Phantom found at full moon
As the full moon performed its lunar showcase, close to 400 adventurous trail runners and trail walkers, equipped with their headlamps, went out into the Simola forests to meet the phantom.
The phantom made its ghostly appearance in the form of local opera singers – the Knysna Afroquartex – performing live opera music from different composers, while runners followed a 6 or 12km trail made of blazing torches under the full moon.
This avant-garde blend of trail running and opera music – the Simola Phantom Night Run presented by Ledlenser – took place on Saturday, July 8 on a beautiful warm, full moonlit night as part of the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival.
Participants agreed that this race is a unique run in which even the most familiar forest trails in Knysna’s backyard take on a new look, feel and essence.
Course designer John Collins from Magnetic South carefully chose a combination of the area’s most enticing trails on which even some of the locals were left in the dark and were grateful for the reflective marking that led the way back to the warmth and cozy luxury of the Simola Hotel.
While many participants chose to walk and enjoy this experience with all their senses, some hardened trail runners fought it out in the front.
No other than local runner Melikhaya Msizi took the podium for the 12km run in a time of 00:44:04 followed by Matthew Bosman and Henri Knobel. In the women’s field, Brenda Ferrar dominated and finished in 01:02:55, ahead of Zoe Henn and Marla Prinsloo.
The 6km run showed a lot of young talent. Brothers Billy and Wernandt Human took first and second in the male category, with local youngster John Tanner coming third. The women’s race was dominated by 12-year-old Knysna local Andrea Collins, with Kim Rennie and Leslee Salzmann completing the podium.
The race also catered for the younger generation, with a slightly less spooky pre-dusk ramble around a specially made adventure trail crafted to enthrall young minds and bodies as they traversed a series of themed adventure passages followed by some fun entertainment in the safety of the hotel, while parents had their turn to unwind. – Supplied
* Results: oyster.events.