……. So I will be doing a lighter, shorter run in the morning for those who feel like doing a warm-up for the main event in the evening. So here are the details for both runs:

Morning run in Silvermine North / West – in lieu of the traditional “Noordhoek Peak Run” which will move to a new timeslot in February.

Start Time and Place

07h15 from the Silvermine Dam car park. You access this through Silvermine Gate 1 / R20 Side. The Gate only opens at 07h00. If you drive up Ou Kaapseweg from Tokai, it is the first turning to your right as you get to the crest of the mountain pass where the road flattens out before the descent to Sun Valley.

Route

From the car park we will head up onto Steenberg Ridge and make our way up to the Elephants Eye path. We will climb past the Elephants Eye and on up to the tar road near the Constantiaberg Mast. From the mast we will descend to the wooden platform at the top of Blackburn Ravine. From there we will take the Panorama Trail over to Noordhoek Peak. From the peak we will decide on a course of action. If it’s hot we will cross the jeep track and head back over to the Dam for a swim. If the day is cold / wet / windy and / or generally miserable we will extend the run a bit with a loop down towards the entrance gate and then run up the River Walk to finish off on.

Distance

About 12 – 15km depending on the weather.

Time

Allow about 3 hours to enjoy the views.

Difficulty

Moderate. One big climb and a few “undulations”.

Important Notes

1. Please carry plenty of water with you and some energy snacks.

2. Please make sure you are properly dressed for the weather conditions and carrying the basic safety equipment (windproof jacket, cell phone, whistle, space blanket).

3. Sun protection is important at this time of year (sunblock and cap).

4. The usual caution about snakes on the path applies. Watch where you put your feet.

5. Bring entrance fee money (about R20) plus a tip for the car guard at the car park. Wild Card will get you in free but still bring a tip for the car guard.

6. Remember there is no cell phone reception at the Start but you can pick signal up from time to time on the route. So don’t be late because you won’t be able to tell us.

7. Bring a costume and towel for a swim in the Dam afterwards if the weather is good.

8. Regardless of the weather, bring ICE cold beer for afterwards.

TABLE MOUNTAIN TRAILERS (Medium Distance Slower Group)

No more runs this year.

MATES EVENING RUN – SATURDAY 17 DECEMBER 2011

“Our buddy Nico Thirion from Pertorsh has asked us to organise a night run for the period while he is in Cape Town so we thought why not? Herewith details:

Where: We will start from the parking lot of the Brass Bell / Kalkbay Station ‘cos there are some cool car guards here.

When: In time to start running at 19H30.

Route: Up a piece of Echo Valley, through Boomslang Cave (waddaya mean you are afraid of the dark?) to emerge in time to see the sunset over Kommetjie. Then Amphitheatre, Tarturus Cave (maybe even in there as well) then over to St James Peak and Muizenberg Peak and stuff. The rest will be made up as we go along.

Duration: About 4 hours.

Pace: It’s night time, so no heroics.

What: Weather appropriate clothes – pack a little bit more warmish things than you think. Snax. Snax breaks are strictly enforced. Camera’s with flash so you can snap the city lights. Water to drink on the run. Here’s the killer – beer for drinking on the rocks afterwards, sez Mike. I think we’re gonna freeze, which is where the warmish stuff comes in.”

DETAILS (REMINDER) OF MATES CEO’S CHRISTMAS RUN

Will be sent out tomorrow with a summary of Other Great Runs for the rest of the year.

FEEDBACK REGARDING THE CONSTANTIA NEK TO MACLEARS BEACON RUN LAST SATURDAY

Well the morning started off innocently enough with us mocking the Norwegian weather report of rain by mid-morning and scoffing at Bronwyn’s warning that Carrell’s Ledge would be wet and slippery. It was a clear, sunny morning after all. Then the tiny warning signs started appearing……….like Sari eating my breakfast which I foolishly put down on a tree stump. Jane leapt into action in a move that I initially thought was to save my breakfast but actually turned out to be a move to split the food evenly between Sari and Willow before Sari chowed the whole thing herself. Fair enough. It wasn’t a very nice bar anyway.

Then Mike walked over to start a conversation with someone who appeared to be Linda Doke. After his opening barrage of light-hearted abuse, she turned around……..and yes, you guessed it…..it wasn’t Linda. Awkward !!!!!!! But you must KNOW how much we enjoyed that.

Then as we headed out of the car park, a car alarm went off and Mark had to dash back to go and sort it out. Then on the first climb a cell phone started ringing (Kevin’s, I rather suspect, although it could have been Paul’s) and I remembered I had left my cell phone on the seat of my car…….*&&^$#@%^&*!!!!!!.....there was NO WAY I was going back to fetch it.

The trip to Bailiff’s Cottage turned out to be a rather sedate walk but thereafter the whip got cracked and we were running. We all managed to hang together up the long climb to just before Maclears Beacon. Then it was decision time. The group of sensible runners under Jane’s guidance decided to give Carrell’s Ledge a complete miss and were to head straight on up to Maclears. The rest started following me down a path to the right………..which turned out to be the wrong path ……… and the mocking began (sigh). I quick adjustment saw us onto the right path. As the path got narrower and narrower I noticed fewer and fewer people following me along the fairly precarious approach path. I got to the start of the ledge and then the eating of words began……Bronwyn was right…..there was water pooled up along the ledge, cascading into the precipitous ravine below. It was looking very slippery indeed. A glance back along the way I had come revealed 15 very concerned faces. Their mouths may have been jeering but their faces were saying “are you seriously expecting us to go there?????”. The tough call: I could not risk taking them onto the ledge in those conditions. All you need is for one person to panic and freeze and it spreads like an infection. Mike, Douglas, Margaret, Kevin et al, being experienced and with solid heads for height, decided to do it anyway and I wasn’t concerned about them. They know what they’re doing. I made my way back along the approach path anticipating the barrage of teasing I suspected was waiting for me but was surprised by friendly response. I suspect it was overwhelming relief. From the vantage point that they saw the Ledge, it looks truly terrifying. In truth, once you are actually on it, it is much less frightening (barring one or two little “step-over” points). It’s the “getting onto the ledge” that is the worst part.

So the bulk of the group did the quick climb to Maclears to find that the sensible runners had displayed even more good sense and were long one. Knowing that I had been over the route with Jane and that they were in excellent hands, this was actually a relief. Far rather that than be faced with a bunch of cold, grumpy runners, frustrated from having to wait. And, as the Norwegians had forecast, the clouds had started to roll in. Yum Yum….more words to eat. So we waited a while for the Christmas Carrellers to join us…..and they never arrived. The crows were starting to circle above us (pretty freaky). Then we saw them at the bottom of the long valley running down towards Devils Peak……but they were heading in the wrong direction. We got into brief cell phone contact in which they professed to be “looking for Maclears Beacon” by heading exactly the wrong way. With a group chuckle we abandoned them (they were fine) and did the awesome scenic path along the north face of the Table as far as Platteklip Gorge. The drop down to Echo Valley at the head of Blinkwater Ravine was stunning and is one that we rarely do. Really beautiful views. Then heading down Echo Valley I was in front……which I hate……..because it is a little overgrown and I have this mortal fear of writhing around in agony after being bitten by a snake so I resorted to trotting like a Lipizzaner. It looks ridiculous and I’m pretty sure it makes no difference at all but just feels safer.

The rest of the run was fairly uneventful and I was confident that there would be no Sailing Sandra Awards. But Mark Allen was determined to leave with a trophy and on the final sprint descent, he hooked the toe of his shoe on one of those treacherous steps and made us all proud. SUPERB effort. The judges all raised their scoreboards: 10….10…..10……10. A perfect performance. After the dust settled he looked like he had had a run in with Hannibal Lecter with a noticeable amount of skin missing. However, Mark seemed more concerned about the trouble he was going to be in when he got home for being so late. I’m sure his wife was waiting for him with a bottle of Friars Balsam,,,,,,,ooooo eina! Well done Mark, the gold medal is yours for the week. Hope you weren’t in too much dwang.

The final joy of the day was just pipping Mike and Kevin to the finish. They had found their bearings and had caught up with us at last. They had been in hot pursuit since spotting us from the top of the mountain and were thundering down behind me. A warning shout from Roger gave me just enough time to put on a little burst of speed to beat them down. No prizes for it but the disappointed on their faces was reward enough. J

Then all such matters were set aside as we quaffed down the ICE cold beers in the car park to the amusement of the passing hikers.

That’s it. Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 10 DECEMBER 2011 - CONSTANTIA NEK TO MACLEARS BEACON AND BACK VIA FRONT TABLE & DAMS

2011-12-05T09:06:00.001+02:00

Good morning Everyone

So here we are again!

NEW BALANCE TRAIL SHOE LUCKY DRAW

The last New Balance Trail Shoe lucky draw took place before the run on Saturday. Once again The Table Mountain Trailers cleaned up and the voucher goes to Allison Lamb. I am sure she has won it before too!

A final HUGE thank you to New Balance for the support and wonderful vouchers this year. Please PLEASE support New Balance in return by buying their awesome gear when you replenish your trail running (and any other sport) stocks and also by supporting their sponsored events.

I know I thanked Katharine Tromp (New Balance) last week as she has been fantastic in organising the vouchers for us. But just because she represents our sponsors doesn’t give her immunity from getting a hiding when she gets out of hand. Here I refer specifically to The New Balance Surfer’s Challenge at Kommetjie yesterday. As we were lining up at the start on Long Beach I heard a familiar voice behind me saying: “Oh I am just going to run to the first rocks and back.” Ladies and gentlemen, that is all of about 1km in total!!!!! No prizes for guessing who that was! Yes indeed. And looking in such fine running form too. SIES Katharine ! J Although I must say that by quarter of the way through the race I was thinking “why the hell didn’t I do the same?”. Particularly tough conditions this year running it on the high tide. Soft sand the whole way (and a small hangover as contributing factor).

MONDAY HILL TRAINING

After last week’s adrenalin rush, this week will be safe and boring in comparison but it has attractions of its own. Stunning 360 degree views of Cape Town, as well as friendly hikers and tourists to chat to and who make us feel tough.

Today is Lion’s Head day. We will start at 17h15 sharp from the Kloof Nek car park just in front of the SANParks Info Centre. We will take the runnable single track to the canons and then start heading up to the left and up to the top. The descent will be along the jeep track. Make sure you bring some water. Please RSVP if you are coming.

SATURDAY 10 DECEMBER 2011 - CONSTANTIA NEK TO MACLEARS BEACON AND BACK VIA FRONT TABLE & DAMS

Start Time and Place

06h00 from Constantia Nek car park. A change from our calendar as advertised a few weeks ago. And yes an early one to beat the heat although generally we seem to be facing gale force south-easters these days. Don’t worry, we don’t do these early starts for long.

Route

Up the steps / Bridle Path to the Hoerikwaggo / Bailiff’s Cottage. Shortly thereafter turn right onto the Puffer Path which we follow all the way up to Maclears Beacon. In keeping with our new edge of danger, there will be an option of doing Carrel’s Ledge just before Maclears if there are any takers and if the wind is not blowing. This ledge has a very similar “brown corduroy” rating as the Right Face – Arrow Face Traverse. My hands are starting to sweat again just thinking about it. We will discuss it further on the day. From Maclears we will take the path along the top of the front face of Table Mountain so we can enjoy the views. We end up at Platteklip Gorge where we will head down left into Echo Valley. Then left again down Echo Valley and then right over to the dams. Around Hely-Hutchinson Dam and down Ash Valley back to the Puffer Path and then down the steps to the cars.

Safe short routes are available. On the way out to Maclears, short route runners can turn up any of four valleys to come out at the dams and take the cement road back to the start.

Distance

About 20km?

Running Time

3 ½ hours?

Difficulty

Moderate

Important Notes

1. Carrying water is paramount at this time of year. As this is a longish run, snacks are necessary too and I promise not to make facetious comments about “is this a run or a picnic?”.

2. Please wear appropriate clothing for the weather conditions and carry the right gear. We are going to the top of the mountain and it can get very cold up there, even in summer if the south-easter is howling.

3. Snakes are being spotted in abundance in the summer heat. Let’s just keep an eye where we are putting our feet.

4. Protection from the sun – sunblock and a cap.

5. Please sign in on the register before starting out.

6. Rehydration supplies for afterwards, especially ICE cold beer.

REPORT BACK ON SATURDAY 3 DECEMBER 2011: KARBONKELBERG / SUTHER PEAK / SANDY BAY LOOP

As is becoming tradition. This will have to wait until tomorrow. Busy time of year so will sit down at my pc tonight. Sorry about that.

Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 3 DECEMBER 2011 - KARBONKELBERG / SUTHER PEAK / SANDY BAY / HOUT BAY DUNES

2011-11-28T11:23:00.001+02:00

Hi Everyone

Can you believe that December is just about upon us ? Of course this means that the time is here for our final New Balance Trail Shoe Lucky Draw. This will take place before the run on Saturday. Two things:

· A huge thank you New Balance for their support this year and for sponsoring pairs of trail running shoes for our bi-monthly lucky draw. As always, we strongly encourage you to support New Balance in return by buying their high quality trail running (and other sport) products whenever you are considering a purchase. Thank you to New Balance and especially Katharine Tromp for all of her help during the year.

· As usual we will have a prize for the first trail runner who presents themselves to me in FULL New Balance attire this Saturday morning. No chancers like we’ve had in the past, please. Chancers will be forced to down a warm beer BEFORE the run. If you can’t drink alcohol, then it will be a glass of cod liver oil (apparently its good for you). If you are a vegetarian then it will be olive oil.

MONDAY HILL TRAINING

This evening we will be doing a new route. We will start at the Lower Cable Station in the tourist coach parking area just before the cable station on Tafelberg Road. We will climb up to the contour path and then head straight on up India – Venster to the point where we break off left onto the Right Face – Arrow Face Traverse (in our case it will be the other way around). Once across this “sensational traverse” we will descend Yellowstone Gully and Union Ravine to the contour path and drop back down to the cars.

Start 17h15 sharp.

Please note that there is some exposure to heights on this one but certainly nothing worse than we did last Saturday. J

Please let me know if you are attending.

SATURDAY 3 DECEMBER 2011 – KARBONKELBERG / SUTHER PEAK / SANDY BAY / HOUT BAY DUNES

Start Time and Place

Hout Bay Harbour at 06h30 sharp. Drive past Mariners Wharf in the direction of The Sentinel and take the next turning left into the harbour parking area. Once through the gate we will park just off to the left.

Route

We will follow the Hout Bay Trail Challenge Leg 1 route up to the Karbonkelberg Radar Station and then across to Suther Peak. From there we drop down to the Hout Bay dunes. From the dunes we traverse left on the gravel jeep track, all the way to the end it. Then we drop down to the coastline and follow the narrow track back to the Sandy Bay beach. Once across the beach we climb back up to the top of the Hout Bay dunes again which we follow down to the houses and then onto the tar for a run in to the harbour through the residential area.

Distance

About 15 – 20km. I’ll tell you afterwards. A short route of about 11km can be devised by cutting out the Sandy Bay loop.

Running Time

Allow 3 to 3 ½ hours.

Difficulty

Moderate.

Important Points

1. Please carry enough water and food for the full run. As far as I know there is no water on this route. 500ml is normally not nearly enough, especially if it is hot.

2. Please dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Let me know if you are in any doubt as to what you should be wearing.

3. Cap and sunblock are highly recommended.

4. There have been muggings in this area so I ask you with tears in my eyes to PLEASE STAY IN GROUPS and be aware of your surroundings!

5. Lots of single track in an area that is not hiked nearly as much as Table Mountain so snakes are not as runner-friendly as other parts of the mountain. Keep a wary eye out for them. If you see one, stop and scream. I don’t know if this is the right thing to do but it certainly seems popular.

6. Please bring a few rand for entrance fee to the harbour (although the “authorities” may not be there at that time to collect) and also a tip for the enthusiastic car guards.

7. Please sign in on the register before starting out on the run.

REPORT BACK ON THE FREE PIQUES RUN

Will have to send this through tomorrow. I forgot to type it out yesterday and am a little pressed for time today. Sorry about that. It was a very interesting run!

Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: VOB FREE PIQUES

2011-11-21T09:32:00.001+02:00

Good morning Everyone

See feedback on last Saturday’s run attached.

MONDAY HILL TRAINING

Today we are going to take advantage of the cooler weather and hoof it up Devils Peak from The Saddle car park starting at 17h15 sharp. Please let me know if you will be joining me.

SATURDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2011 – VOB FREE PIQUES CHALLENGE

Start Time and Place

I know you’re going to hate this at first but if the weather is anything like last Saturday then you will thank me. We are going for a 06h00 start at the Platteklip Gorge car park on Tafelberg Road. This is just shy of 2km past the Lower Cable Station, driving towards Devils Peak.

The Route

What we are trying to achieve here is to do something akin to the Pensioner’s 3 Peaks but with more running sections so we can stretch those legs out a bit instead of doing straight up and down three times. It also gives runners the option of doing 1, 2 or all 3 Peaks depending on your time constraints and / or fitness.

Leg 1: Up to the contour path in Platteklip and then, turning left, take the Lower contour path around Oppelskop Ridge to the King’s Blockhouse. From here it will be straight up the Mowbray Ridge to where the path splits for the Upper Contour Path. Here we will make things interesting. Those with a fear of heights will take the upper contour path (right) around to The Saddle and then climb to the top of Devils Peak. The rest will “race” them by taking the Knife Edge and then the minor scramble on the Newlands side of the mountain which comes out more or less at the summit. From the summit we will drop down onto The Saddle and then down to the contour path and back to Platteklip car park.

Leg 2: As a recovery run we will cross Tafelberg Road and run down through Deer Park to Kloof Nek and then take the shortest route up Lion’s Head. Back down to Kloof Nek (where there is a tap to top up water supplies) and then up Kloof Corner to the contour path which we follow back to Platteklip Gorge.

Leg 3: For those with sufficient energy and time, the hike up Platteklip awaits with a dash across to Maclears Beacon via the shortest route and then back along the north edge of the mountain to Platteklip and back down to the car park.

Of course the order of events may change, especially if it is a stinking hot day. But we will be as democratic as possible about this.

Running Time

Quite a long time, really, but it can be made manageable by just doing one or two of the three legs. Probably about 2 hours per leg.

Distance

Each Leg must be about 10km but perhaps Mr McPherson, being the a seasoned Pensioner’s 3 Peaks campaigner, can provide more accurate info which I will confirm on Friday.

Difficulty

Devils Peak: Moderate to tough.

Lions Head: Moderate

Table Mountain: Moderate to tough.

All three in succession: Tough (probably very tough).

Important Notes

1. We cannot emphasise enough how important it is to carry sufficient water on these runs. Although the distances don’t sound all that far, if it is hot you will go through a lot of water very quickly. You cannot rely on mountain streams at this time of year, despite the rain we’ve had. I reckon you could easily go through 2 litres per leg on this run. This is why we return to Platteklip each time. Bring a water bottle to keep in your car in order to top up your hydration pack.

2. If you are attempting more than one Leg you will require nutrition on this run. Each to their own but bring food. No collapsing on the mountain please. We’ll feed you to the snakes.

3. Bring proper gear / kit / clothing. Moisture management clothing, windproof / waterproof jacket / space blanket / whistle / cell phone.

4. Sunscreen and cap / hat.

5. Ear plugs if you don’t like swearing.

6. Scottish / English dictionary.

7. Sense of humour.

8. ICE cold beers for afterwards. Robyn, just two for you this time.

9. Please fill in the register before starting out.

Table Mountain Trailers (aka acsis VOB Shortish Route Slower Group): Saturday 26th November: Glencairn-Kleinplaas Dam circuit

Route
After the hard runs of the last two Saturdays this is a reasonably easy circular route around the koppies behind Glencain and Red Hill and passing the Kleinplaas dam before picking up the Puffer route back to the start.

Rendezvous and Start Time
RV in the parking area on top of Black Hill on the South side of the M6 or Glencain Expressway.

Ready to start at 0630

How to get there? From the Fish Hoek/Sun Valley side follow the M6 through the traffic lights at the Fish Hoek-Kommetjie intesection and head up Black Hill. At the crest of the hill look out for the parking area on your right and park close to the big SAN Parks sign at the far end of the parking area.

Terrain and Distance
Reasonably easy undulating bush trails with a few modest hills. Some sandy stretches and a short distances on tar and farm tracks. Distance about 14kms taking us more or less about 2hrs 30m.

Warning!
Summer is here now and most of the rivers and streams are drying up so we cannot count on finding water on our runs. Dehydration is a real risk during trail runs so from now on each runner is required to carry their own water bottle or hydration pack during our runs. And don't forget those whistles!

Peter Rogers

That’s all for now. Have a great week, Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2011 - SILVERMINE SOUTH / EAST

2011-11-14T09:33:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone

SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2011 – SILVERMINE SOUTH / EAST (GATE 2 / THE R5 GATE / THE MUIZENBERG SIDE OF OUKAAPSEWEG)

Start Time and Place

07h15 from the car park just inside Silvermine Gate 2. If you come up Ou Kaapseweg from Tokai: when you reach the top of the pass the road flattens out for a short while, you pass the turn-off on the right which leads to Gate 1 and then the road starts dropping into the Silvermine Valley. As it begins to drop you will see a road sign indicating a road coming in from the left. Gently start applying brakes because it comes up rather suddenly on a leftward bend in the road and there on the left you will see a gravel road with a gate across it. A pleasant gentleman should be in attendance but only from 07h00; hence the slightly later start. He will require a R5 entrance fee. Although technically a Wild Card should get you in free, be nice and give him R5 anyway for being there to keep the “wildlife” away from the cars. The car park is just inside the gate.

Route

We will keep it a bit shorter to cater for any Sky Runners who are looking for a lighter leg-stretch after their magnificent efforts this last weekend. Well done to everyone who participated in it.

From the car park we will head off left and climb the little valley east of Wolfkop and from there we will skirt the Higher Steenberg Peak and drop down to the “antenna farm” next to the Lower Steenberg Peak. From there we will climb Muizenberg Peak and then descend Pecks Valley o’ a Million Steps. We will then take the contour across to Weary Willy’s Wait (desperately trying to avoid the climb up to Nellie’s Pool). This is where things start becoming a little negotiable. We will start climbing Echo Valley. If we have the services of Douglas and Michael we will try and find “that other cave” that Douglas was going to show us last time we were in this area. If not, we can either potter around looking for it or we can head straight up Echo Valley to the Amphitheatre. From there we will continue our Tour de Valleys by heading over to the top of Spes Bona Valley, down Spes Bona and left up to Nellie’s Pool. We will then take the gravel road to Junction Pool and head back to the cars along the single track that runs parallel to the road for a while and then drops onto the road for a quick sprint back to the cars.

Running Time

Approximately 2 ½ to 3 hours. A bit longer if we find the cave and faff around it a bit.

Distance

Probably not more than 15km

Difficulty

I wouldn’t call it easy but it is on the easy side of moderate.

Important Notes

1. Who knows what is going on with the weather these days so please be prepared for all eventualities in terms of clothes, kit and nutritional requirements. Water is becoming increasingly scarce on the mountain.

2. There is no cell phone reception at the start point. So don’t be late because you won’t be able to let us know.

3. No scary drop-offs and height exposure this week.

4. Please wear sunblock, hate / cap and snake-repellent (ask Bianca – see below).

5. Please sign the attendance register before starting.

6. Have fun.

REPORT BACK ON INDIA-VENSTER / CORRIDOR RUN

I have no idea why it’s taken us so long to bring India-Venster into our runs. I guess it’s because last time we tried starting a run with a climb (the Diagonal Route) there was an immense amount of moaning, Sandra was overcome with heat and had to turn back and the fast group got lost. Having only done India-Venster twice in my life (both a long time ago) I was, understandably, a little nervous when we started out. But not as nervous as I could have been. Having the super-knowledgeable CRAG-man Rod Prodgers (doing his very first acsis VOB Trail Run) and Snake-Whisperer Bronwyn (who at least has also done the route before) definitely helped settle the nerves. Of course within minutes the usual light-hearted moaning about the initial climb was soon echoing around the ravines.

The moaning gave way to quiet nervousness as we hit the rock pitches between India and Africa Ravines. This is the first time I have done them since the steel staples were put in and the climb is now significantly easier than it was. Having said this, it is still a good way to find out if you have a fear of heights. A couple of these emerged on the day and I guess I was not the most popular person in the group at this point. The nerves caused Durbanite new-comer Grant to lose control of his alphabet momentarily and he innocently referred to VOB as VOC. There was a horrified silence as he teetered on the brink of a “Literacy Award” for a moment. But we will give him a suspended sentence for his first offence. After the last little scramble at Fountain Ledge the mood lightened significantly and then the yakking started and never stopped again. Certain people actually managed to talk on the out-breath AND the in-breath. Poor Jane and Kathleen had to wait for 45 minutes for us at the top of Platteklip as they had taken the dog-friendly route up Platteklip to the summit.

From this point the run took on a very social note. The chatting continued unabated, the like of which I have not heard since Lorien last ran with us. This did, however, cause a speed-split in the group. By the time we got to Echo Valley the gap between quickies (as in fast runners) and the more conversationally-inclined was starting to widen. I asked Jane if she would mind leading the faster group as she knew the route well. The fleeting glimpse of horror past across her face which was soon replaced by her trademark determination. By all accounts the fast group battled to keep up with her rather than the other way round. Thanks for taking on this task Jane. Awesome that you have discovered now what we knew all along, that your place is amongst the fast runners.

All went well for the rest of the run, although I did see an ankle-crunching fall in the group that took the short route down Kasteelspoort. I don’t have the details yet but I am expecting Sian’s report any moment now so that we can deliberate over a Sailing Sandra Award. Once we were down on the final, open section of the Pipe Track we regrouped for a last time before the final dash in to the car park. Bianca hauled out a wad of tissues to daintily dab her nose but failed to see that a tissue fell on the ground behind her. I accusingly said: “Bianca!” and pointed at the ground behind her where the offending tissue lay. The groups underlying concern about snakes volcanoed out. Bianca (and others, it must be said) completely misinterpreted the gesture, imagining that there was a fanged terror about to feast on her calves. Panic spread across her face, a quick “sprint-on-the-spot” and then a scream that shattered windows around Camps Bay and had us all diving for cover. The subsequent laughter was punctuated by a surprisingly hard punch to my arm. Bianca clearly works out. The adrenalin helped us all to finish strongly and then settle down to an ICE cold beer with Geoff and Robyn.

Chuck Norris Award: Bronwyn Pithey for doing her first hard-core trail run without an ankle-brace (and without incident) after shattering her ankle a while back. Great stuff Bronwyn. Great return to form. Well done.

Thanks All. A great run.

Have a great week, Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2011 - KLOOF NEK / PLATTEKLIP / ECHO VALLEY / ISOLATION VALLEY / VALLEY OF THE RED GODS / OUDEKRAAL RAVINE / PIPE TRACK

2011-11-07T10:49:00.001+02:00

Hi Everyone

Congratulations to all who participated in the 3 Peaks Challenge on Saturday. I still think you’re all nuts but well done and we hope you had a great time.

HILL TRAINING – MONDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2011

Today we will be doing Platteklip Gorge so I can check things out before the run on Saturday. We will start at the Platteklip Gorge car park on Tafelberg Road at 16h15 on the button. The car park is just under 2km past the Lower Cable Station. Please RSVP to me if you intend running.

SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER - KLOOF NEK / PLATTEKLIP / ECHO VALLEY / ISOLATION VALLEY / VALLEY OF THE RED GODS / OUDEKRAAL RAVINE / PIPE TRACK

Start Time and Place

Kloof Nek car park in front of the SANParks kiosk in time to start running at 06h30 sharp.

The Route

Don’t be put off by the start. We will get just about all of the major climbing over in the first few kilometres before the heat kicks in (if applicable) and then enjoy a very much “downhill” run along the top and on the shaded side of the mountain. 99% single track with tons of runnable stuff once we have ascended Platteklip Gorge. Starting at Kloof Nek we will cut up through the gum trees to the start of the Kloof Corner path which we follow up to the contour path. Take the contour path to Platteklip Gorge. Up Platteklip and across to the Echo Valley path. Optional excursion to Maclears Beacon. Down into Echo Valley where we hang a right and then a left over into Isolation Valley, Valley of the Red Gods, past the tops of Kasteelspoort, Woody Ravine, Slangolie Ravine, Corridor Ravine and then down Oudekraal Ravine. There is a little bit of a slow, scratchy section across to the Pipe Track but once we are there we have an easy run in to Kloof Nek.

Shortcuts: Once we have reached Kasteelspoort on the way out we have several options for shortcuts for those with time / energy constraints. In fact if it is really hot we might elect to take one of these anyway.

Running Time

At least 3 ½ hours for the average runner.

Distance

About 20km

Difficulty

A reasonably tough run in that it starts with a short(ish), sharp climb followed by about 2km of contour path and then the big climb up Platteklip. After that things get much easier.

Important Notes

1. We are entering that part of the year where carrying water and energy snacks will be crucial. This run in particular has a very sweaty start and water and electrolytes need to be replaced frequently. Please take this seriously and don’t do what I did last weekend……..

2. Equally, the right clothes are important. This week we are going to the top of the mountain so the proper gear will be important. Please make sure you are correctly equipped for the weather conditions. I will send a weather forecast on Friday.

3. Bronwyn “The Snake Whisperer” Pithey has been encountering cobras and puffadders on the mountain again (although she is a little light on photographic evidence). So let’s keep an eye out for snakes on the paths; especially those running in front when the weather is conducive to snake-sunbathing.

4. Slap on that sunblock in liberal quantities and wear caps etc. At least these precautions will prolong that youthful visage for week we trail runners are so well known and also keep certain dread ailments at bay.

5. Please sign the register before setting out.

6. Let’s have some fun out there. It’s not a race.

Table Mountain Trailers
acsis-VOB's Trail running short route-slow group

Saturday 12^thNovember

Lion’s Head/Signal Hill circuit

Route

A clockwise circular route around Lion’s Head and Signal hill. We start by running down Kloof Rd and after about 500m turn right onto the trail which runs around the lower reaches of Lion’s Head and then heads off in a Northerly direction along the Western flank of Signal Hill. We then circle round Signal Hill below the lookout point and climb up to pass over the road to the lookout and parking area and then pick-up the trail past the Kramat which then runs above Signal Hill Rd. back to the traffic circle.

Rendezvous and Start Time

RV in the upper Kloofnek parking area next to the Information Kiosk ready to start at 0630.

How to get there?

Drive up Kloofnek road to the traffic circle at the top and then turn off left into Tafelberg Rd as if you were going up to the cableway. About 200m up Tafelberg Rd on your left is a parking area. Park in the upper level close to the Information Kiosk

Terrain and Distance

Mostly undulating gravel trail with a few hills, distance about 11kms

Brief Report Back from Newlands Forest Run

1. I did a Daksha and forgot my hydration pack at home but remembered the beers. Doh! And then had no-one to drink beers with so took them home again. I must add that it was magnificent running without a pack though. Stupid, but enjoyable.

2. Jane and David tried to take a short-cut (time constraints), had a “navigational malfunction”, got pretty scratched up and arrived at the finish 5 minutes after the rest of us (a joint Missing Margaret Award).

3. Bridget sprained her ankle but failed to declare it until the following day. Because she is new to the group she gets away with a warning. Bridget please note that failure to disclose information like this for inclusion in the Sailing Sandra Awards is a felony. This also applies to witnesses who are sworn to secrecy and who aid and abet in the covering up of these falls. Sandra’s own fall this week was minor, by her very high standards, and not a nominatable (is that a word? I don’t think it is) event this week. No Sailing Sandra Award this week.

4. It took said Sandra all of 6 minutes before issuing the first curse word of the day (which cannot be repeated in an email).

5. Otherwise, it was a very runnable, thoroughly enjoyable outing. Thanks for the company Everyone.

That’s it for now.

Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2011 - NEWLANDS FOREST / KINGS BLOCKHOUSE / CONSTANTIA NEK / KIRSTENBOSCH

2011-10-31T09:26:00.001+02:00

Hi Everyone

MONDAY HILL TRAINING

Today we will be doing Devil’s Peak. Start 17h15 at The Saddle car park on Tafelberg Road. It is about 2.5km past the Lower Cable Station, heading towards Devil’s Peak. Please RSVP to me if you intend running. Be warned that although I will be there giving it a go, it may be a short effort for me as I have a bit of a hamstring thing happening here.

SATURDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2011 – NEWLANDS FOREST / KING’S BLOCKHOUSE / CONSTANTIA NEK / KIRSTENBOSCH

Start Time and Place

06h30 at the Newlands Forest car park. Same place as the helipad and the VWS headquarters. More explicit directions on Friday because if I tell you today you will delete the email and have forgotten by Friday. To add to the complexity of the situation, the Friday email will be out on Wednesday as I will be away on courses on Thursday and Friday (Clovelly and Steenberg, naturally).

Route

This is a less strenuous run with loads of shortcuts for those who still want to run Landmarks ½ Marathon the next day. There is something aesthetically pleasing about starting at this venue, under the trees etc etc . It just feels nice and we rise quickly above the initial eye-watering bouquet of dog-poop. In defence of dog owners I must say that this situation has improved remarkably over the last few years. Fantastic. There are only a few people now who don’t observe etiquette. We will follow the Celtics Plumpudding Hill route (clockwise version) but as we head up “the big hill” we take the single track to the left up to the turnstile below the Blockhouse. From there it is contour path (excluding Rooikat Ravine you will be pleased to note) to just before Constantia Nek. Then we will wind our way back to Newlands Forest via the lower paths.

Distance

Maximum of 20km but there are plenty of shortcuts for those who want to save energy.

Running Time

3 – 3.5 hours

Difficulty

Moderate to easy-ish.

Important Notes

1. Whilst I am hoping to be in full running condition by Saturday, I am looking for a possible stand-in run leader just in case this hamstring niggle is still with me. Any volunteers?

2. Despite the recent rains it may still be wise to carry enough water with you for the run. There will be at least one tap in Kirstenbosch about 5km from the end on the return trip. Carry some snacks as well.

3. Although we are not running up high on Saturday, please dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Windproof / waterproof top is a must.

4. The area near the Blockhouse is known for its mugger activity so please stick in groups and be very aware of your surroundings.

5. Please carry a cell phone to call for help if necessary or to donate to an unworthy cause if you are confronted by a mugger. This is another good reason to carry a whistle as well. Excellent for calling for help and will probably give a mugger heart-failure. They’re not really out to steal whistles.

6. Please fill out the register before starting out.

7. Remember, if you want your Tokai Forest 15km run to count for the New Balance Trail Shoe Lucky Draw at the end of November then please email me your finishing time / position.

TABLE MOUNTAIN TRAILERS (aka acsis VOB SHORT ROUTE SLOW GROUP)

They will also be running from Newlands Forestry Station on Saturday. Peter is still putting their route together so details will be sent out later in the week.

REPORT BACK ON FIRST ASCENT TOKAI FOREST 15KM RACE

I can only really comment on the Tokai Forest 15km although I know there were a few other informal runs that took place over the weekend. The TF 15km is a very special event on the race calendar because not only is it a charity raising event for the Children’s Ward at Victoria Hospital, it is also a hybrid event at which roadies and trail runners come together to compete and hurl friendly, good-natured abuse at each. No-one seems to be able to identify the nature of the race. Technically it is a road race on the WPA calendar but there is only a couple of hundred metres of tar road. On the other hand there is no single track so it is difficult to classify it a trail race. Does it really matter? I rate it as a race with one of the best vibes I have experienced in an event. Very informal so that you feel nice and relaxed and yet extremely well organised. It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces out there from both genres of the sport. No wildlife on the course this time unless you count Douglas Rossouw. Poor Dougie had been abandoned to run to the start from Constantia Nek on his own. I will say no more about the guilty party / ies as he is sure to have a full go at her / him / them in his Journey Trails / MATES email. I look forward to it (a lot). Douglas seems to have adopted the Nicky Eckstein approach to trail running which consists of wearing the largest, heaviest backpack available on the morning. We know why Nicky does it but it is not clear what Douglas’s reason is. It seems that the objective is to induce motion-sickness in all competitors behind him as they get en-tranced by the rhythmic swaying of the backpack. In theory this prevents overtaking. Doesn’t work very well as we were overtaken by dozens of people on the climb up to the 9km mark. That hill certainly took its toll. I tried to get into a discussion with Chris Goldschmidt and Andrew Ingg about the cancelled trail meeting but this lasted for about 100m before we decided to rather shut up and focus on just breathing instead. A good choice, it turns out. Then, of course, the hamstring gave out near the top. The 5 / 6km of downhill then make the whole thing worthwhile and made me very glad I was wearing trail shoes on the morning.

Unfortunately, the dark side to Tokai Forest events returned again this year as several cars were broken into and relieved of valuables. The poor police at Tokai police station had their hands full taking down reports from distraught runners after the race. It really makes one sick, especially when you consider the charitable nature of the event. It seems that it is now going to have to become standard practice for event organisers to advise the police when they are holding an event in the forest so that they can commit additional resources to it. Really sorry to hear about the break-ins.

That’s it for now. Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: OTHER GREAT RUNS

2011-10-25T09:34:00.001+02:00

Hi Everyone

Here they are for the week and a little beyond:

WEDNESDAY 26 OCTOBER 2011

BRONWYN’S FAMOUS WEDNESDAY INFORMAL KLOOF NEK RUN

Starts at 17h15 from the Kloof Nek car park in front of the SANParks kiosk. 8 – 10km at a moderate pace.

CRAG TRAIL RUN

This week’s run is dedicated to the memory of Winston Wilson, CRAG/CWAG stalwart, friend and mentor to many of us, and lover of the trails and mountains, who passed away recently; the running and walking routes have been co-ordinated to meet at a point for a short commemoration, and all who knew Winston are welcome — and urged — to join either group; here then are the details for this week:

************************************************************************************************

Leader: Stanimir Sokolinski

Date: Wednesday 26 Oct 2011

Time: ready to start running at 17h45 sharp

Location: eastern slopes of Table Mountain

Route description: From the Constantia Nek parking area, we run along the jeep track and past the art gallery. At the next boom gate, we take the single track down to the right that runs alongside Rhodes Avenue, all the way to the main entrance of Cecilia Forest. At red-arrow-rock, we turn sharply left and begin our ascent on the new path above the indigenous parking area, and then up again until we reach the forester’s hut. We continue up another short stretch of single track past the water reservoir, and stop for a rest on the jeep track at the area of stone statues. This zigzag single track takes us all the way up to the top, through some desert and then some gum trees, where we stop for another rest at the junction. Up the steps to the cement jeep track and then up along a short stretch of this road, we then find the single track/steps that leads us directly back to the parking at Constantia Nek. Sunset is at 19h09.

Duration and distance: approx 75 mins, 9,2 km

Walkers: Laurence van Blerck will lead walkers on a BRISK walk, leaving from the same place at the same time, for the same approximate duration. Walkers are advised to bring the appropriate equipment (see below).

Grading

— 81% runnable

— A1

— pack run

Starting point: Constantia Nek parking area (Google Maps link: http://tinyurl.com/3ymxqnn)

Directions: From the M3 (heading south or north), take the M41 Constantia/Hout Bay Main Road and head up to the Nek, or from the Newlands area take the M63 Rhodes Avenue past Kirstenbosch and Cecilia Forest all the way to the Nek. From Hout Bay, just head up the road to the Nek. Park under the pines across the road from the restaurant

Equipment

— valid Wildcard/Green Card

— torch/headlamp may still necessary

— water/energy drink/munchies

— foul weather gear, if required (long-range forecast is cloudy, slight chance of rain, 12–15 ºC, wind moderate breeze W 20 km/h)

— personal medication (if required)

— something for rehydration after the run

— warmer/dryer clothing for the rehydrate session

Car guards: 26 Oct: Dave Foyn & Kate le Roux

THURSDAY 27 OCTOBER 2011

JANE HOLDCROFT’S THURSDAY MORNING MISTY MOUNTAIN RUN

Constantia Nek to the Dams and back (more or less). 06h30 start from the Constantia Nek car park (http://tinyurl.com/3ymxqnn). Single track up and your choice of single track or road down.

Please RSVP to Jane on 07908 52582 or janeholdcroft@hotmail.co.uk if you are going to be running .

CELTICS SUMMER TRAIL RUN

This Thursday 27^th October we meet at Newlands Forest for the Contour Path run to start at 17h45.

Meet in the parking area at the Newlands forest Parks Board office / helipad / firebase (the parking area is the main parking area off the M3 – 700 metres north of the big M3 / Blue Route intersection with Rhodes Drive / Newlands Avenue, and about 1.2kms south of the southern end of UCT).

The Route

We head up and left into Newlands Forest, initially following uphill jeep tracks for the first 2 km’s, before we reach a rusted sign pointing to “Contour Path”. We head up this attractive path which includes some steps and which will lead us up to the contour path. We then turn right heading along the contour path all the way to the turn-style below the blockhouse. As we reach the turn-style, we turn sharp right and head down a single track path, which after about 800 metres links up with the jeep track. This heads steadily down into Newlands Forest again, and back to the start.

Some characteristics of this run:

- The first 2.5 km’s are mainly steady uphill, with some steps, but all on great quality running surface.

- Once we reach the contour path, there are some technical rocky and stony sections along the contour path, particularly over the first km of this section. But most of it thereafter is 3-4kms of easy level running all the way to the turn-style below the blockhouse.

- When we turn down from the turn-style, the initial 800 meter downhill section is uneven and technical – ankle-roll territory – so watch your footing here and walk if you need to.

- The rest is easy flowing; smooth running downhill to the finish.

CRAG STELLENBOSCH / SOMERSET WEST

No details yet. Email me if you are keen and I will send them on to you when they arrive.

SUNDAY 30 OCTOBER 2011

MATES / JOURNEY TRAILS TRAIL RUN

No details yet. Will send them out in Friday email.

29 & 30 OCTOBER 2011

HERMANUS TRAIL RUN: an amazing 2 day trail run incorporating beach and mountain running, which promises to offer a great weekend of 'trailing' the greater Hermanus area, while offspring and grandma can shop up a storm in the village.

See www.quantumadventures.co.za for info.

UPCOMING EVENTS

LA CAPRA GOAT TRAIL RUN – FAIRVIEW ESTATE (PAARL) – 14 NOVEMBER 2011

Fairview Estate in Paarl is presenting its second La Capra trail run on the 12^th of November 2011. Will you please be so kind and forward the attached flyer to all your members.

Funds raised on the day goes towards the Boland school for autism. http://www.bolandautism.org.za

For more information on the run you can visit the website http://www.fairview.co.za/news/la-capra-goat-run-2011-3/

MUIZENBERG MOUNTAIN RUN – 10 DECEMBER 2011

See http://www.trailrunning.co.za/

SURFER’S CHALLENGE – CAPE TOWN

Does anyone have any info on this event this year? This always seems to be one of Cape Town’s best kept secret. I have emailed New Balance who have always sponsored it and will let you know as soon as I find out. But any additional info would be most welcome. Last year it was on the same day as the Muizenberg Mountain Run.

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING SCHEDULE FOR NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2011

See spreadsheet attached hereto. Subject to change so watch the emails leading up to the various runs.

That’s it for now.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER 2011 - FIRST ASCENT TOKAI FOREST 15KM

2011-10-24T11:12:00.000+02:00

Hi All

Back from Fancourt and have a few emails to respond to so must be brief.

I have attached the Feedback report from Jane’s run on Saturday and my feedback relates purely to golf and would not interest any of you. Let us just say I will not be hanging up my trail running shoes anytime soon to follow the pro circuit (or the amateur circuit or even the putt-putt circuit). But Jane has put together a masterpiece of her own (both the run and the report back) here so if you want to see what the group did on Saturday then check out the attachment. Thanks very much to Jane for leading this run.

MONDAY HILL RUN

We will be running Lion’s Head tonight. 17h15 start from the Kloof Nek car park just in front of the SANParks kiosk. Let me know if you are keen.

SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER 2011 – FIRST ASCENT TOKAI FOREST 15KM RACE

This will be our official run for the weekend. If you would like your attendance to count towards the New Balance Trail Shoe Lucky Draw at the end of November / beginning of December then you need to advise me of your attendance. I said the same for the BCA MATES Trail Challenge and had exactly zero responses (however, I have those results and will check them out). But I am not going to trawl my way through the masses of names in the Tokai Forest 15km race. Send me advice of your attendance next Monday (after you have run).

I have never actually done this race (I am normally away for the last weekend of October) but am told that it is fantastic and is a very similar route to the Manor House 16km (but with less tar and obviously 1km less overall). So I can’t tell you much about it except that it is, well, 15km long. I say this because it is a WPA race event and will have been accurately measured. Add on a few metres here and there if you don’t start exactly on the line or if you rush into the ample bushes and trees for an unscheduled bogger anywhere along the way. Do not stop your watch for the latter as this is a timed event and your time will be what the official clock says it is and not what your watch says. No amount of arguing with the race referee will help and they really don’t want to know about your “comfort” problems or how long it took. For that matter, NOBODY wants to know.

With it being a WPA event, it does mean that if you want to get around paying for a temporary licence then you need to wear club colours and your WPA licence number (this is unacceptable to many trail runners so you may have to pitch in for a temp number).

This is a race with a difference so please check out the attached flyer to familiarise yourself with the entry formalities. The main requirements are:

1. GIVE GENEROUSLY !

2. Get to the Start VERY EARLY or you will get stuck in traffic entering the forest and miss the start.

I am not sure of Peter Rogers’ source of information but anyone who knows him also knows that he is a man given to accuracy and attention to detail in a way that I will never be. But even coming off that low base I think you can definitely rely on this quote below from his email:

“The Victoria Hospital Children’s Ward will be hoping to see as many runners as possible take to the mountains in the annual Tokai Forest 15km Run, hosted by Table Mountain National Park and Foresters Running Club and sponsored jointly by First Ascent and SANPARKS.

The Tokai Forest Run is a free-entry trail race that traverses the beauty of the Tokai Plantation of Table Mountain National Park. First Ascent has sponsored the race making it possible to waive all entry fees for participating runners – instead, a voluntary donation is asked of all participants and all proceeds go to Victoria Hospital’s Children’s Ward.

The hospital is aiming to raise R 1 million to cover the costs of building “Mothers’ Facilities” enabling mothers to stay with their sick and vulnerable children. “We are also planning to renovate the paediatric ward to include a safe play area and optimise the use of limited space. We need to raise R1 Million in order for this project to proceed, and believe that donations made through the Forest 15km Run will go a long way towards facilitating this” says Gill Schermbrucker, Head of Paediatrics Department at Victoria Hospital.

The race begins at 06h30 in the Picnic and Braai Site entrance to the Tokai Plantation. Runners need only bring their high energy and donation for the hospital. Donations can be monetary or toys for the children.”

After the race many of us will be heading off to Constantia Nek Restaurant to get involved in a meeting concerning the future of Trail Running in South Africa and the relationship between Trail Running and ASA (Athletics South Africa). Should be a very interesting session and anyone and everyone is welcome to attend. I have inserted a little cut-and-paste below to give some context to this.

Mike Ohlsson is trying to convince me that running there (Constantia Nek Restaurant) from Tokai is a good idea. The jury is still out but more on this later in the week.

That’s it until the OTHER GREAT RUNS email tomorrow.

Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING: SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER 2011 - CONSTANTIA NEK TO NOORDHOEK BEACH

2011-10-17T11:31:00.001+02:00

Good morning Everyone

MONDAY HILL RUN – 17 OCTOBER 2011

Today is the much-feared, even dreaded, Platteklip Gorge. I don’t know why because it is such beautiful climb in the evening. Start: 17h15 at the Platteklip Gorge car park which is on Tafelberg Road, just shy of 2 km past the Lower Cable Station. Running time about 90 minutes.

Please RSVP to me if you are going to be running.

SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER 2011 – CONSTANTIA NEK TO NOORDHOEK BEACH (FANTASTIC NEW ROUTE)

THIS IS A CAR ADMIN RUN SO PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE CAR ADMIN REQUIREMENTS

RUN LEADER

Jane Holdcroft: janeholdcroft@hotmail.co.uk or 0790852582

CAR ADMIN

As many runners as possible to meet in the Noordhoek Beach car park between 05h45 and 06h00 to drop cars. At 06h00 jump into as few cars as possible and head over Chapmans Peak and up to the Start at Constantia Nek.

START TIME AND PLACE

Constantia Nek at 06h30 precisely. And for those of you who know Jane, it will be 06h30 EXACTLY as determined by the most accurate nuclear powered time-pieces in the universe which are accessed only by NASA and Jane.

ROUTE

Take the Vlakkenberg Path just below the Constantia Nek Restaurant (Hout Bay side) and head up and over the Vlakkenberg Nek and then down past the Manganese Mines (my personal favourite bit of single track) and into Blackburn Ravine. Then it is up Blackburn Ravine to the lookout deck at the top of Blackburn and over past Noordhoek Peak to the path that leads down to Chapmans Peak. Spectacular views. Down to the saddle at the base of Chapmans Peak (i.e. the 4 way intersection of paths, NOT all the way down to Chapmans Peak Drive) and turn left and climb Chapmans Peak. Over the summit of Chapmans Peak and straight down to Noordhoek Beach.

DISTANCE

Quite honestly I haven’t got a clue. As the crow flies the distance isn’t too great but with the zig-zags I am guessing that this is a 20km+ run.

RUNNING TIME

Jane reckons 4 hours +.

DIFFICULTY

This is a tough run. For those who are taking strain after Manganese Mines there is an option which will cut out the Blackburn Ravine climb i.e. the contour path from about a quarter of the way up Blackburn to the saddle at the bottom of Chapmans Peak. But understand that if you take this option then you are without a guide and need to know your way over Chapmans Peak. At very worst you can just drop down onto Chapmans Peak Drive and run over to Noordhoek on tar (easy stuff and very scenic).

IMPORTANT NOTES

1. Please note the car admin above. Also note that ultimately you are responsible for ensuring your own transport arrangements. We will, however, do our best to facilitate lifts.

2. It may well be quite warm on Sunday. Please ensure that you are carrying sufficient water and nutrition to see you through the whole run plus more. It is summer now and the streams are drying up fast. Don’t rely on Mother Nature.

3. Definitely dress according to the weather conditions and always have a warm, at least windproof top. Also, please carry a fully charged cell phone with Jane’s number stored in it. If you try and phone me I will have to ignore your call as I will be playing the Montagu course at Fancourt.

4. Be aware that you are in the wild so no stepping on snakes please, it damages their fangs. But you are more than welcome to “rub out” as many ticks as you can find……and there are a few out there. Keep checking yourself.

5. Please fill out the register before starting.

6. Have fun.

Table Mountain Trailers
ACSIS-VOB's Trail running Short Route-Slow Group
Saturday 22 October: Silvermine North West

Route
From the parking area to the left of the entrance control booth we run up the river board-walk until we reach the dam wall. Here we take the board-walk around the dam and then turn left onto the gravel road up to the ziz-zag short-cut onto the concrete road for a short distance before turning right and following the sandy trail to the Fire Lookout hut close to Elephant's Eye cave. From there we follow the trail South-eastwards along the top of the cliff to pick up the trail that runs along the top of Steenberg Ridge. Then down through the middle parking area, across the tar road, down over the river to the mountain bike track where we turn left and follow it back to the parking area.

Rendezvous and Start Time
RV in the parking area at the reserve entrance. To get there drive up Ou Kaapseweg from the Constantia side to the top and then turn right into the Silvermine Nature Reserve. Entrance fee is R20 or free if you have a Wild Card. The gate only opens at 0700 so we will start at 0715.

Terrain and Distance
Easy warm-up run up the river-walk and around the dam. Then short uphill followed by sandy& gravel undulating trail past the Look-Out and along Steenberg Ridge with some rocky stretches. Sandy-stony mountain-bike trail back to parking area. Reasonably easy with a few modest hills. Distance about 10.5kms taking us more or less 2hrs.15min

Peter D Rogers
Mobile: 082 374 6262
Blog: www.vobtrailwrg.blogspot.com

REPORT BACK ON BCA MATES CHALLENGE

See attached.

acsis VOB TRAIL RUNNING SCHEDULE FOR NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 2011

To follow soon.

Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299

SATURDAY 15 / SUNDAY 16 OCTOBER 2011: BCA MATES TRAIL CHALLENGE + CHANGED PLANS FOR SUNDAY

2011-10-10T11:13:00.001+02:00

Good morning Everyone

Yes it’s Monday again. Can you believe it ?

In order to encourage people to read these emails when they plan on running, I have tried to reduce the volume by putting the feedback into a Word document so that you can read it if you want or just ignore it without putting you off reading the details of the upcoming run. So attached you will find a document with the Otter Ramble feedback as well as some comments on the Boomslang Cave route from this last Saturday. Feel free to give it a miss.

NEW BALANCE TRAIL SHOE VOUCHER LUCKY DRAW WINNER

We had our penultimate draw for the year. Again, the voucher went to one of the Table Mountain Trailers. This time, Anne O’Gorman. Anne, Gaeleen Tompkins has your voucher and you can collect it from. Thanks once again to New Balance for their generous sponsorship. Please support New Balance wherever and whenever possible by buying their high quality shoes and kit.

NEW BALANCE BEST DRESSED AWARD

As part of our continuing strategy of raising awareness of New Balance products, this week’s winner of the best dressed award, wearing New Balance products only, was none other than our own acsis VOB vice-chairman, Tim Haig-Smith. Sandra was very bitter and demanded to see if he was wearing New Balance underwear. But underwear is specifically excluded. Apparently he wasn’t wearing any anyway but we took his word for it. Well done Tim. Enjoy the Haute Cabriere Chardonnay Pinot Noir.

HILL WORK (MONDAY / THURSDAY)

We are reversing the order this week. We will do Lion’s Head this afternoon and Devil’s Peak on Thursday afternoon.

Anyone welcome but please RSVP and let me know who is going to be there.

Start 17h15 from the Kloof Nek car park in front of the SANParks kiosk.

SATURDAY 15 OCTOBER 2011 – BCA MATES TRAIL CHALLENGE

This weekend we are going to forgo a formal acsis VOB Trail Run so that we can turn out en masse to support one of the official MATES races for the year:

BCA / MATES TRAIL CHALLENGE

New Trail Run on the calendar!

There are a lot of events around our beloved Table Mountain these days, and even the Northern suburbs and the wine lands are attracting their share of races, but what about our mates up the West Coast?

Ah-hah! We have the answer: the BCA MATES Trail Challenge is set for the 15th of October 2011 in the Blaauwberg Conservation Area. With stunning views of Table Mountain, you can run either the 15km or the 8km route. Check out the MATES website for all the details and registration form:

http://capetrailrunning.co.za/wordpress/?page_id=13&calendar_day=2011-10-15

The race is organized in conjunction with the Friends of BCA, which is a non-profit organization made up of volunteers protecting the Blaauwberg Conservation Area (BCA). While our mission might be to run the whole race in this beautiful area (even those up hills!), their goal is to ensure it’s utilised to the benefit of the general public now and for the future. (We won’t quibble over whose mission is more honourable…) The proceeds of the race will go to the BCA, which is only 25 kms from the centre of town and regarded as a global biodiversity hot spot. It’s about 2 000 ha in size and is a rich mosaic of natural, cultural and historical elements. Being so close to Cape Town also means the area has the potential to become an open-air classroom, easily accessible to millions of people in its proximity. The race is sure to be a wonderful way to explore this beautiful area.

Come on out for a run in our own “front yard” – we’ll see you there!

So please go to the link and enter.

Participation in this event will qualify as an entry for the final New Balance Trail Shoe Lucky Draw. But if you want it to count you will have to notify me that you ran. Despite my natural trust in the good, honest nature of trail runners I will still check it against the results. J

SUNDAY 16 OCTOBER 2011: HUMBLE HUNDRED FINAL REHEARSAL RUN

We were going to do an acsis VOB run from Kloof Nek but once again we are going to postpone this in favour of a MATES run along a route that is very seldom done. They will be rehearsing a section of the Humble Hundred between Kommetjie Lighthouse and the Kleinplaas Dam. These opportunities don’t come up all that often so we are going to go with this instead of the Kloof Nek run which we can do anytime.

Details of this run will be circulated later in the week once Douglas has finalised the route and times etc.

Have a great week Everyone.

Cheers

Tim

Tim Bellairs (Sir)

acsis VOB Trail Running

Cell: 082 321-0299