Earlier this year I did my first Wolf Pack Trail Challenge (WPTC) and can honestly say I have never had so much fun on a training run as with WPC. This is the ultimate in hill training for anyone not living in Cape Town or close to the mountains or who don’t want to spend hundreds or thousands of rands to claim 1500m of elevation gain in one go!
What makes this event so extra special?
The WPTC is not an official race but rather a seriously challenging hill training session that even draw elite trail runners, think the likes of Bennie Roux, Thabang Madiba and a whole host of other speed demons who think they can beat these two to the challenge… ultimately giving it that race like feel! I loved it. It’s like training with the elite, seeing them in action and yes…seeing them working really hard and…suffer! Don’t for one moment think hills come easy, not even for the elite. But this is just some of the reasons I’ve enjoyed the WPC. I just love seeing people working hard and pushing limits; so inspiring… makes me believe I can do it to!
However what makes this event extra special is the amazing spirit and camaraderie of all the passionate trail runners. I’ve never had so much fun with a group of of strangers. Seriously…the power of social media…aka Facebook and Twitter. Lol!
Training Run 2weeks before the event. It was deemed appropriate to actually train for WPTC… Lol!
What a bunch! All ready and prepared for WPTC…
So to sum it up…words from the Wolfman:
This event is primal.
A “flash mob” trail run if you will
Self sufficient (own hydration)
No toilets; no toilet paper
This is not an organised race
No insurance
No medics
This is a group of trail blazers, well…blazing the trails
The Wolfman’s (Herman Mulder) Story
How it all started….
“I was training in the Magalieberg one day and discovered the steep climb at the back of the mountain. I thought I would do 2 or three repeats because it was so steep. I manage to do four and told myself to try one more. I made it and recorded it in my logbook as a five pack. That sounded stupid and it was one short of a six pack. The suffering reminded me of a piece I wrote on fighting the wolf (injury) which to me is the worst suffering of all. The wolf to me epitomizes the mental and physical toughness we need to survive”.
I couldn’t keep this to myself and I decided to invite a few trail runners to do it with me.
I did the first one in 2014 ( only two completed the challenge).
Last year (2015) 17 candidates completed the challenge.
So far this year ( January 2016) we have 57 candidates for Saturday’s “Wolf Pack”.
The idea is to go back to nature , the primal self,
that’s why we have the theme of ancient warrior running in the mountains.
The Route
The 5 pack route
Route – From the Bottom Up
…when you focus and work hard… this is all you see!
Right at the bottom
Honestly didn’t know what that meant… until about the 3rd rep… Lol!
Beautiful views at the top!
The Medallion
THE WOLFMAN (Henk Mulder) showing off the special finishers medallion… it’s huge and beautiful!
Runners being brief about the challenge and where to find their medallions on their way back.
It’s all in the detail. How special is this?
The Challenge
Off course I was out of breath within the first 1km!
I… came… for… hill… training!
Beautiful day with beautiful views….
I felt like a real warrior woman… LOL!
More hills on our way back to the start…
Yes…and off course I was the last to finish…but I finished! (many who didn’t…lol!)
A massive THANK YOU to the Wolfman for sharing his trails and passion for running with us, the beautiful medals, my ice cold can of Coke on my last rep and for bringing together a great group of passionate runners to share this event with.
Back Due To Popular Demand!!
The next event will be on the 2nd of July 2016.
Perfect timing as I’ve just kicked off training for my 2016 goal race… the 100km Salomon Skyrun; more about this in another post.
