Since day 1 we had an item on our bucket list, to host a Chokka Trail Run – and now, thanks to a hiker who did the Chokka Trail earlier this year, Wicus Kotze from Bestmed, we will be able to tick it off!

The inaugural Bestmed Chokka Trail Run will take place on Sunday 7 August 2016, starting and finishing at the Cape St Francis Resort.  The main distance of the day, 62km, will cover 90% plus a little more of the original route, while we also offer a shorter 30km, 23km and 16km, where walkers are welcome.  The race organisers are St Francis Sport.

Online entries, as well as the route description with elevations are available on the St Francis Sport website, who is the organisers of the event.  Entrants for the 62km must supply information on previous long distance runs completed.

Our Chokka Trail

The route follows the shoreline from the Cape St Francis Resort to Mostertshoek past the Seal Point Lighthouse.  From the last house in Mostertshoek, they will stay on the road into the Eskom Nature Reserve, where the 62km and 30km runners will continue through the coastal thicket and forest to Dune Ridge Country House. Here the 62km runners continue through the Eskom Nature Reserve to Thysbaai and Oyster Bay. The Eskom sliding gate, at around 30km, will serve as a cut off point.

They will then tackle the 16km dunes of the Sand River back to Dune Ridge Country House, and down to the Mostertshoek Road. Meanwhile the 30km runners will turn back to the Mostershoek Road at Dune Ridge Country House, and meet up with the 23km and 16km runners at the sliding gate on the R330 into St Francis Field.

The 16km runners will use the St Francis Field beach gate to get back to the Resort, while the 30km and 23km runners will still have to check in at the Balobi Seafood Market Waterpoint before they can continue via Shark Point back to the Resort.

There will be well stocked water points at each 5km interval, however each runner must carry at least 1l water, a head lamp, space blanket and whissle.  The route for the 23km and 16km will be well marked, but runners doing the 30km and 62 km will receive maps and coordinates for the middle section of the race.

“The Bestmed Chokka Trail Run’s foundation is the popular “Enid” – the Enid Pretorius Properties Trail Run & Walk that was held for 7 years on Women’s Day, however turned out to be too difficult for most walkers and not taken seriously by trail runners,” says Race Organiser Eric Stewart from St Francis Sport.  “When a financial director of Bestmed hiked the Chokka Trail earlier this year and offered to sponsor a trail run, we knew it was meant to be.”

Number collection and on the day registration can be done from 06:00 on Sunday morning and race briefing for all distances is at 07:15.  All participants will be able to send off the 62km participants when they start at 07:30. The 30km runners will start at 07:45 and the 23km and 16km runners at 07:30. Walkers will be allowed on the 16km route.

The entry fee is R80 (open) and R40 (under 18) for the 16km, R120 (23km), R150 (30km) and R200 (62km).

The Cape St Francis Resort offers a fantastic accommodation special for the weekend starting at R154 per person sharing. The event is organised by St Francis Sport and a portion of the profit will be donated to SANCCOB Cape St Francis.