Magaliesberg Madness - Van Gaalen's Trail

Last Saturday, whilst people were recovering from their hangovers or getting ready for the Amazing Race, I went for a little wilderness jog at the Van Gaalens farm in Hartbeespoort. There were two races a 20km race that I stayed well away from and a 10km race that I decided to do. The prize giving for all runners was a chicken prego roll. Some very fast people got money.


It was my second trail run and I wanted to see if I had learnt anything from my previous run.

Lessons supposedly learnt:

Lesson 1: Don’t start at the back.

Lesson 2: I am fitter than what I think.

Lesson 3: 9 year olds are extremely fast so don’t let your male ego get to you when one smashes you by 10min.

Lesson 4: Bring your own beer either in a hydration pack or leave it at the finish if you can wait that long.


First thing that I did wrong was start at the back. I thought that since the race was longer than my previous race the people would be a lot fitter. I was wrong. Once again I was stuck trying to get past people on a single track. There was a benefit here; there were some beautiful young ladies that I had to pass. Not the easiest thing to do and it slowed me down a little but I am willing to make some sacrifices. The bloody slow blokes in front of me were just irritating but that was my fault from starting behind them and not their fault.

Second thing that I did wrong was assume that I was relatively fit due to a 5km race I ran previously. The truth is that I AM NOT THAT FIT. There are loads of pictures on the race website of people that look like the course is a breeze and only one picture of a person that looks exhausted and as if he is going to die. The course was covered with photographers and they all took pictures of me. This morning they found it in their hearts to put one of the pictures of me suffering on their website. I did finish in the top 20% so I guess that I am not as bad as I make myself out to be.

What I did learn was how to stay ahead of the 9 year olds. Due to the distances there weren’t any 9 year olds. The other lesson that I learn was to make sure that there were beers at the finish; they opened the bar first thing in the morning. I also went to look for the chef before the race started just to make sure that the chicken breasts for the prego rolls were cooked correctly.

An added attraction to the race is that you can get the family to join you and make a day of it. There are things to entertain the kids like a jungle gym, two old tractors, farm animals and large fields for the kids to run around and play in whilst the adults picnic or eat at the restaurant. My little godson’s highlight was when a helicopter landed on a helipad in front of the farm's restaurant.

Trail running is becoming like a drug, I cannot wait for the next race. Unfortunately I have got a slight tear in my left calf muscle so I am not sure that I will be fit for the next run on the 7th November. Ryan Sands had better look over his shoulder, next year he will have a new challenger.