RACE REPORT - CAPE PRESTIGE TRAIL EVENT 1 - Anura Wines Klapmuts

Welcome to this week’s blog! Hands up if your week could best be summed up as: wine, please… and maybe an oxygen tank full of fresh air. Yep, same here. Between life’s curveballs and those “wait, did that really just happen?” moments, it’s been a whole lot of what the fudge. But instead of wallowing, we decided to swap the chaos for some sunshine, mud on our shoes, and a little mischief on the trails at Anura. Buckle up — last weekend’s adventure was exactly the kind of reset button we all needed. As promised, we’re heading into a new routine of blogs, and this week it’s time for something many of you have been asking for: Race Reports.

This year, I’ve set my sights on the Cape Prestige Trail Run Series—a four-part adventure spread across four different wine farms in the Western Cape, each with its own personality, charm, and challenge. The beauty of this series is that it really has something for everyone: from a gentle 5 km meander (perfect for those who like to “jog and sip”) all the way to a 20 km(ish) route for the runners who want to test their grit. (And I say “ish” because trail running comes with that little 10% wiggle room in distance. Trail math is a thing. Ask any trail runner!)

This year, I entered the 10 km series. Why? Because life has a sneaky way of throwing curveballs when you least expect it, and 10 km is one of those distances that you can fit into almost any situation—even those crazy double-racing weekends we sometimes commit to before common sense catches up with us.

Welcome to Anura 🍷🐸

Last Weekend was the first stop on the series was the Anura Vineyard in Klapmuts, just outside Stellenbosch. Now, here’s a fun fact: “Anura” isn’t just the name of a wine farm—it’s also the scientific order for frogs and toads. The name comes from the Greek an- (without) and oura (tail). YES - we are info geeks and looked it up !! So yes, every time you sip an Anura wine, you’re also kind of toasting the frogs. 🐸 And as it turns out, the estate has wetland areas that really are home to frogs—so the name is no accident! It’s well known for its vineyards, cheese production, and craft beer and then the wines and mcc.

Frogs are actually the perfect mascot for a trail run: they leap, they splash, and they don’t mind mud—which, as we were about to find out, was very on theme for this race.

Mud, Hills & Buffets (Trail Style)

It was a cold and wet morning. Overnight rain meant we were expecting a mud bath, and while the skies stayed grey and heavy, thankfully the rain held off during the run. Armed with trusty trail shoes (a.k.a. “mud flappers”), buffs, caps, hydration packs, and a rain jackets - because Cape Town weather has trust issues, we set off.

Now, the 10 km came with just over 200 m of elevation. For the average Capetonian trail runner, that’s “dinky toy” elevation—a warm-up, really. But very quickly into the run, the mood shifted. We collectively decided: this was going to be a hike, not a run.  Sometimes you’ve just got to call it. Life had been heavy, and heavy in all aspects of life, for everyone in the group that week before, and what we needed wasn’t speed—it was space. Space to laugh, chat, and breathe.

And honestly? Best decision ever.

And so it began:

• Puddle jumping.

• Slipping and sliding on spongy layers of mud.

• Laughing as we bounced between vines.

• And stopping often to soak in views that no camera can ever quite capture. Although it never stops us from trying anyway.
  

The first water point came at 4 km, then another at 7 km. And these weren’t your average race water tables. Oh no—this was a buffet spread. Coke, water, jelly sweets - a Selection any child will dream of and of course, the holy grail of trail running snacks: salt & vinegar crisps. (Trust me: until you’ve run in heat so bad that every other food option makes you gag, you’ll never truly understand the beauty of salt and vinegar for electrolytes.)

Riveting Conversations on the Trail

One of my favourite things about trail events like this is that it’s not just about running. It’s about the conversations, the shared laughs, and the random rabbit holes you go down while climbing a hill.

Refuelled and recharged, we trudged up another hill, lost in deep discussion about how age sneaks up on you in your 40s. The topic of the moment? Eyesight. Yes, somewhere between slipping through mud and dodging vines, we debated how to stop eyeballs from shrivelling up like raisins as you get older, and how wearing thin layers of "glad wrappies" over your eyeballs to help you read the now fine print that a mere year ago was large print. Only trail runners can make eye health sound like an extreme sport.

At 7 km, another aid station greeted us with yet another buffet of sugary delights. By this point, the conversation had moved on to energy gels—the good, the bad, the ugly and the super farty....the ones that trigger a gag reflex so violent it feels and acts like an overactive fart desperately trying to escape, and in some cases does (Trail talk is classy, I know.)

The final stretch took us through orchards bursting with blossoms, more rolling vineyard trails, and a few sneaky climbs just to remind us that trail running isn’t meant to be easy. But here’s the thing: between the mud, the laughs, and the random conversations, the distance flew by. Our minds were lighter, our souls revived, and the week’s worries had been left somewhere back at kilometre two.

That’s trail running for you: equal parts workout, therapy session, and comedy club.

The Grand Finale

As we made our way through orchards in full bloom, past rolling vineyards, and up and down just enough hills to remind our quads they were alive, the kilometers slipped away. Of course, one of our friends had the brilliant idea to video our arrival. Naturally, we had to make it look good and act like the pro runners we are. So, after all that hiking and meandering, we synced up like pros, running shoulder to shoulder in perfect rhythm, grinning from ear to ear as we crossed the line to claim our medals. Pure cinematic magic.

No wine tasting this time (adulting + driving responsibilities do get in the way), but honestly, the day had already given us what we needed: mud, laughter, conversations that went from deep to ridiculous, and the kind of soul-refreshing joy you only get from trails.

If you’ve never tried a trail series like this before, here’s my advice: do it. Don’t worry about pace, don’t stress about shoes getting dirty, don’t even think about what people will say about your “walk breaks.” Just show up, embrace the mud, eat the crisps, laugh with strangers, and let nature do the rest.

Because sometimes, it’s not about racing. It’s about living. And at Anura, with the frogs cheering us on in spirit, that’s exactly what we did.

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Thanks for joining me this week on my muddy, laughter-filled journey through the vineyards at Anura. More adventures are coming soon, so stay tuned! If you’re new around here — welcome! 🎉 Why not take a little wander over to our website and see what we’re all about? You’ll find a treasure chest of past adventures, trail tales, and training tips from the last year (aka proof that we occasionally know what we’re doing). We’ve also given our blog schedule a little shake-up recently, so stick around — more stories, laughs, and probably a few misadventures are on their way soon. Stay tuned, it’s going to be fun! Wishing you a fabulous week ahead—train hard, show up for yourself, and most importantly, enjoy and treasure every step of the journey. Coach M