[Event] Sappi Karkloof Trail Festival (SA Marathon Champs)

[Gav.S]

Event Name: Sappi Karkloof Trail Festival (SA Marathon Champs)
When: 24/05/2025 - 25/05/2025
Where: Karkloof Country Club, Howick, KwaZulu-Natal
Category: Mountain Bike

The Sappi Karkloof Trail Festival will take place at the Absa Karkloof Country Club on 24-25th of May 2025. The event saw a massive surge in competitors in 2024 and is aiming to make 2025 even bigger and better. The event is also SA Marathon Championships and the club is proud to be hosting this in 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Saturday 24th May will be a day for the Runners with 3 trail running distances, including a brand new intermediate distance to bridge the gap. The day is also one for the Enduro riders with a Full Enduro, E-bike Enduro and an Enduro Lite.

Sunday the 25th May will be a day for the Marathon MTB riders, competing for the prestigious title of SA Marathon Champs, with MTB race distances ranging from 10km for the Fun Ride, right up to 85km for the strongest competitors. For the more fun-loving running crowd there will be a Fun Run.

Go to Event Page.

[ajnkzn]

🤘

[Gav.S]

Evening All,

Routes have been uploaded.

https://ridewithgps.com/collections/4113896/

Weather for the event is looking phenomenal and the trails are running on rails at the moment.

Cheers, Gav.

[Dobri]

15 hours ago, Gav.S said:

Evening All,

Routes have been uploaded.

https://ridewithgps.com/collections/4113896/

Weather for the event is looking phenomenal and the trails are running on rails at the moment.

Cheers, Gav.

Hi Gav, how do I download the routes without opening an account and giving them my credit card details? Nothing on KCC website.

[Gav.S]

Hi Dobri,

Follow the ridewithgps link.

You don't need to create an account and definitely don't need to give any credit card details.

It will takenyou into the event folder. Choose the event you entered. Click the 3 dots next to download to device, click choose more export options. Choose your format.

Done. Easy peasy. 

 

[Gav.S]

If you do perhaps get a pop up asking for a subscription, just close the pop-up.

[Dobri]

Hi Gav, thank you for plotting a fantastic 43km route, however, some suggestions for next year to avoid the havoc experienced over the last weekend:

1. Perhaps charge R100 more per entry and have separate running and MTB boards? Maybe even have a runner on the actual board if colour options are limited to avoid any confusion. One purple board used for the 21km trail run on Saturday and not corrected for the MTB event casused all the problems on Sunday.

2. Maybe some youngster can ride the route on a motorbike early morning to check the markings?

3. Have the fun MTB family rides on the Saturday and the Nationals on Sunday?

4. And if the above is not possible, at least please try not to share the route used for a National event with fun riders. There are lot of options around KCC to plot a 20km fun route and not share it with the riders racing.

Having to share the single track towards the end through the forest and next to the river asking at least 30-40 families with kids to move to the side was not fun for me but more importantly not fun and not fair for the parents and small kids that most probaly took part for the first time in a MTB race. Those kids might reconsider the fun effect next time dad says lets go racing.

Otherwise well done to the team, everything else was superb and I will support all your events as I enjoy coming down to Karkloof and riding around - lots of fun.