AS I mentioned last week one our main reasons for spending a long weekend at Royal Natal National Park in the Drakensberg recently was to try out the Cannibals Cave parkrun. Bill and I are both keen parkrunners and regularly do the Uvongo parkrun between St Michaels and Uvongo and back. We are not alone. The parkruns are free. timed 5km runs that take place in parklike surroundings in 12 different countries around the world every Saturday morning at 8am . In South Africa more than 221 000 parkrunners are registered and they can take part in a choice of 73 parkruns scattered throughout South African every week.
Some parkruns in urban area attract fields of thousands of runners. Then you get your small rural ones, like Cannibals Cave, that are taking off in spite of the lack of access to the sophisticated communications of the urban areas. This rural parkrun start is at Lizzy’s Store, just outside the Royal Natal National Park, and attract about 40 runners every week.
It was misty and cool when we woke up in the Mahai camping area on the Saturday morning and Royal Natal seemed a little mystical when we drove through it to the parkrun start. First we stopped to fortify ourselves with a pre-run cup of coffee at the picnic site. It was still very cloudy but a little rainbow suddenly formed and danced over the mountain tops, promising improved weather. The promise was fulfilled. By the time we reached the start of the parkrun, the mist had cleared and it was sunny and warm. Even warmer, though, was the welcome we received.
Event director Muzi Mabaso was preparing for the run but he stopped what he was doing to come over and chat to us. He and his wife Lizzy are among a small core of volunteers who make parkruns happen, week after week, in this remote corner of South Africa. They do not have a wealth of resources to command – just the basic parkrun kit and someone’s laptop computer to download the results. What they don’t lack, though, is enthusiasm.
Before long runners of all ages, from small, barefoot or takkie-clad children to mature runners and even senior senior citizens, began converging on Lizzy’s Store from all directions. Most arrived on foot and Muzi explained that many runners had come from far afield. When possible volunteers sometimes used their private vehicles to do the rounds giving lifts to those who lived the furthest away. The regulars included a few people who lived in the area, some of whom were park employees. Others were carers at a nearby orphanage and some of the younger runners were their wards.
We were interested to hear that this parkrun is named after the nearby Cannibal Cave where members of the displaced Amazizi hid during the Mfekane. With their crops destroyed and livestock taken, some starving survivors resorted to cannibalism to survive.
The course is hilly and a bit of a challenge but its Drakensberg setting is quite magnificent. It starts next to Thukela River bridge, follows the road over the bridge and sweeps up and down hill and round a bend towards Rugged Glen Nature Reserve. The leading runner takes a cone with him and places it at the turning point, the entrance to the stables. If he is passed by another runner, he hands over the cone like a baton. The last runners picks up the cone and returns to the start with it. In an area where not everyone has vehicles this simple contingent works extremely well.
Coming from sea level, I found the the altitude and the hilly course quite challenging at first, but there was such a feeling of camaraderie that it lightened my footsteps. The first half of the course had some steep uphills but the road passed through extensive, iridescent green grasslands that were liberally scattered with colourful wild flowers.
I soon found myself enjoying the run and even when I lagged a bit the smiles from the happy children running alongside me spurred me on to greater feats. All the same I was pleased to reach the halfway turning point and was looking forward to a more downhill run. As I turned around though, I gasped in amazement. Ahead of me the huge amphitheatre formation stretched like a massive wall right across the sky. It felt as if I was running straight into it.
Perhaps the most recognisable of all the Drakensberg formations, the iconic Amphitheatre is a 5km long rock face, about 500m in height, strung between the Eastern Buttress, which is 3 047m high, and the Sentinel, 3 165m high. Among the peaks rising from the plateaux is the Mont-aux-sources, the mountain of fountains, and the start of the Tugela River’s easterly journey to the Indian Ocean. On its way, this substantial river drops a dizzying 94m over the escarpment to form the Tugela Falls the second highest series of falls in the world. The source of the westward flowing Orange River and that of one of its major tributary, the Caledon River, are near there, too.It is fascinating to think that, at a particular spot, one part of a raindrop will eventually end up in the Indian Ocean and the other part will travel thousands of kilometres to the Atlantic.
Energised by the incredibly beautiful vista ahead of me I finished my run in a good time. At the end, one of the regulars was cutting up a cake he had brought along for everyone to enjoy after the run.This thoughtful gesture was just one of the many reasons why running the Cannibals Cave parkrun such a very special experience to both Bill and me. We heartily recommend it to other parkrunners who really should make a special effort to support this rural initiative. It really is one of those warm and fuzzy South African success stories.
After the run we returned to camp for a hearty breakfast and then enjoyed a bit more exploration on foot. Our walk turned out longer than we meant it to be but it was so just so lovely being out and about in such scenic surrounds. Armed with a useful map bought at the shop the day before, we did the easy riverside walk then some more explorations and finally finished off with a long loop around the dam. By the time we got back to camp we were more than ready for a lazy afternoon, simply sitting around and enjoying the happy sounds and holiday atmosphere of a busy, family-filled campsite.
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