XMspread Molweni 09may2014

MOLWENI TRAIL RUN

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS JACQUES MARAIS

Molweni Magic The Molweni Trail Run may be one of the new kids on the trail running block, but there is no doubt in my mind that this will grow to become one of South Africa’s premier off-road races.

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Breath Forest brimming with towering tree ferns. River crossings lined with moss-covered rocks. Cliff-top trails traversing the Valley of a 1000 Hills. Athlete-swallowing sink holes. The ‘Lift Shaft’ descent into the gorge. And too many calf-cruncher climbs to contemplate … One thing’s for sure: if you did not prepare properly for the MOLWENI Trail Run – presented by SALOMON and organised by 369 Communications – you would have been chewed up and spat out very soon.

After the intensive hype and the testing Prologue, held in the breathtaking Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, it was a nervous field of athletes who lined up for the start at Forest Hills Sports Club just after dawn this past weekend. And they certainly had ample reason to be nervous, as ahead of them lay 32km of tough-it-out trail, littered all the way with natural obstacles ranging from treacherous sink holes and vertiginous cliffs to (quite possibly) mega-sized mambas.

Fortunately, the race unfolded as a well-organised adventure run of note, with Graham Daniel and his 369 COMMS Crew seeing to it that the athletes were well-briefed and supported all the way. Out on the gruelling route itself, it was Thabang Madiba and Lucky Miya who threw down the gauntlet early on in the day, even though good runs from Jock Green and Matt Kretzmann kept them in contention as the race went to the wire.

The women’s race went to the Queen of KZN Trail, Su Don-Wauchope, with Takalani Ndandani and Daneil Feldmann grabbing the remaining podium spots. Full results and more information on this amazing race are available at www.molwenitrailrun.co.za

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taking “ Forest brimming with towering tree ferns. River crossings lined with moss-covered rocks.

Cliff-top trails traversing the Valley of a 1000 Hills.�

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Monochrome

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Slog

“ I ran after guys shooting from ground level; with the SONY SLT’s fold-out view finder, this becomes much easier as you can frame on the fly.”

THE ACTION Runners negotiate rocky terrain along the plateau before dropping down into the sweltering heat of the Molweni valley.

Here they were welcomed by ululating members of the local community as they passed through their tiny, rural villages.

THE SHOT I ran after guys shooting from ground level; with the SONY SLT’s fold-out view finder, this becomes much easier as you can frame on the fly.

THE SPECS 1/400th sec @ f8; SONY A99-SLT + 16mm Fish-eye; ISO 50; WB Setting (Auto); AE Setting (0); Flash (None); Post-Production in Adobe Lightroom

MORE INFO www.molwenitrailrun.co.za

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Madiba Blitzing

THE ACTION Thabang Madiba, one of the SALOMON-sponsored athletes taking part in the MOLWENI Trail Run, took no prisoners as he charged along the forest trails early on in the day. He went on to win the race in a time of just over 3hrs after leading for most of the way.

THE SHOT I set up WiFi flash in a spot where the runners had to pass under a fallen tree, and shot on a slow shutter speed to create a combo of focus and blur.

THE SPECS 1/60th sec @ f4.5; SONY A99-SLT with 16mm fish eye; ISO 800; WB Setting (Auto); AE Setting (-1); Off-Camera Flash triggered by Phottix Transceivers

MORE INFO www.salomon.co.za

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Going Down?

“ The ‘Lift Shaft’ crevasse plummeted runners to the foot of the gorge along a near-vertical section of trail, after which a mother of a climb awaited them onto the final home run.”

THE ACTION The MOLWENI Trail Run proved to be the event with the toughest finish I’ve ever been to. The ‘Lift Shaft’ crevasse plummeted runners to the foot of the gorge along a near-vertical section of trail, after which a mother of a climb awaited them onto the final home run.

THE SHOT The contrast between bright shafts of sunlight and impenetrable darkness tested the SONY sensor on my A99-SLT, but pushing the dynamic range got me the result I wanted.

THE SPECS 1/250th sec @ 8; SONY A99-SLT + 16-35mm lens; ISO 400; WB Setting (Auto); No flash; AE Setting (0)

MORE INFO www.sony.co.za

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River Running

“ I headed about 10m up the river and composed the image along the Rule of Thirds...�

THE ACTION A small wooden bridge within the gorgeous Krantzkloof Nature Reserve made for one of my favourite shot locations along the Prologue Route. Gorgeous ferns and mossy rocks created a beautiful setting within which to capture the athletes.

THE SHOT I headed about 10m up the river and composed the image along the Rule of Thirds to allow enough foreground to juxtapose the action with the surrounding natural tranquility.

THE SPECS 1/125th sec @ f5.6; SONY A99-SLT with 16-35mm zoom; ISO 125; WB Setting (Auto); AE Setting (-1); Off-Camera WiFi Flash

MORE INFO www.ekznw.co.za

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Through the Falls THE ACTION A precarious perch on the slippery edge of the Molweni Waterfall gave me the perfect view of the trail below. I waited for the runners to pass through the sun reflecting off tiny droplets of spray to get this dreamy view of the MOLWENI Trail Run.

THE SHOT I had to get the runners at exactly the right moment as they came into view, and had to pre-focus on the sweet spot and hope the water droplets played ball.

THE SPECS 1/500th sec @ f8; SONY A99-SLT with 70-400mm zoom lens; ISO 400; WB Setting: Auto; AE Setting (0); No Flash

MORE INFO www.jacquesmarais.co.za

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AIS AR SM UE CQ JA PH

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OT O:

“ This race punches way above its distance … prepare as if you’re training for a 50km trail run!”

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