Trail Running with Ilanga Trails’ Clive Smart

Clive Smart is the owner of the trail running company Ilanga Trails, and a huge fan of running the road less travelled. But what really gets him excited is helping beginners take the first few strides towards a healthier lifestyle.

By Benno Stander

Trail Running Lowveld

“It might be a cliche, but it is true: A bad day on the trail beats a good day at the office,” he laughs. “Some of my most difficult and hardest runs are also my most memorable.”

Clive has been running since his first year in high school when a teacher challenged him to do a lap around the track at the inter-house. “She also trained and drilled me to improve all the time. I guess somewhere along the line it just became so much fun that I never stopped. I owe just about all my running to her and at 58 I’m still going strong.”

Clive has run the Comrades Marathon three times with his first at the age of 50, but according to him it was once too many. “I’m not an ultra-road runner and only did it because I used to train with guys who wanted to do it. I feel if you’ve run it once uphill and once downhill it’s enough. I’d rather progress to ultra-trail running now.”

His most memorable race was being second last in the Two Oceans Marathon when helping a friend who was not up to the challenge. “I literally had to drag her by the hand over every hill and it was a hell of a long day. Seeing the joy on her face at the finish line made it all worthwhile. That is what makes me tick. To see people with unhealthy lifestyles take on the challenge of running, and succeed.”

Ilanga Trails

Ilanga Trails came to life after Clive’s youngest daughter and her husband started doing a trail running series in Jhb. “I thought to myself this place we call the Lowveld is where people should be doing trail running,” Clive remembers. So in February 2012 he bit the bullet and started organising the first race which turned out to be a huge success.

At the moment Ilanga Trails is not generating any sort of income and every cent that comes in, and more, is put right back into the races. “Trail running is now where mountain biking was some 10 years ago. It’s growing at an incredible rate and it is just a matter of time before the right sponsor comes along, sees the massive potential and takes the Ilanga Series to the next level.” In the meantime though, Clive gets to do what he loves and generates a lot of smiles by introducing young and old to some world-class trails.

So you want to hit the trail?

People often wonder what you need to start doing a specific type of sport. When asked this question about trail running, Clive simply said, nothing! “You can go and spend thousands kitting yourself out but you don’t have to and it won’t make you any faster. Most people own a pair of trainers and they are perfect for starting out on short runs. As far as places to run are concerned, if you live in the Lowveld you can probably find ideal terrain just down your street,” says Clive.
As you progress you might need to invest in a better pair of shoes but even this can be done without a hefty price tag as Clive himself prefers running with a set of R600 New Balance runners. You can also buy a Camelbak water backpack for longer distances, or simply run with a R20 water bottle in your hand. Trail running is really one of the most inexpensive sports to take on and more and more people are realising that for such a small investment, the rewards are truly priceless.

Trail Running Lowveld

Where to run

Clive suggests considering the following to change up you training routine:
• Mankele’s mountain bike routes are also perfect running trails and the owners have no problem with accommodating you. Just remember to report to the office to make sure you are not on a collision course with bikes.
• Steiltes Nature Reserve also has many wonderful hiking routes that are great for running. Park your car at LVCC and go explore…
• Hiking trails offer some of the best trail running and the Matumi Trail between Sabie and Hazyview, opposite Induna Adventures is a great example. This 8km route is very technical yet still manageable and extremely beautiful.
• Parkrun is an international organisation with branches in most major cities around the world. If you have registered for Parkrun you can run at any branch anywhere. There are three Parkrun branches in the Lowveld; One at Ingwenyama Conference and Sport Resort, one at Halls in Nelspruit and one at Summerfields in Hazyview. Visit Parkrun.co.za for more information and free registration.

Bucket List Trail Runs

Once you get going in trail running and start taking on longer distance trails, it wont be long before you’ll have some long term goals and bucket list runs. Clive suggests these as some of the most daring and rewarding runs the sport has to offer:

• Num-Num trail is quite close to Nelspruit, between Machadodorp and Badplaas, and was awarded Best Long Trail In South Africa 2013
• Otter, or Retto when run backwards, runs from Natures Valley to Tsitsikama.
• Southern Cross 3-Day trail in George
• Namakwa Quest 4-Day trail run in Springbok