Wellness in the Winelands: Trail Running with Run The Vines
What a brilliant idea to blend the benefits of trail running with the natural splendour of our valley, covering lush locations such as Wellington’s Ayama Slent Farms and Doolhof Wine Estate, up to Paarl’s Landskroon Wines and its Vrede en Lust Wine Estate. Run The Vines is a Western Cape-based trail running club that presents numerous running events in Drakenstein. Speaking to trail run organiser Lans Pepler of Onsite Events, Vars learnt that even the unfit are welcome to join in the fun. No “wander” Run The Vines recently welcomed its 9 000th Facebook member! Living in Paarl, with its majestic, centuries-old wine farms and natural beauty, is precisely what inspired Lans to start Run The Vines eight years ago. Having a passion for events and the outdoors, he approached the Paarl Wine Route
in 2015 to host a trail run in conjunction with the OmmiBerg Festival. This was the birth of Run The Vines! The fact that outdoor lovers of all fitness levels, from the novice to the more serious runner, can run with family and friends on a different wine farm every month while enjoying good food, wine, hospitality, and music afterwards surely contributes to the success of this series. The benefits of trail running are twofold. Firstly, it takes you to places in nature that you would never have seen if you did not run. You can experience beautiful farms that are normally not so accessible because they are private property. Secondly, trail running promotes a healthy, fit lifestyle. “If you cannot run, then walk,” Lans says. “Finish at your own pace and enjoy it.”
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VARS | November
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