Alberton Rietvlei Country Run Race Report

On Sunday I ran the Alberton Rietvlei Country Run. I think the name says it all as this was a very pleasant run and a real family event. It is a trail race but I think “Country Run” describes it much better. The race was about 14.5km and there was also a 4km fun run.

Ready to run…the kids enjoyed the 4km fun run that was also run on trails.

The weather was perfect and although it was a little cool at the start it wasn’t cold. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Waiting for the start I was a little bit worried as I ran a very tough 28.5km training run on very difficult trails on Saturday and I was wondering how my legs would feel during the race. The back to back trail runs are part of my training for the 50km in September. I wasn’t sure about the route and decided I would take the run real easy.

Waiting for the start, lovely morning.

The race started at 08:00 and there was a big field for a trail run. A lot of road runners do this race and I think it is perfect for someone that wants to get some exposure to trail running. Luckily the first few kilometers are run on a path that is fairly wide and smooth which helped a lot to spread out the runners before the single track started.

Nice path for the first few kilometers.

We zigzagged through some tall grass and the course was flat until we reached the first single trail. We went through a few patches of trees and finally got to the hills. I kept it slow but was surprised at how good I felt after Saturday’s tough run. My legs were feeling great and I was very happy about this. My training is working well. Even on the steeper climbs my legs felt good and I couldn’t feel that I trained hard the previous day.

The climbs weren’t very steep or long, just right.

The route followed a single trail with a few climbs and descents up to halfway. The trail was moderate and never very technical or steep. There was a big board to show where halfway was. It said ±7.5, so ±halfway.

One of the steeper, more technical parts of the route.

I was very surprised when I caught up to our sandal wearing runner from last week’s half marathon. Here she was…sandals and all on the trail! She said it was more fun in the sandals, but I'm not so sure...

Although we never went very high the scenery was still beautiful and the sky as blue as you’ll get.

Beautiful scenery, beautiful blue sky.

During the second half I was still feeling very good and enjoyed running through the trees and also crossing a small water duct several times. I was having a ball and pushed a bit harder towards the end.

Running next to the water duct...

…through the trees…

...and finally out in the open for a flat run to the finish.

I’m really happy with my run, but even more about my legs that are feeling 100% after my back to back trail runs that totaled 43km for the weekend.

We received a medal and some stickers with motivational messages from one of the sponsors.

This is a great race for anyone who wants to get into trail running or would just like to experience a trail run. The route is moderate and just gives you a feel of technical trail running, nothing difficult or impossible. The kids or not so fit family can enjoy the 4km fun run on trails as well. A good venue and race for the whole family.

I reached 2000km for the year while running to the finish (Yeah!), still on track for my 3000km goal for 2010 (Yeah!).

Have a great week everyone!