Bucklow, Dunn to renew rivalry on Muizenberg Trail

by Stephen Granger

Trail running action moves to the Muizenberg and Kalk Bay Mountains this weekend (Saturday 2 July) for the Muizenberg Trail 20km and the second race in the Triple Crown, following the Old Fisherman’s Trail Challenge three weeks back and prior to the Hout Bay Trail Challenge later this month.

Several of Cape Town’s top trail competitors will be on the start line to do battle over the shortest of the Triple Crown races, but anyone taking Saturday’s race lightly could be in for surprise. With total elevation of 1200m and many kilometres of technically challenging single-track, there is a sting in the tail of the Muizenberg Trail.

While lesser known than some of the higher-profile mountain sites within Table Mountain National Park, the mountains above Muizenberg, St James and Kalk Bay are a veritable hiker and trail runner’s paradise, with place names such as Muizenberg Peak, Farm Peck’s Valley, Nellies Pool, the Amphitheatre and the High Steenberg Peak trail forming part of Saturday’s race route.

An interesting innovation for the race could see a congested finish line with an inverted staggered start planned. Slowest runners will be first away, with runners seeded according to time, with the elite men starting from the back of the pack.

As overall running speed will determine the final order of finishers, runners will have to manage their own race to determine if they are going quick enough to keep runners behind them, while at the same time trying to catch the runners in front of them.

Kyle Bucklow will be out to make it two out of two for the Triple Crown following his win in the Old Fisherman’s Trail Challenge. Bucklow also took line honours at the Special Edition 25km in May and could be tough to beat this weekend.

But defending Muizenberg Trail champion, Jarryd Dunn, will be out for revenge following his defeat to Bucklow at the Fishers nad with the shorter course on Saturday better suiting his skill-set, and another sharp contest between these two can be anticipated.

A late decision by Robbie Rorich to race Muizenberg adds an exciting dimension which Rorich, one of the country’s most talented trail athletes, always brings to his races. But Rorich raced the George Mountain Ultra Trail 100km just two weeks back and could find the fresher legs of a Bucklow or Dunn, or indeed those of 2020 Old Fishers champion, Siviwe Nkombi, or ever-improving Joshua Chigome too quick for him on the day.

Lijan van Niekerk starts as firm favourite to defend her title in the women’s competition, following victories at the Fishers and also the George Mountain Ultra Trail 25km with Lauren Granger, less than 5 minutes behind Van Niekerk in placing fourth in the Fishers, likely to provide her strongest competition.

The race gets underway from the Sea Scout Base on Zandvlei, with the slowest runners scheduled to get underway at 07h00 or shortly after. Winners are expected across the finish line back at the Sea Scout Base shortly after 11h00.