Two running the Otter for NVT
PLETTENBERG BAY - The Nature's Valley Trust (NVT) will be benefitting from the generosity of local athletes taking part in the 2022 Otter African Trail Run and Otter African Trail Challenge Run this week. This year is the "Retto" edition of the iconic trail run, which will be run from Nature's Valley to Storm's River.
"NVT is extremely grateful for the generosity of the race organisers, Magnetic South, and is very excited to be partnering with them in this year's proceedings and in the future to promote trail running, conservation and community development in the area," the organisation said in a recent press release. As in previous years, NVT will be running a shoe monitoring station where they will ensure that each runner's shoes are clean of any invasive alien plant seeds that could otherwise be deposited along the trails.
Local runner Rodney Prins has launched crowdfunding in support of NVT while running the Otter this year. Prins, 34, is from Kurland in the Crags, and has been involved in athletics since primary school.
He has previously run for the Mr Price Athletic Club for four years and for the past 10 years has been running for the Nedbank Running Club. He regularly competes in a range of athletics, from track and field to road running, cross country and trail running. The area means a great deal to Prins, and he has been training hard to give his best in support of this cause for conservation. He is very grateful and excited about the opportunity to race the Otter African Trail Run.
Funds raised will go towards NVT's conservation research and education programmes to help them continue raising awareness within schools and communities in the area. "We hope to build awareness around the importance of protecting this pristine coastline for future generations whilst promoting locals to get out and explore our beautiful coastline," the organisation explained.
The Otter African Trail Run on Saturday 8 October is preceded by the Challenge Run that takes place today, Thursday 6 October. The owner of Outsiders Gym in Plett, Gert van Jaarsveld, is using this run to also raise money for NVT. "I jumped at this opportunity gifted by Nature's Valley Trust through a sponsorship by Magnetic South, as it's been on my bucket list for years, combining three of my passions, fitness, being outside, and nature conservation," he said.
You can find both crowdfunding campaigns on www.backabuddy.co.za by searching "Nature's Valley Trust". Van Jaarsveld's campaign is titled "Nature's Valley Trust/Gert/Otter" and Prins' campaign is titled "Running the Otter African Trail Run for NVT 2022".