Hippo Hollow a feast for Lowveld trail runners
With so much natural beauty in the Lowveld, trail running is really taking off.
Only in the Lowveld… On Saturday the Vodacom Hippo Hollow race lived up to its name when organisers, Sunshine Events, had to reroute the race to accommodate a wandering hippo and her calf.
Runners and mountain bikers were greeted by a beautiful, cloudless day. “I saw a lot of people band together today, helping each other over obstacles and up the hills,” said André Visagie of Hippo Hollow.
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Nico Bell, the defending champion of 2018, won the 60-kilometre MTB race in 02:17:34, managing an average speed of 26,17 kilometres per hour. Bernice van Wyk represented the women with a well-deserved first place. This 16-year-old finished in a time of 02:44:45 at an average speed of 21,85.
Bell and Bernice both took home the King of the Mountain trophies. Alicia Coetser and Christey Harris had a great day out running the trail and recommend it to all the budding mountain goats out there.
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With so much natural beauty in the Lowveld, trail running is really taking off. Welcome to single-track heaven. In the end, Schantelle Hicks took the spoils among the ladies in the eight-kilometre run in a time of 44:21, and Conrad Myburgh took the overall win in 32:10.
Elephant Whispers hosted the event and cut, cleared and built the stunning trails. Food and music provided a fitting end to the day’s adventures. “Thanks to the dedicated staff and gentle giants who hosted us for a great day out,” said Tanya Knight of Sunshine Events.
