UTi Rhodes Trail Run
by Janine Mazery (as published in the Westville Athletic Club newsletter)
They say all roads lead to Rhodes and they would be surprisingly correct. Nestled away in the Southern Drakensburg mountains, the multitude of signs eagerly pointing you to Rhodes gives you that feeling of a very genuine and big-hearted welcoming.
The beauty of the area with its many rivers winding through the mountain valleys and farms, where farmers cleverly farm every plough-able inch of land even along the river banks, makes a stunning tapestry of colour and patterns.
With temperatures in the negatives and the cold and wet weather closing in, the conditions of the Rhodes 2012 run were heavily debated the night before but no one could have been quite prepared for what arrived on race day. Unable to get support or emergency vehicles up the mountain, it was wisely decided to change the route.
Although runners may have felt cheated to begin with, as many had their hearts set on meeting or reconnecting with the formidable Mavis Bank, by the time the snow started falling and the mud started rising, we knew we were experiencing something quite spectacular.
It is on a day like this where your body is overwhelmed with the elements around, that runners are reminded that winning isn’t about coming first; it’s about competing with your greatest competitor – yourself and never giving up.
The 24th UTi Rhodes Trail Run is definitely an event which will go down in the history books as something more than just a trail run. The organisation of the event was remarkable, the complete dedication to the runners safety by the organisers was paramount and the first class support from the race volunteers, especially in such extraordinary conditions, was supreme. Runners would not have been able to have made such breathtaking memories had it not been for the race committee and volunteers.
To the runners who braved the elements, this year’s Rhodes run will be fondly remembered. From the fantastic race; the amazing volunteers and the committed organisers; to the helpers who kept the runners well fed and nourished and the warm people of Rhodes who so generously opened their amazing village to all who flocked there. The weather was the cherry on top and this travelling snowman hopes to be back next year for another breathtaking adventure.
