The Absa Cape Epic 2011 - a very active weekend

This past weekend saw the final of the Absa Cape Epic at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West. The Absa Cape Epic is the worlds most prestigious mountain biking race and I was blown away to hear that there were two blind participants who took part in the event. The commitment and endurance to participate in 8 days of off-road biking, through almost 800km of mountain terrain and wilderness is inspirational.My friends and I decided we couldnt just rock up at the finish to support the riders come in without doing our own version of strenuous activity. We signed up for a 15km trail run, although there were also two mountain bike routes. Im not much of a cyclist, and considering the Two Oceans Half Marathon is just two and a half weeks away, my running partner and I thought it would be good training.Trail running always sounds like a great idea. The route took us through the Lourensford vineyards, forests, mountains and some beautiful scenery over the Somerset West valley. It wasnt an easy route and we walked (and cursed) up a lot of the hills. But it was well worth getting out of bed early.There is a trail run scheduled for Saturday 16 April in Stellenbosch. You can check out our Facebook page for more details. Besides the great run, the vibe at the finish was incredible. The venue is well suited to host these types of events and it was great to see the support for the guys and girls coming in for the finish of the Epic. It was awesome to see South African, Burry Stander and his team mate Christoph Sauser take home the winning trophy.Early bird entries for 2012s Epic have already closed! You have to be that quick. But you can find out more details on the race and later entries on their website here.