Ballito Umhl - NOV 2020

A decade on the trails
This month marks 10 years since Buzz Bolton started the Riverside Trail Running
Group, which sees more than 70 people running together on a weekly basis,
exploring the beautiful trails of Umhlanga and its surrounds. We found out a bit
more about the group and the man behind it.
Text: Leah Shone
After more than 30 years as a
dedicated road runner, with 20
Comrades marathons under his belt,
Buzz Bolton accidentally entered a
50km trail running race in 2007 ... and
inadvertently discovered his new life’s
passion.
Afterwards, he signed up to join a
friend in the gruelling Cape Odyssey
event, comprising a 210km run over
five days. “This not only introduced
me to multi-stage trail running, but
sent a loud and clear message to say
that I was now obsessed, hook, line
and sinker with trail running.”
After two years of running on trails,
Buzz took it upon himself to start
a formal trail running group in
Umhlanga. “Trail running is so big in
the Cape, and with so many beautiful
open spaces available to us, I couldn’t
understand why we didn’t have any
organised runs here.” And so began
the Riverside Trail Running Group.
The popularity of trail running has
grown immensely in South Africa over
the past decade, and the North Coast
in particular has a wide selection of
beautiful trails available to runners.
For most trail runners, Buzz says,
the real draw card is the simple
pleasure of being able to immerse
yourself in nature. “Unlike road
running, trail running is not really
about beating your previous time.
Every run is different, with rivers to
cross or mountains to climb, and we
often stop along the way to take a
photograph … and catch our breath,”
he laughs.
Buzz’s appreciation for the outdoors
stems back from a childhood spent
on sugar cane farms and in game
reserves and on his wife (of 47 years)
Hildegard’s family farm in Namibia.
“This outdoor life was peaceful,
interesting and ever-changing. Mud
fights in the river, playing sticks with
18 Get It • Ballito Umhlanga November 2020