Cradle of Humankind Half Marathon 2013
Lovely day, great roads and I saw a white tiger.
The Cradle of Humankind Half Marathon is a good race to try. The race starts within the grounds of the Kloofzicht Lodge which is a brilliant setting for a start of a race; there are a few small lakes and that fresh outdoor feel. What is nice about the Kloofzicht Lodge is the tar road out to the entrance. So considering you you are out of town you don’t have to do any off road running out of the lodge grounds.
The route is pretty simple as you run down the road (R374 into R540), turn around and come back on the same road back to Kloofzicht. This means you can see how far behind you are from the winner and you can cheer on your friends behind you. The route goes past the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve where you could see some animals.
My day started in the car getting stuck in a major traffic jam outside the Kloofzicht Lodge. There was ample parking inside the lodge grounds but getting through to the parking seemed to take forever. For this reason the officials delayed the start to 06:15 and then again to 06:30 which was a little annoying as I got in by 06:08 and it was a little chilly while we waited. As the race started on our left above the hazy fog of the area we saw a hot air balloon moving past us. The first 2km is getting out of the lodge and onto the main road, into some easy long up and down hills. The road quality is very good as it is a main road and is a popular cycling route because there are large cycling lanes painted onto the roads. The Cradle of Humankind area could potentially be an option for long runs in the future because of the cycling lanes.
The sun came out quickly to make the day that extra bit warmer and comfortable. I am worried that winter is fast approaching. The 10km turns before reaching the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve, which is a shame because running past the reserve I saw a large white tiger walking around its enclosure. This race didn’t feel to hard as the hills where quite gradual and not sudden and steep like some of the races in the city. The finish is down next to a lake where the lodge had some food and drink to buy. If I had time I would have spent the morning at the lodge because of the beautiful relaxed surroundings. I liked the medal with the evolution of humans shaped into the design. I did a 1h:53m race which is OK.
The route map GPX File