Dreaming of better days... Ramblings from the Soutpansberg
Having been at home for over 100 days I began to feel like a captive. I started to become a bit afraid of leaving. From a person who travelled for work and leisure on a regular basis the suppression of staying at home had set in and the effects were not that pretty. The thing is, with this kind of suppression and lack of freedom, one becomes a little bit too used to it, and almost starts to find an odd sense of comfort in it. But breaking out opened my mind up again and re-instilled that deep desire to explore and see.
Now they say that everything happens for a reason, the last place we would visit before the lockdown was the Soutpansberg and it is the first place we have gone back to. That only happened on Tuesday, now its Friday and the effects of the freedom found here are surging in. We had forgotten what life was really like, where not everything (and I mean everything) is about the virus. As opportunities open up and you are faced with choices of whether to stay at home or venture out we encourage you to go and find some solace outdoors in a responsible manner. The best place to start is definitely your local trail.
Once we have endured (as trail runners we sure know how to endure) and have our freedoms of exploration and travel fully back, we will have some of the most amazing outdoor experiences lined up for you. It is why we are out here now, looking to the future and imagining how we might go about exploring these incredible spaces our country has to offer. It’s a shift (not a pivot) into a new space that’s not so much about racing, but more about experience, freedom and healing yourself in nature.
KZNTR Winter Trail League
While Virtual Winter League has by no means been our biggest success at KZNTR, we are deeply appreciative to those 30 who have put their foot forward. In our eyes, they are true champs for taking up the call once again to run virtually. Rhyan Rhudman has outdone himself with this beautiful badge for all those who complete 3 of 4. This weekend is the 3rd event, so pick your spot and match the WESSA course if you can. Or book your ticket and actually run the real deal! We will go LIVE from the Soutpansberg on Sunday morning and can’t wait for the final prize giving next weekend when we will give out a range of very cool lucky draw prizes to those that earn their badges.