The Blaauwberg Hill Trail Run is the only race event that offers the opportunity to run through the City’s Blaauwberg Nature Reserve. With views of Table Mountain, Robben Island and Table Bay, participants can run either the 14 km or the 8 km route. The routes will run over the two hills, Bloubergkoppie and Kleinberg, and through the colourful spring vegetation within the nature reserve.
"Each year we see runners from all over the city return to enjoy the scenic route through the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, which involves the Kleinberg and Blaauwberg Hills. Great interest is expected in this year’s event and we encourage new competitors to experience this year’s Battle up Blaauwberg Hill. Residents in Cape Town really are spoilt with events such as these which offer an opportunity to explore scenic routes through unspoilt natural areas that would otherwise have been unexplored."
Johan van der MerweCity Mayoral Committee Member: Energy, Environmental and Spatial Planning
The race is organised in conjunction with the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area, which is a non-profit organisation made up of volunteers supporting the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve. The proceeds of the race will go towards promoting the conservation of the reserve.
Registration will start at 06:00, with the longer 14 km race starting at 07:30. The 8 km race will start immediately afterwards, at 07:45.
Entries are limited to 600 so pre-registration is a must. Participants can register using the form on the website and payment can be made via electronic transfer. The entry fee has been kept as low as possible, and is R160 for the 14 km trail and R80 for the 8 km trail.
Being a trail run, unlike a road race, there will be no marshals along the way. A medic will be on duty at the start/finish and a sweep will run with the last people on the trail. There will only be one water point so participants should bring a windbreaker and a water bottle.
Participants are reminded that no littering is allowed: only footprints should be left behind.
More about the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve:
The Blaauwberg Nature Reserve is only 25 km from the centre of Cape Town and is regarded as a global biodiversity hot spot. It is approximately 2 000 hectares in size and has a rich mosaic of natural, cultural and historical elements. Being so close to Cape Town also means that the area has the potential to become an open-air classroom that is easily accessible to millions of people within its proximity. The race is sure to be a wonderful way of exploring this beautiful area.
Visitors to the nature reserve will also have the opportunity to experience the brand new self-catering accommodation that was recently opened. The unit, named Montispectus, is situated within the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve. The name derives from the Bloubergstrand dwarf burrowing skink (Scelotes montispectus) that was first discovered in the reserve in 2002. The animal was appropriately named Montispectus meaning ‘to behold the mountain.
The self-catering unit, which is a renovated World War II officer’s mess building, sleeps up to four guests in an open-plan bedroom with two single beds and a double bunk-bed. The unit was designed in a sustainable manner, featuring green technology. There is no electricity: photovoltaic panels charge the batteries that provide light with a gas-operated stove, fridge and freezer available. There is an outdoor shower with a gas geyser, as well as a self-composting toilet which provides for a unique visitor experience.
Visitors will enjoy magnificent views down fynbos slopes, across the city, to 7 km of rocky and sandy coastline, the ocean and beyond. The nature reserve prides itself as being one of the few viewpoints in the world from which you can see two proclaimed world heritage sites, namely Table Mountain and Robben Island.
Capetonians are encouraged to book well in advance for this upcoming spring.
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