DAVE'S TRAIL RUNNING

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To navigate the site select the words in blue either in the text (as you see in the Home Page) or at the top of the other pages to reveal their secrets.

Comprising:

The Amatola Trail - Big Bafer, (click on Big Bafer) a 100k, 2day staged run on the Amatola Trail and

                            - little bafer, (click on little bafer) a 35k circuit of Hog 1 on the Amatola Trail.

Wild Coast Ultra Trail Run  (click on Wild Coast Ultra Trail Run)-   A 270k, 6 day, staged run along the Wild Coast from Port St Johns to East London

DATES FOR FUTURE EVENTS :-    BIG BAFER - 16TH AND 17TH OCTOBER 2010

                                                        LITTLE BAFER - 17TH OCTOBER 2010

                                                        WILD COAST ULTRA - 7TH - 12TH FEBRUARY 2011 (dates are confirmed)

AND as Mick Jagger sang - "This could be the last time" we have come to the end of an adventure for us.  On to other things. These will be the last Amatola and Wild Coast events we will organise. Lots and lots of thanks to all who have been part of these adventures because they are more than just a run over mountains or along the coast, just ask anyone who took part, running or organising. We will still do the occasional cycle trip (just as rugged and testing as the trail running) but numbers will be limited to the farm guest houses etc.  They are generally 5 or 6 days and cover about 350 to 450 kilometers, some bike carrying and lots of mountain passes. Chel and I have enjoyed part of the Freedom Challenge (Cape)2008, Karoo/Baviaans (2009) and Sept 2010 we will do the Swartberg.

So what:

If you want an event with watering tables and feeding stations, fan fare and screaming crowds, ambulances and rescue vehicles, roads and distance markers then you have come to the wrong site.  Here we plan to avoid all these things, you will look after yourself for the whole day, you may not see a living soul the entire day, you will only be rescued if it means emergency evacuation and often you won't know where the hell you are.  These are adventure trail runs, intended for the adventurous trail runners who want to push the limit not of just running along a trail but also finding your own way, making route decisions and ensuring you can reach the finish.  Whilst you take care of the running we will move your tog bags, ensure you are fed and have a place to stay.

and also:

You will be going through pristine mountain and coastline, unspoiled and unpolluted and virtually unpopulated.  These are gems of South Africa as far as natural beauty is concerned.  They are also challenging areas to negotiate, why else did "Morgan's Run" and "Bull of Africa" choose to use them.  You will hardly see a tar road on the Wild Coast and not at all on the Amatola, in fact there are very few roads at all.

Our running philosophy:

 We want a race that is not cluttered with rules, with no monetary prizes.  Runners should participate for the pure pleasure of running and to experiencing life to the full, to get the most out of the beauty that abounds all around us.  To have an experience that tests physical and mental endurance but does not exceed the limits, just gets you to look a little deeper inside yourself and appreciate who you are and what you are capable of.  We want a race that is an adventure that can be treasured and appreciated, in contrast to the mundane.

and now:

If you are still interested then choose your poison by selecting the events above.  We promise you an adventure.

Contacts:

Dave Gassner - 0768179058 - 0217855911 - Fax 0866153145 cd.gassner@yahoo.com for any information or help you may need.

Links:

"Discovery Surfers Challenge" - www.surferschallenge.co.za

Trail running - www.trailrunning.co.za and www.ndorfin.co.za

Information - www.wildcoast.co.za

Accommodation Stutterheim - www.manderson.co.za

Accommodation King Williams Town - Pat Speir 043 642 1747 or email amatola@frontiertours.co.za

Pat's husband, Rob, is the original man behind the Amatola Trail and is probably the most knowledgeable person around regarding these mountains having worked and lived there for many years.  Do try to find out more from them if you can.

Accommodation Hobbiton - Josh or Tanya (Hogsback) 045 962 1193 or email hobbiton@execunet.co.za

Sports Index - www.totalindex.co.za

African Holiday Destinations - www.wildlifeafrica.co.za

Skydiving Johannesburg with the Skyhigh Tandems Skydive Crew - Johannesburg Skydiving school