Sunshine, Vines and Wines at the Inaugural 1 Day Trail Girl Event

Press Release / 07.12.2016

Sunshine, Vines and Wines at the Inaugural 1 Day Trail Girl Event On 26 November 2016 the inaugural Trail Girl single-day event was held at the Benguela Cove Wine Estate just outside Hermanus. Overlooking the Botrivier lagoon with incredible mountain views, the event offered a flat and fast route – perfect for beginners. The Trail Girl events are presented by Trisport and are aimed at women who want to have fun while taking part in the beautiful sport of trail running.

The weather did not disappoint as the ladies lined up for the 5,5km and 9km trails. Clear skies, almost no wind, and mild temperatures made for perfect running conditions. Ladies came from far and wide to spend a fun day with their friends and even a few ballerinas swopped their ballet flats for takkies!

Junior female Danielle Strydom took top honours in the 5,5km event by finishing first in a time of 0:25:57. She was followed in a very close second place by Monique Bailey (0:26:09), and Christelle Grimbeek in third with 0:28:11. The top 5 ladies all finished the event in under 29 minutes.

In the 9km event, Annamari Storm finished in front with an excellent 0:41:32. In second and third positions were vet female runner Juanita Loubser (0:42:30), and open female runner Leanne McConnell (0:43:41). A special shout-out to the only grand master at the event, Marie Vorster, who finished the 9km in under an hour with a time of 0:56:23.

Benguela Cove is a leading producer and wine destination at the start of the Hermanus Wine Route. They produce award-winning wines from their quality vineyards and after the race, runners were treated to a glass of Benguela Cove's finest while enjoying the beautiful scenery that the venue had to offer. But trail running can build up quite an appetite and Benguela Cove also provided athletes with yummy bagels that were an instant hit. The ladies socialised until late in the afternoon, soaking up the sun, and swopping trail tales over a few glasses of wine.

Thank you to Benguela Cove Wine Estate for their hospitality; we look forward to the next event in 2017! The next Trail Girl event will take place on 8 and 9 April in the Garden Route. Visit trisport.co.za for more information about this event and to enter online.